REKO Hub

How Tyler Taggart Turned Customer Feedback Into a $11K/Month Food Marketplace

January 10th, 2025

Founded By

Tyler Taggart

Monthly Revenue

$11K

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2021

Customer

B2B & B2C

Founded By
Tyler Taggart: Monthly Revenue
$11K

Founders
2: Profitable
Yes

Year Started
2021: Customer
B2B & B2C

Who is Tyler Taggart?

Tyler Taggart, co-founder and CEO of Reko Hub, hails from St. George, Utah, and has a background in entrepreneurship with a focus on creating solutions for local food distribution.

Tyler Taggart

What problem does REKO Hub solve?

RekoHub solves the hassle of buying fresh, local food by connecting consumers directly with farmers online, making local produce accessible without the traditional market inconveniences.

How did Tyler come up with the idea for REKO Hub?

When Tyler Taggart and his co-founder started their business, originally named "Local Chow," they aimed to create a marketplace for homemade food akin to platforms like Shef.com. However, early user feedback after their alpha phase highlighted a significant gap: customers were clamoring for direct access to farm-fresh products like milk, meat, and eggs. This pivotal feedback from their test group shifted their focus towards farmers and agricultural products.

To ensure their idea resonated with this new target market, they reached out to numerous farmers to understand their challenges with existing online sales software. Their research revealed two key insights: farmers needed better direct-to-consumer sales tools, and the market potential was far greater with farm-produced goods than homemade food. They conducted extensive interviews with farmers to refine their concept, ensuring their software met practical needs like inventory management and flexible ordering systems.

One major challenge was developing features to address the unique complexities of farm sales, such as variable pricing and pick-up logistics. Despite these hurdles, they embraced user feedback to create a more robust platform. Key lessons from their journey included the importance of adapting ideas based on real-world feedback and the significant impact of addressing a genuine market need.

How did Tyler Taggart build the initial version of REKO Hub?

Tyler Taggart and his team at RekoHub began by conducting hundreds of interviews with farmers to understand their specific software needs for direct-to-consumer sales. This comprehensive research led them to revamp their existing platform "Local Chow" into what became RekoHub. The development was challenging due to the need for extensive flexibility, accommodating features like pricing by weight, subscription boxes, and varied pickup options. Building the first version of RekoHub took longer than initially anticipated as they worked to integrate these specialized features and overcome hurdles such as managing diverse inventories and order deadlines. The system was structured to provide solutions analogous to social media posting, simplifying product listings and administrative tasks for ease of use by all producers, from small-scale home bakers to large farms.

What was the growth strategy for REKO Hub and how did they scale?

Facebook Groups

REKO Hub primarily used local Facebook groups to create awareness and attract buyers and sellers to their marketplace. They focused on engaging with community members by sharing information about REKO Hub and its benefits, which helped in building a local customer base. Posting in these groups is a strategic and community-driven way to gain trust and encourage local transactions.

Reko FB Group

Why it worked: By engaging directly with local Facebook groups, REKO Hub was able to tap into existing community networks. This approach was effective because it allowed them to reach a concentrated group of interested local consumers and producers who are more likely to engage in transactions on the platform.

Cold Outreach and Referrals

To acquire sellers, REKO Hub employed a hands-on approach with cold outreach. This included emails, phone calls, and even face-to-face meetings with farmers to get them on board. Over time, as more sellers joined, referrals became a major source of acquiring new sellers, making it easier as existing sellers brought in others from their network.

Why it worked: Cold outreach ensured direct engagement with potential sellers, which was crucial in the initial stages. Referrals worked particularly well because they leveraged the existing trust and relationships within the farming community. As sellers joined, they naturally brought their buyer base along, which created a network effect and helped grow the platform.

Online Optimization and Visibility

REKO Hub used social media, mainly Facebook, to optimize their online presence and visibility. They took advantage of Facebook’s algorithm by engaging in posts and discussions that led people to inquire about local food products, thus bringing more traffic to their site.

Why it worked: Training the Facebook algorithm to serve relevant content helped in gaining organic visibility. Potential buyers, curious about local food sources, encountered these posts, leading them to visit the site. This method effectively directed traffic and converted interested individuals into active users of REKO Hub.

Community Partnerships

By forming partnerships with local food communities and REKO rings, REKO Hub embedded itself within established support structures. They not only provided a platform for transactions but also facilitated local gatherings and worked on campaigns like local billboards and social media ads to boost community presence.

Reko Targeting Local Community

Why it worked: Building partnerships with local food networks and community groups was instrumental in integrating REKO Hub into the community's fabric. By aligning with these groups, REKO Hub gained credibility and increased their reach, managing to resonate with both producers and consumers who were seeking local buying options.

What's the pricing strategy for REKO Hub?

REKO Hub charges a customer fee of 5-10% per order while offering a free platform for producers to sell locally.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building REKO Hub?

Embrace Customer Feedback: Reko Hub pivoted its business model based on direct feedback from their initial users, which allowed them to target a more promising market and meet customer needs effectively. Lean into what your audience tells you—they're your best guide.
Persistent Outreach Pays Off: Despite cold outreach being time-consuming, Reko Hub's consistent efforts in reaching out to farmers and potential users paid off in building strong partnerships and growing their seller base. Don't underestimate the power of grit and persistence.
Adapt and Innovate: Reko Hub identified hurdles in the existing Reko ring model on Facebook and developed their platform to simplify the process for producers and buyers. This allowed them to eliminate friction points and attract more users. Innovation is key when existing solutions create barriers.
Create Accessible Solutions: By prioritizing low-cost and flexible solutions for their users, Reko Hub ensured wider accessibility for small local producers. Making your product accessible will open doors to larger and more diverse customer bases.
Value Relationships: Reko Hub's success is rooted in its ability to foster strong community relationships. Engaging personally with stakeholders (like meeting farmers in person) builds trust and can significantly enhance your network and business reach. Prioritize relationship-building at every stage.

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