Getting goods to the ends of the Earth

Business Daily

BBC

Business

4.4 • 816 Ratings

🗓️ 19 April 2026

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In one of the most remote and unforgiving regions on the planet, the final stretch of any delivery becomes a test of endurance, ingenuity, and sheer determination.

In this episode, Jane Chambers travels deep into Chilean Patagonia, where last mile delivery, or last-mile logistics, collides with hundreds of kilometres of rugged terrain, unpredictable weather, unpaved roads, and ferry routes that can shut down without warning. It means the price of goods is often very expensive. We hear from the people and companies trying to find solutions.

If you’d like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presented and produced by Jane Chambers

Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.

Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.

Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.

We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.

(Picture: Van driving on Carretera Austral, on the way to Villa O'Higgins, Patagonia, Chile. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.
0:07.0	Hello and welcome to Business Daily from the BBC World Service. I'm Jane Chambers. Today I'm in Chile's
0:14.3	Patagonia, taking a look at last-mile delivery and how it affects the businesses and people living here.
0:22.4	In this shop, we sell things like chainsaws, building tools and materials.
0:26.6	Our transport costs are a lot more expensive than other parts of Chile
0:29.6	because things have to come here by boat.
0:32.2	Everything is at least 30% more expensive.
0:35.0	Last mile delivery, or last mile mile logistics refers to the final stretch
0:39.3	from the nearest big storage centre to where the customer actually lives or works. It can often
0:44.8	end up being one of the most expensive parts of the journey, especially in a region like Patagonia,
0:50.5	where there are hundreds of kilometres of rugged terrain, bad weather, unpaived roads and ferry
0:56.0	timetables to deal with. But some companies are trying to find solutions.
1:02.0	Artificial intelligence is one of the main tools we use. We use algorithms to make sure the route
1:07.4	is as efficient as possible and to help us work out what kind of vehicle to use.
1:12.2	The main transport route in this region is the Caratero Ostrale. It's a remote highway that runs
1:17.8	through Chile and Patagonia, linking small towns, fjords and national parks. But often people
1:23.4	have to travel by boat as well or or cross over into neighbouring Argentina, because
1:28.0	Patagonia's landscape is broken up by Glaciers Mountains and sea channels, making it extremely
1:33.7	difficult and expensive to build a continuous road.
1:36.9	So how do people living in such remote place manage to get the necessities for their daily
1:41.6	life?
1:42.4	That's all coming up in Business Daily from the BBC.
	...

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