From Ecologist to Entrepreneur: how a food collective is causing massive disruption to online grocery shopping, putting flavour back on the palette and regenerating ecosystems with every order

Wednesday, 3 November 2021

Lauren Branson is co-founder and CEO of Your Food Collective, a startup that is causing massive disruption to the online grocery industry while dramatically reducing food miles. With 8 out of 10 Australian’s shopping online, YFC have broken into a growing and diverse market, as customers are more conscious than ever before in their product choice and their environmental footprint.

Lauren believes that your food choices are incredibly powerful, and she is determined to shake up the food industry from a commoditised food system with a single bottom line approach, to a values-based food system that can deliver real, lasting change across our landscape.

Founded in 2015, and run by a female team, Your Food Collective has completed more than 50,000 online orders, helped over 15,000 households reduce their carbon emissions and works with over 100 local producers—95% of whose produce is grown within 250km of the consumer’s dinner table. They have a $1.6 million revenue run rate and are poised to reach $16 million in 2023. With a 64 net promoter score and a 12% market penetration in Newcastle, their organic growth is strong and is largely through word of mouth.

Catch up on Startup stories with Lauren Branson

Top Takeaways:

  • Build for where you are now, but also build to where you want to scale, then understand at what point you need to invest in scaling. This means that you need to understand what your business looks like at the next level.
  • For crowdfunding success: if your business is value driven, it is important to make sure your investors align with those values. This will also attract you to future investors and keeps you aligned with the values that you started with.
  • The challenges keep getting harder, so make sure you have people you completely trust around you, so you can work through those challengers with your team.
  • The greatest partnerships come from those who are mission-aligned and value-aligned with your business, where each sees an advantage in the partnership. Come out of your rabbit hole and see what others are doing to discover who you can align with. I2N Connect events are a great place to make new connections
  • When starting out, off-the-shelf tech options are great when you cannot afford to outsource everything. These also help you determine what works, what doesn’t and what the customer wants. Look for the easiest and most cost-efficient way to deliver your impact; this will increase your options and inform how you will build in the future.
  • If you would like to learn upscaling strategies from successful entrepreneurs, apply to join I2Ns Venture Mentor Service (VMS).

The University of Newcastle's I2N works with individuals and organisations from across the Hunter region and beyond to turn ideas and challenges into opportunity. As a leading driver of economic and business growth, the I2N cultivates an entrepreneurial mindset that is behind many of the region's most innovative businesses and leaders.

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