G: Tell us about your start-up? (What do you do?; Why do you do it?; Why are you unique?; How does your business add value for local community? )
GourmetOrigins.com is an online marketplace connecting foodies with independent artisan and high quality food producers. At GourmetOrigins.com you can purchase great foods directly from their producers and discover their origins and their stories. What sets apart from other food-related sites is our international approach (we plan to cover specialty foods from all over Europe) and our strong focus on story-telling and discovery, the concepts of provenance and traceability play also an important role in our site.
Our modest contribution to the local community in Shoreditch is that, by basing our startup here, we can help strengthen the internet/creativity hub in this area. More broadly, we contribute to local rural communities across Europe, by facilitating a new channel for the commercialisation of local produce.
G: What were the biggest obstacles launching the start-up and how did you overcome them?
The list is too long, it would not fit here…(joking). Well, in our case, a consumer-oriented
marketplace operating internationally the biggest obstacles we face is addressing different
audiences and delivering the right communication mix to each of them. For example, a local
producer or farmer might view and interact with the sight in a different way than a urban
foodie.
G: What would you say has been your most memorable experience while developing your
startup?
I would not say there is one single moment, but all the interesting people we have been
meeting along the way. This is one of the best things of starting up a business.
G: Tell us about DO’s and DON’Ts when starting the company?
DO: focus. We started with a bunch of different ideas of what we could do with our site, but we quickly realised that resources and, above all else, time, are limited, so is best to do one thing well, than many things not so well. (The other ideas, we have not dropped them just shelved them for later on)
Stay lean: this will give you the flexibility to sustain the project in bad times. Tehre are plenty of resources out there that allow you to stay lean.
DON’T overpromise, we have found it works better to set expectations low and then surpass them, this is a good thing to do when there is a lot of uncertainty about how all is going to turn out.
G: Why did you choose Shoreditch to launch your start-up? Or Why do you choose
Shoreditch to run your business?
I know the area quite well, since I live nearby and also used to work in the vicinity before
starting GourmetOrigins.com. I knew how hot the area has become for all sort of startups
and it is good to be near where the action is, and there is also the Accelerator, where we are
currently based, they have provided us with amazing support.
G: What Shoreditch have to do to become the real Silicon Roundabout (an alternative to
Silicon Valley)? What/who should help for the development of Shoreditch entrepreneurial
community? What this community is still missing? (Optional question for non-tech
companies)
This is a touch one, because I do not know the Valley well. I don’t know if we can talk of
an “alternative”, but, whereas there are things they have in California that are very difficult
to replicate here, we have other strengths, such as being embedded in one of the World’s
economic and financial hubs.
G: Who/what are your favorite CEOs/Start-ups in Shoreditch?
Petros Lafazanidis of Milo Creative
G: What is the future of Shoreditch?
I guess it is going to become progressively better know and build a stronger “brand image”
based on its specialization similar to what other areas of the City already have (West End,
etc.)
Social links:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gourmetorigins and http://twitter.com/rosmiquel
Linkedin: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/miquelros
Facebook: http://facebook.com/gourmetorigins
Website/Blog: http://gourmetorigins.com/blog
