Ever watched the Food Network and felt inspired to hit the road in search of locally-sourced, homemade cuisine?
If you’re an adventurous eater, and the local takeout no longer appeals, a new website called Goldbely has you covered. On the site, you can order crab cakes from the Chesapeake, cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery in Manhattan, or a Chicago Deep Dish pizza.
The founders officially launched the company at the demo day for prestigious technology accelerator, Y Combinator. Founder Joe Ariel is the former chief executive of Delivery.com. In an earlier interview with VentureBeat, he said he started the site so people “can order rock star foods with no geographic limit.”
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I first met the Goldbely team at a recent happy hour in San Francisco (as you would expect, they supplied the food.) The founders told me they will personally sample delicacies from all over the country, and ensure the food can hold up in the shipping and handling process.
The founders will only accept about three percent of all the food they try.
Ariel stressed that orders are personal and direct — that pie from Achatz Handmade Pie Company will be made for you to meet your specific dietary needs and tastes.
Once you’ve placed an order, the delivery will arrive overnight, but may take up to a week. However, you will need to pay shipping fees for about 50 percent of the items (some vendors will throw in free shipping.) Ariel said the product isn’t any more expensive than if you walked in the store and ordered it direct.
The company makes money by taking a marketing fee on every item. Vendors will offer Goldbely food at a discounted rate, and the company sells it at wholesale price.
The company has grown to 12,000 customers who have signed up to the email list, and recently broke $100,000 in sales. Goldbely’s team have raised investment from friends and family, and will be looking to raise a round of venture funding.
According to Ariel, the ultimate goal is to help local businesses connect them with foodies all around the country.
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