Hungry for a share in a booming startup? Bundlfresh delivers
By Jen Waters
Quality local produce and artisan products have never been in higher demand, but in a world where online shopping and delivery are king, small independent businesses often struggle to compete with supermarket chains. In Sydney’s Northern Beaches, an innovative startup is changing the game – and right now, they’re offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyday people to take a stake in its prodigious growth.
MQ Incubator member Bundlfresh is an online marketplace enabling consumers to select the products they love from a rapidly growing suite of local vendor partners, bundling the items from multiple providers together for payment and delivery. The vendors each prepare their part of the bundle, and Bundlfresh consolidates it into a single delivery and brings it to the customer’s door.
The service has been eagerly embraced by residents across the 47 Northern Beaches suburbs currently covered by Bundlfresh, keen to access the freshest local fare without leaving home or navigating traffic and parking hassles. Vendors have also welcomed the service, with around 70 currently on board – everything from butchers, bakers, delicatessens and greengrocers to seafood provedores, grazing platters, chocolatiers, coffee roasters, bookshops and more.
Northern Beaches seafood business owners Matt and Anna Russell, who co-founded Bundlfresh with CTO Dan Palmer, say the initiative has provided businesses and consumers with a high-value solution at the intersection of two mega-trends: the convenience of online shopping and delivery, and the consumer desire to support local.
“Our customers often asked if we offered online purchase and home delivery, but it was just too expensive and complicated for us to consider as a small business. We spoke to other vendors, and they too shared this challenge. We thought it was an interesting problem worth solving, and Bundlfresh was born,” Matt explains.
Since launching in 2019, Bundlfresh has delivered more than 120,000 vendor orders and has seen an annual growth rate of over 300 per cent in the last two years, largely driven by word-of-mouth. According to CTO Dan Palmer, who joined Matt and Anna as a co-founder six months into their journey, the potential for expansion is enormous – and the market is ripe for Bundlfresh to expand across Greater Sydney and then other capital cities nationally.
“Total fresh grocery is a massive market, and independent vendors represent 30 per cent of that market or roughly $15 billion. Our research shows that more than 70 per cent of local vendors don’t offer their customers any meaningful online or home delivery option, and Bundlfresh can provide them with a cost-effective digital sales channel and delivery service,” says Dan.
The founders bring a depth of collective experience into the venture. Matt was Warehouse and Distribution Director for ALDI and part of the executive team responsible for the retailer’s launch in Australia, before spending almost 12 years transforming iconic manufacturer Green’s General Foods as Supply Chain Manager and then Group General Manager. Dan has a wealth of expertise in the design and build of large-scale, high performance technology platforms, honed over 18 years leading global technology teams for Deutsche Bank. Anna is the founder of successful Northern Beaches seafood business Prawn Pod, adding significant experience as a local vendor and deep knowledge of Quality Assurance and Food Safety to the mix.
With a robust business model and a passionate team in place, investment in business development, technology and e-commerce is the next crucial step in fuelling Bundlfresh’s expansion. The startup was recently named a local innovation district winner in the Boosting Business Innovation Program – a NSW Government initiative investing in small-to-medium enterprises – earning a valuable boost to their growth plans. They have also just launched an equity round through Equitise, an online crowdfunding platform that enables everyday people to make accessible investments in highly vetted startups.
You can get in on the ground floor of Bundlfresh’s bright future for as little as $250.
“We have the opportunity to expand and we feel we can connect more local businesses with more customers; it just requires capital. So we’ve chosen equity crowdfunding because we want to give everyone who has supported us to date the opportunity to share in the value that we’re creating,” says Anna.
“We are building something special and authentically local, and we would love for you to join us.”
Find out more about this exciting opportunity on Bundlfresh’s Equitise page, or contact Matt at matt@bundlfresh.com.au
Like any investment, Crowd-Sourced Funding (CSF) is risky. Investors may lose their money and the business may not achieve its objectives. You should consider the CSF offer document and the general CSF risk warning contained in the offer document in deciding whether to apply under the offer.