This month, Rappi launched a new exclusive service for the Brazilian market: Turbo Farma, which promises to deliver medicines in up to 10 minutes.
In the testing phase, the functionality will be available at first only for medicines without medical prescriptions and delivery in the central region of São Paulo. .
In an interview with InfoMoneyFelipe Criniti, CEO of Rappi in Brazil, said that the company set up a dark store in the Santa Cecília neighborhood, which already has 1,200 products available — with the expectation of reaching 5,000 products by the end of 2026, when prescription medicines are also expected to be included.
“The pharmaceutical market is huge. Last year, it closed 240 billion reais in revenue, with 11% growth year on year. When we look at the margins in this segment, they are much better than the market. Today, within Rappi, our most frequent users have an average of purchasing one order per week in the pharmaceutical segment”, says Criniti.
The executive director explains that the — already available in other segments — seeks to meet consumer needs, especially for medicines.
The expectation is that the first three months of testing will be concluded with Turbo Farma serving the entire São Paulo region, which has 22 stores in total, open 24 hours a day. The service will be available to all users.
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During the first month, however, consumers can purchase medicines using Rappi’s ultra-fast mode only from 9am to 10pm (Brasília time). In addition, there will be four professional pharmacists collecting the desired products throughout the days.
For those who believe that traffic in São Paulo will affect operations, Criniti reveals how delivery is carried out in up to 10 minutes.
“Today stores have the pickerspeople who have a type of tablet in their hand to be able to see the map inside the store of where the products are. In up to a minute and a half, he collects it, assembles the package and takes it to the delivery person. From there, it takes 8 and a half minutes to reach the client’s house. A smaller mileage for the delivery person, such as routes of three to five kilometers maximum from the store point, allows the total delivery to be completed within those 10 minutes”, he explains.
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The forecast is to expand the operation by the end of 2026 to stores already present in other capitals, such as Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Curitiba and Belo Horizonte.
For the second quarter, the objective is to guarantee prescription medicines to consumers. The CEO states that partnerships with prescription platforms are already underway so that this validation occurs automatically and the turbo delivery mode is not harmed. However, there is no prospect of partnerships with other pharmaceutical chains.
Even though they are dark storesthat is, focused on delivery, Turbo Farma units will have a structure for face-to-face service to the public, with a pharmacist and technical manager present.
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According to Criniti, the goal for the end of 2026 is to achieve 14% of revenue in Rappi stores through the Turbo Farma segment.
“I think our goal is a success story in Colombia, because Turbo Farma in Colombia already represents 14% of the store’s revenue, which for us would be fantastic because it is an extra complementary revenue that we don’t have today. So our main indicator of success is by the end of the year to achieve a 14% representation in revenue”, he reveals.
Food delivered within 10 minutes is in Rappi’s plans
For the executive director, Rappi’s partnership with PicPay, signed last year, is one of the models that should make it easier for consumers to pay with the Turbo Farma service.
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If the tests work and expand on the desired timeline, there is also a plan to include ultra-fast food deliveries.
“This partnership is really one that has been very successful at the beginning. Our turbo store, thinking about future plans, in addition to the market and pharmacy, we want to offer food. We understand that the model can also be a champion in food”, he reveals.
The company’s desire in the future, which Criniti indicates is already being tested, is to create a dark kitchen inside a Rappi store, which can have Japanese food, poke, hamburgers and even pizza freshly prepared and delivered within 10 minutes.
“We want to expand this service not only to markets and pharmacies, but also food and I think PicPay is a great partner to get the billions of customers they have to also run this model”, claims the CEO of Rappi.
