DELLI, a marketplace and community platform designed for food lovers and passionate makers has secured £2.5m seed investment and has soft-launched.
DELLI is the brainchild of Depop creator Simon Beckerman. The raise celebrates the second joining of forces for Beckerman and HV Capital, after their previous venture together, the runaway success story Depop, was acquired in June by Etsy for $1.625bn.
The App, currently in soft-launch with 30 makers already onboard, and accelerating uptake in the lead up to a consumer launch in Q1 2022, is designed to connect the curious and support the independents of the culinary world.
Known for creating communities that celebrate individuality and generating launchpads for entrepreneurs to thrive – think Depop, Retrosuperfuture, and PIG Magazine – Beckerman’s next move takes him down the path of sustainability and a community-led platform within the food and drink world. With a formidable team including Natalie Lee-Joe (formerly of Hackney’s Jidori) reppin’ the food and drink community, plus Depop alumni Nebil Kriedi (engineering) and Ashish Saggar (finance), DELLI will become a source of inspiration, connection, and a supportive network for all those obsessed with food.
Simon Beckerman, DELLI’s CEO and founder comments: “I enjoy creating spaces for communities that seemingly don’t exist in the mainstream. Throughout the last two years, the hospitality industry moved away from the high street and into our local neighbourhoods and people’s kitchens. The sentiment of sustainability that has come out of the hardship is what DELLI is based on. We hope to build a community that will cultivate a more fun and sustainable future, where the food and drink world becomes more thoughtful, and everyone’s a part of it.”
DELLI aims to dive deeper than just talking about ingredients and shifting product; taking the time to share the fascinating stories and concepts that exist within the food and drink world. After what has been the hardest two years for the hospitality sector, DELLI aims to support the innovative pivots, the new localised networks, and the fighting spirit that emerged amidst the storm.
From chocolate to hot sauce, olive oil to kefir, pies to dumplings, and restaurant chefs to home cooks, DELLI provides a space for makers and buyers to interact with each other and follow the journeys of favourite restaurants, independent brands and individuals, plus those trying out their first product.
“For HV it was an easy decision, to follow the invitation, to invest again in Simon on his latest sustainable venture. When the DELLI team sat down and shared their vision, HV saw how it fits in with the mindset of so many consumers, and saw a great opportunity to help the many businesses that either struggled or were starting up in such difficult year,s” says Lars Langusch, Founding Partner at HV Capital.
Makers onboarded from day one include: My Neighbour The Dumplings, Kold Sauce, 40ft Brewery, Mama Chen, Tacos Padre, Lil Wong Bakes, Papi’s Pickles, Nourished Communities, Kefir Magic, Rapscallion Soda, plus more.
Importantly, DELLI combats the obstacles small producers often face, like food waste, by adopting a ‘drops’ style approach, helping to manage cash and ingredient flow. However, sustainability is not just about sourcing or zero waste, but also about building businesses that have people at the heart of it.
The app will reveal itself in stages ahead of a full launch in February 2022. To be one of the first to join the DELLI app sign up to the waitlist here.
