TasteDNA: The Cottage by TasteDNA: Local Food for Everybody!

In May 2023, the TasteDNA food recommendations app was launched and well-received by users discovering local delicacies.

Our mission with TasteDNA is to break down the barriers between people and good food, connecting everyone to the delicious and diverse food options around them.

Up next, TasteDNA has launched "The Cottage", a marketplace for small-batch, local food businesses & farmers market vendors in your neighborhood.

https://tastedna.me/the cottage

What is The Cottage by TasteDNA?

The Cottage by TasteDNA is a marketplace for everyone to access and enjoy locally made food and drinks.

The Cottage is a one-stop marketplace that helps local food businesses & farmers market vendors reach more people and gives them the tools they need to operate & scale. It also makes it easy for the community to find diverse, healthy, and small-batch local foods.

The Problem

Local Food Businesses and Personal Chefs

The Need for Online Presence: Many local food businesses and & farmers market vendors have customers but aren't online yet. Going online will help them reach new customers easily.
Lack of a Central Local Food Directory: The absence of a central local food database makes it difficult to find even the closest local food offerings and locations.
Challenges in Sales and Marketing: Despite their potential, local food businesses & farmers market vendors struggle with sales, marketing, and scaling because they lack the necessary tools and resources.
Competition with Big Businesses: Small-time, small-batch food businesses find it tough to compete with commercial giants who often prioritize quantity over quality.

Farmers Markets

Accessibility Through Central Database: Although farmers markets serve multiple community needs, the absence of a central database makes them less accessible than they could be.
Vendor Visibility Issues: The ever-changing lineup of vendors at farmers markets creates a gap in awareness for potential customers.
Needs for Online and Scheduling Tools: Vendors at farmers markets have indicated to us that they need better online presence, easier scheduling, and a way to tell customers about changes.
Challenges in Community Engagement: Market managers aim to promote their offerings and engage the community, but they face challenges in advertising, volunteer recruitment, and fundraising.

We, The Community

Health-Conscious Options: We need tasty food choices that also fit different health and dietary needs.
Craving for Cultural Diversity: We want more unique foods that restaurants don't offer but that our community's diverse cultures love.
Local Food Marketplace: The need for an online marketplace to help people discover and enjoy local food made by our own community.

Our Solution

The Cottage by TasteDNA

The Cottage by TasteDNA is a marketplace designed to connect local food businesses with their community. It offers an online platform for businesses to reach more customers and provides essential tools for sales, marketing, and growth. The platform also meets community needs by making it easy to find diverse, healthy, small-batch and culturally unique food options.

Solutions for Local Food Businesses, Farmers Markets and Personal Chefs:

Online Presence: The Cottage offers an online platform, solving the problem of local food businesses & farmers market vendors not being online.
Central Local Food Database: The Cottage acts as a central database where customers can find various local food offerings.
Sales and Marketing Tools: The platform provides tools to manage orders and transactions, helping businesses with sales, marketing, and scaling.
Community Building: By being part of The Cottage, small businesses can leverage the community to compete with commercial grocery store giants.
Scheduling and Updates: The platform integrates features for easier scheduling and real-time updates for vendors.
Community Engagement: Market managers use the platform to engage the community through targeted advertising and volunteer recruitment.

Solutions for the Community:

Diverse Food Choices: We offer a range of local and unique foods you won't find in regular restaurants.
Health and Dietary Needs: We offer a wide range of local foods that fit different diets and health needs.

Business Potential

No other company is addressing the gap in connecting local food businesses to their communities.

Industry Growth: The pandemic led to a surge in the local food industry due to job losses and increased time at home.
Updated State Laws: Several states eased or eliminated safety restrictions on the sale of home-made food products, expanding the local food industry.
Sales Increases: New laws in states like Florida significantly raised the limit on earnings from local food sales.
Sales Venues Expansion: Updated laws in states like Illinois expanded the number and type of legal sales venues for local food businesses.

Traction

In our first month, we got more than 400 local food busiensses & farmers market vendors to join us and listed over 2000 food items from different parts of Georgia. We've also made a handful of sales on the platform.
We're teaming up with local groups that are already helping food businesses get better. We give these newly established businesses the tools they need to grow and scale.
We've visited many farmers markets in Georgia to learn what problems they have. We're tweaking our services to fix those problems.

Revenue Model

Forward looking projections cannot be guaranteed.

Value for Stakeholders

The Cottage offers value for all stakeholders:

Local Food Businesses: Gain a platform to manage and scale their business
Customers: Get access to a delicious, diverse range of local foods that meet thier specific dietary and health requirements
Investors: Have the opportunity to invest in a growing, untapped market and empower people and communities

Marketing and Growth Strategy

Our go-to market strategy includes targeted online advertising, marketing partnerships with relevant food blogs and influencers
We start in Georgia and gradually expand to other states, learning on the ground and leveraging local networks and communities.
Nurture our strategic partnerships as we strive to develop relevant new ones.
Hosting local events and experiences that feature food made by the community and enjoyed by the community exposing businesses to new customers and customers to more food options available around them

We need your Investment

We are seeking an investment of $150,000 for a 12-month runway. The funds will be allocated as follows:

Platform Development and Maintenance: $50,000
Marketing and Customer Acquisition: $40,000
Seller Onboarding and Community Outreach: $30,000
Operations, Legal and Administration: $30,000

Meet the Founders

We are Muyiwa and Oyin Familoni, the passionate team behind TasteDNA, united by our love for people, food, travel, and culture.

In May 2023, we successfully launched our food recommendations app on both app stores.

Our journey over the past 15 years has been an incredible adventure. We've explored over 65 cities across 25 countries, immersing ourselves in the rich diversity of local cuisines and cultures.

Our travels have been a culinary treasure hunt, discovering everything from traditional Chinese dumplings on the bustling streets of Suzhou to fiery Mexican street tacos in the heart of Cabo San Lucas. Along the way, we've had the privilege to meet local chefs and home cooks, learning from their experiences and insights.

In the diverse culinary landscape of the US, we see a golden opportunity. With neighbors from various cultures and backgrounds cooking up unique, authentic dishes, we envision a platform that bridges the gap between these culinary treasures and food enthusiasts.