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FORNY20-FORNY2020

STUD: Tastebuds - Local food: A Social and Sustainable Shopping Experience

Alternative title: Tastebuds - Lokalmat: En sosial og bærekraftig handleopplevelse

Awarded: NOK 1.00 mill.

Project Manager:

Project Number:

327449

Project Period:

2021 - 2022

Funding received from:

Organisation:

Location:

Tastebuds is an online food technology startup for local food, starting in Bergen. Our main goal is to solve problems for both consumers and producers, on their own terms, so that we can make it easy for all parties to shop locally. We increase the availability of hard-to-get products for consumers, while reducing the time, resources and effort required for producers to reach new and existing customers. By offering a wide range of Bergen's best local foods, as well as handling all distribution and logistics, we can ensure that more food goes from farm to table. The STUD-ENT project has put us in a position to quickly test the business idea in Bergen. The marketplace tastebuds.no was launched in early December, with 15 producers on the team. Since the launch the customer base and number of producers have increased significantly. Today, more than 40 producers sell their products on the marketplace. The rapid launch of the marketplace allowed us to explore and implement various features only an online store can offer, making it easier for customers to take informed choices based on their values and preferences. This resulted in a very high customer retention, as well as a steady monthly growth of new customers. The purpose of the project was to develop the company from an MVP to a service and organization that is ready for scaling, through new services, products and markets. The project has allowed us to test hypotheses, optimize operations and add new and unique features for producers and customers. The growth of Tastebuds has led us to expand the team from two employees to a diversified team of seven. STUD-ENT has allowed us to create a completely new social and personal shopping experience with sustainability at the center. This way we can help to challenge the established structures and major players in today's food market, where we know there is great potential for improvements related to both animal welfare and sustainability; for the benefit of customers, producers and the planet.

Tastebuds gjør lokalmat mer tilgjengelig, i tråd med kunders etterspørsel, produsentenes tilbud og regjeringens mål om økt produksjon. For kunder øker vi tilgjengeligheten og utvalget av lokalmat. For produsentene øker vi tilgjengeligheten av nye kunder og markeder, som tidligere ofte var begrenset til et lite geografisk område. Ettersom vi håndterer all distribusjon, logistikk og betalinger minimerer vi også tids- og ressursforbruket til produsentene og kundene. Videre jobber vi for å gi så mye som mulig av salgene tilbake til produsentene, som ofte sitter igjen med lite når de selger gjennom de tradisjonelle salgskanalen. Dette kan bidra til å skape og holde på flere arbeidsplasser i tillegg til å øke Norges selvforsyning av mat. Tastebuds jobber med å utfordre de etablerte strukturene og store aktørene i dagens matmarked, hvor vi vet det er et stort potensial for forbedringer knyttet til både mangfold, kvalitet, dyrevelferd og bærekraft.

Funding scheme:

FORNY20-FORNY2020