Cefetra UK

Executive Summary

Rade developed a secure, user-friendly portal for Cefetra’s farmer customers, unifying data from multiple ERP systems across three brands for all their grain trades.

The platform features customizable dashboards, API-driven content, and a Progressive Web App with push notifications and biometric login. Farmers now access accurate, real-time data anytime, while Cefetra benefits from a scalable system ready for future growth.

Challenge

Cefetra approached Rade to design and develop a secure, password-protected portal for their farmer customers.

The portal needed to display data from an in-house developed API, covering multiple business areas and supporting three separate brands operated by the business. It was essential that the platform remained both highly secure and easy to use across desktop, mobile and app-based devices.

Farmers needed to be able to filter information not only by farm, but also by brand. Some farmers worked with a single brand, while others worked across multiple brands and multiple farms. This added further complexity, as each brand operated on different ERP systems. The key challenge was ensuring that the correct, up-to-date information was delivered to each farmer, for each farm and brand combination, through a single, unified portal.

Solution

Building on initial concepts provided by Cefetra, Rade produced detailed designs and interactive prototypes for the full portal. These formed a core part of the project specification and ensured alignment before development began.

Built on the Umbraco CMS system with significant custom developemt, a critical aspect of the project was close collaboration with Cefetra’s excellent technical team. This ensured the API delivered the correct data, in the correct format, to support the portal’s functionality and user experience delivering secure farmer logins, user management, a notifications system, and dynamic, API-driven content across custom pages.

Cefetra also requested a fully customisable dashboard. This allows each farmer to create their own personalised landing page using a series of widgets, each representing a different area of the system. Drag-and-drop functionality enables users to arrange these widgets to suit their individual preferences.

For mobile access, flexibility and long-term adaptability were key. Rade proposed a Progressive Web App (PWA) solution, providing a cost-effective alternative to native apps, while allowing rapid deployment of updates and new functionality. Additional app features include biometric login support and push notifications.

Outcome

• Farmers now have access to up-to-date grain movement data and market information through a single, easy-to-use portal and app.
• Regardless of which Cefetra brands they work with, farmers can securely access their information 24/7.
• The scalable architecture allows Cefetra to introduce new features and enhancements as part of a phased development programme.

Key Takeaways

This was a complex project that required close collaboration between two technical teams to deliver a platform that directly supports farmers and helps them run their businesses more efficiently.

Detailed planning and preparation proved critical - particularly as the API was still under development at the start of the project. Aligning portal requirements with evolving data availability across multiple business systems was a key success factor.

Rade’s specialist knowledge of the agricultural sector played a significant role in ensuring strong collaboration, clear communication, and the effective implementation of industry-specific requirements.

Profile

Part of the Cefetra group, Cefetra Ltd is one of the major traders of grains and animal feed raw materials in the UK and Ireland. The company supplies agricultural raw materials for the feed, food and fuel industry. Its supply chains and logistics enable the company to deliver products between suppliers and customers throughout Europe.