The archive · Commerce & Marketplaces · Product decision · 2020–2026
Trela: SoftBank-backed WhatsApp grocery startup shuts after six years and a failed raise
Brazilian Trela (2020) ran collective WhatsApp food orders at 20–60% below supermarkets; SoftBank US$25M round, pivot to just-in-time, shutdown April 2026.
Trela
What the business is
Trela ran collective food and drink purchasing over WhatsApp, buying direct from producers and delivering free to a single point such as a condominium; it later shifted to just-in-time delivery from its own distribution center in São Paulo.
Starting capital：R$16M (about US$3M) seed from Kaszek and General Catalyst in March 2021; US$25M Series A announced 2022-03-08, led by SoftBank Latin America Fund with Kaszek, General Catalyst and Y Combinator (Reuters via UOL).
How it started
Founded in 2020 under Guilherme Nazareth, Trela sold high-value-added, often artisanal foods and drinks — products normally found only in restaurants or premium markets — through collective WhatsApp orders placed directly with producers.
What happened
After a R$16M seed from Kaszek and General Catalyst in March 2021, Trela raised US$25M in March 2022, led by SoftBank Latin America Fund, for geographic expansion and hiring. As pandemic-era online-grocery rivals Jüsto and Mercado Diferente shut down in 2023–2024, Trela in 2025 abandoned stock-based retail: it opened its own distribution center in the Lapa district of São Paulo and moved to just-in-time delivery with scheduled supplier replenishment. In July 2025 it filed an anticompetitive-practices complaint against rival Shopper (an iFood investee since late 2024); the São Paulo prosecutor archived the case in January 2026.
How it ended up
On 2026-04-02 Trela told customers and partners it was ending operations after six years: founders Guilherme Nazareth, João Jonk and Felipe Araújo said they had tried hard to raise a new round but could not find the partners and terms needed to keep growing. E-commerce and support stayed available until 2026-04-30; the founders said all financial commitments would be honored, and their farewell note said the service had touched more than 100,000 people.
Background
Trela's bet was that Brazilian consumers would buy food through WhatsApp groups — neighbors in a condominium pooling orders bought direct from producers, delivered free to one point, at prices 20–60% below supermarkets because intermediaries were cut. Founded in 2020 and led by Guilherme Nazareth, it focused on high-value, often artisanal foods normally sold only through restaurants or premium markets.
Capital followed the story: a R$16M seed from Kaszek and General Catalyst in March 2021, then a US$25M Series A in March 2022 led by SoftBank Latin America Fund with the same funds plus Y Combinator. When post-pandemic online grocers Jüsto and Mercado Diferente shut down in 2023–2024, Trela positioned itself as a survivor and in 2025 pivoted away from stock-based retail to just-in-time delivery from its own distribution center in São Paulo's Lapa district.
The pivot could not raise what the next stage needed. In July 2025 Trela filed an anticompetitive complaint against rival Shopper — an iFood investee since late 2024 — which the São Paulo prosecutor archived in January 2026. On 2 April 2026 Trela announced it was closing after six years: the founders said they had not found investors or terms to keep growing, support ran to 30 April, and the farewell note said the service had touched more than 100,000 people.
What has to be true
- A real wedge: condominium WhatsApp groups were already organized, so collective orders created one delivery point and free delivery — the economics the round story was built on.
- Cutting intermediaries, not margins: buying direct from producers made prices 20–60% lower than retailers, a genuine consumer offer in a category where rivals competed on subsidy.
- The just-in-time pivot was a survival bet, not a moat: one distribution center in Lapa could cut costs, but it did not remove the need for fresh capital, and rivals with deeper pockets kept competing.
- Capital dependency ended it: after US$25M from SoftBank, the next round never came — the founders said they could not find partners or terms, so a functioning business was wound down.
What can be applied
Cheap distribution is not a business model: WhatsApp group buying delivered 20–60% savings, but when growth still needed another round and investors said no, six years of backing ended in shutdown.
Aftermath
Trela wound down in April 2026: the shutdown was announced on 2026-04-02, e-commerce and support stayed up until 2026-04-30, and the founders said financial commitments would be honored. It joined Jüsto and Mercado Diferente, online grocers that closed as pandemic demand faded and consumers returned to traditional supermarkets; the São Paulo prosecutor had archived its July 2025 complaint against Shopper in January 2026. The episode left the unit-economics question open: WhatsApp group buying delivered real savings, but never proved it could scale profitably without another round.
Sources
- Startup de compras coletivas de alimentos Trela recebe aporte de US$25 milhões
- Startups: Trela anuncia fim das suas atividades
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