What is your business called and what does it do?

Speducci is a destination for elevated food with Italian taste, culture and style. We have been Serving the Toronto community for more than five years, and offer a wide selection of imported and locally sourced artisanal produce, meats, cheeses, hand-crafted pasta, wine and beer for dine-in, take-out, or grocery delivery, including made in Canada Speducci and Paganelli brand products that are exclusively available for delivery from Bottega by Speducci – our new premium Italian grocery delivery service.

What made you want to do this work?

I have always been passionate about hospitality and previously worked at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), where I was instrumental in launching Real Sports Bar and Grill. Prior to joining MLSE, I managed several hospitality concepts across the GTA. When the opportunity to open Speducci presented itself, I immediately knew that with Chef Gabriele’s authentic cuisine, we could offer a true taste of Italy to Torontonians.

What problem does this solve?

The launch of Bottega by Speducci is in direct response to our community’s interest in enjoying the Speducci experience in the comfort and safety of their own homes. Our team prides itself on continually innovating to meet the needs of our customers, offering new products and services to delight and inspire the senses.

Who are your clientele/demographics?

Speducci has a reputation for elevated Italian fare and for offering the highest quality ingredients. Because of this commitment to offering a premium product, we appeal to foodies who prioritize quality and crave authentic Italian food and hospitality. With the launch of Bottega by Speducci, we are excited to bring our elevated Italian food direct from Chef Gabe’s farm to customers’ front door.

How does your business make money? How does it work?

At Speducci we have a full-service product offering, ranging from catering to event design, our Speducci Mercatto restaurant, health and nutrition consultations, and now, online grocery delivery through Bottega by Speducci. GTA residents can order online at Speducci.com to receive our award-winning salumi, cheeses, hand-crafted pasta, wine, beer and locally raised artisan meats delivered directly to their doorstep. Delivery is free on orders over $75 and can be scheduled for next day delivery.

Where in Toronto can we find your profession?

We are a hidden gem located in the Castlefield Design District at 46 Milford Avenue, North York, ON. We are open seven days a week at our location, or you can order online for delivery or pickup through Bottega by Speducci or calling us directly at 416-242- 2777.

What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services?

What makes Speducci’s product offering unique from other Italian restaurants or grocers?

We are obsessed with quality and making every experience personal. We only serve the finest locally sourced and imported products, and our in-house culinary team make all our Speducci and Paganelli brand products on-site. We are so passionate about offering the highest quality to our customers that our Executive Chef, Gabriele Paganelli, raises his own wild boar – which you’ll see featured in his award-winning salumi. We also extend our Italian hospitality to all our customers and treasure the sense of community we have built at our Speducci Mercatto restaurant and through our Bottega by Speducci deliveries to customers.

What differentiates Bottega by Speducci from other online grocery retailers?

We are an award-winning destination for elevated Italian dining and one of the first to offer Torontonians authentic Italian grocery delivery. Our Executive Chef, Gabriele Paganelli, is North America’s only Assagiatore Salumi – the equivalent of a sommelier for cured meats and .his internationally-acclaimed Italian cuisine is exclusively available for delivery through Bottega by Speducci. All orders are processed, hand-packaged and delivered by our in-house team to ensure every item arrives in perfect condition and with the care due to the finest locally sourced and imported Italian food, wine and beer. Orders also come packaged in the iconic Speducci orange box, making every delivery an Instagram-worthy unboxing experience.

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

The best part: Seeing our customers enjoying our food and building a community around Italian cuisine.

The worst part: not being able to open our doors to as many of our guests as we would have like this year has been hard. We are so driven by community and hospitality, and our communal table was the focal point of our space. We have adapted this year and opened a new patio space and launched Bottega by Speducci to ensure our loyal guests could continue to enjoy the Speducci experience in comfort.

What is your favourite joke about your own profession?

I am going to open a restaurant called I Don’t Care, that way I can finally go to the place my boyfriend is talking about!

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Toronto business that you love?

We have been installing a new ‘apartment style’ kitchen for content production and all the countertops were made and installed by Trevisana Kitchens – they are a local success story, and another business that is thriving in the Castlefield design district.

The post Premium Italian Grocery Delivery from Bottega by Speducci appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

What is your business called and what does it do?

Our business is called EasierChef and we help families & individuals plan their meals for the week with new easy-to-follow delicious recipes while also delivering all the ingredients required directly to their doorstep.

We give the option for families to remove ingredients they already have in their kitchen and also add any ingredients they are missing for to their recipe box for delivery.

What made you want to do this work?

After trying a few recipe boxes like HelloFresh or GoodFood, I felt that the services were too expensive. Although they helped me discover delicious new recipes and removed the stress of meal planning, I was still paying approximately $12 per serving which is too expensive for the majority of the population. I did some research and found that the same home-cooked meals can be shopped for from grocery stores for much cheaper at an average of $4 per serving.

This disconnect in price led to the creation of EasierChef. A service that connects delicious recipes with grocery store products at grocery store prices. Our goal is to help families eat healthy, meal plan easier, and save money by providing recipes with grocery delivery.

What problem does this solve?

We want to make it easier for families to meal plan with new healthy meals to try and also save time from grocery shopping – without paying a fortune.

By delivering ingredients sourced directly local grocery stores, and providing easy to follow high quality recipes, we provide the convenience and practical prices families and individuals are looking for.

Meal kits have a high drop-off rate after the initial discount/promo code. This is because the price per serving goes from $6 per serving with discount to $12 without. We want to make it more affordable while also benefiting local grocery stores with sales and a new customer acquisition channel.

Who are your clientele/demographics?

We strive to help families or individuals who are tired of cooking the same dinners, can’t find time to meal plan & grocery shop, or just really don’t know what to cook.

Families who are tired of cooking the same routine dinners and want to try new recipes with an affordable solution.

We also provide value to those looking to learn how to cook or new cooks needing recipes inspiration

How does your business make money? How does it work?

We currently monetize our service through brand product placements and grocery store referral fees. We also charge a delivery fee as well to cover the costs of our drivers’ time.

Where in Toronto can we find your profession?

We provide delivery to all of the GTA and we are an online business.

What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? 

Are the prices of your groceries competitive?

Yes, we source our products directly from Loblaws, Sobeys, Walmart, and other private stores. As mentioned earlier, we are also 3 times more affordable than other recipe meal kits and 5 times more affordable compared to restaurant or takeout food.

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

Best part: innovating the recipe planning and grocery shopping experience for families in Toronto. We take pride in continually building tools to make dinner planning easy and affordable

Worst part: Adding a never-ending list of product options to our inventory for customers to shop from. Every customer has their own preferences in terms of brands, flavors, etc so it is our job to provide filters and options to make it easier to meet each customer’s unique preferences.

What is your favourite joke about your own profession?

Not really a joke, but before taking on this venture, I was not a good cook; I found it difficult to cook without burning my food! Now, EasierChef has made it easier for me to pick up a new skill which also saves me money and time with my grocery shopping and dinner planning.

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Toronto business that you love?

I love Ed’s Real Scoop. The owner learned how to create delicious ice Cream recipes after retiring. I respect his hustle and love his ice cream!

EasierChef provided an exclusive promo code to Toronto Guardian readers for FREE DELIVERY FOR ALL OF 2020! Use code TGFREE2020 at checkout! 

The post Homegrown Business: Save more planning your dinners with EasierChef appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

What is your business called and what does it do?

Our business is called Food To You! We are a grocery delivery service helping individuals across the Greater Toronto Area with a clear emphasis on safe food handling.

What made you want to do this work?

During one of the seemingly never ending days of quarantine (for COVID-19), we were having a discussion about what we could do to help Torontonians navigate this storm. It was clear that the only thing preventing people from staying in their homes and stopping the spread of the virus was getting their groceries from their local store. We knew there were solutions that already fulfilled this exact need but we also knew that they were severely backlogged due to the spike in demand caused by the worldwide pandemic. Food To You has entered the space with a team of shoppers who understand the importance of safe food handling and quality item sourcing.

What problem does this solve?

At the core, delivering groceries solves the day-to-day needs of millions of people across the Greater Toronto Area. Our cause is dramatically increased during times of uncertainty (i.e. the coronavirus), as we promote individuals to stay home, reduce in-store traffic, reduce traffic on streets, reduce overall pollution, and prevent the spread of the virus.

Who are your clientele/demographics?

Anyone and everyone residing in the GTA (for now!). Food To You emerged to fill an important need, especially for people with disabilities or other factors preventing them from leaving their homes and buying their groceries.

How does your business make money? How does it work?

Food To You has an online store with a catalog of products you would find at your local grocery store. The business itself generates revenue by charging a $14.99 delivery fee regardless of the size of your order!

Where in Toronto can we find your profession?

Our website!

What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? 

Why should I pick Food To You with my grocery order and what sets you apart from the rest of the providers like Instacart?

Here’s the answer:

– Food To You places a high value of importance on customer satisfaction and as a result has every shopper trained to source quality items, contact customers when it comes to making substitutions based on their needs, and treat the items with safe food handling practices

– Our team does not aggressively mark up products on the catalog, unlike other grocery delivery services

– Our shoppers are compensated more than fairly based on the size of the orders they fulfill and have flexible schedules with unlimited earning potentials

– Frequent promotions & giveaways

– Constant communication with our customers

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

The best part of what we do is going through our emails to see the customers thanking us for our help and expressing their appreciation. The worst part is when supply is limited due to factors out of our control, leading to some missing items for our customers. Of course, the necessary refunds are processed immediately but we still strive to complete all orders!

What is your favourite joke about your own profession?

That we get to sleep in now that we’re not working 9 – 5 jobs!

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Toronto business that you love?

I’m a fan of the StartupFuel initiative that was born in Toronto to connect startups, investors, and other critical resources from around the world to accelerate the growth of meaningful ventures.

The post Homegrown Business: Practice Social Distancing with Food To You appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

What is your business called and what does it do?

We are GoJavaGrocery, and we provide home grocery delivery in Toronto.

What made you want to do this work?

Our original business (supplying coffee, snacks, etc. to offices) has completely dried up as offices shut down and sent their staff to work from home because of COVID-19. So we had a fleet of vehicles and drivers that were not being used. We looked around and saw a massive demand for grocery delivery, so we decided to try and help.

What problem does this solve?

Right now the grocery store experience is terrible. Items are out of stock. People have to wait in line just to get into the store. And then there is the fear of catching the virus. At the same time the established grocery delivery companies are overwhelmed with demand and have long delays. We are helping more people stay at home and get their essential groceries delivered to them.

Who are your clientele/demographics?

Anyone in the GTA that buys groceries and knows how to navigate a website.

How does your business make money? How does it work?

We sell groceries. 🙂 Pretty self explanatory.

Where in Toronto can we find your profession?

We are online at GoJavaGrocery.ca

What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services?

“How soon can I have my groceries delivered?” Right now the answer is “next day”. Hopefully it stays that way. 🙂

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

The best part about what we do is helping our community by providing an essential service and helping people stay safe at home. We also get to keep our team employed and busy rather than sending them home on EI.

We don’t know the worst part yet as we’re very early into this.

What is your favourite joke about your own profession?

“We lost our dog at the grocery store while buying vegetables. If you see him, lettuce know”

Honestly – I just googled “grocery jokes” and that is what came up.

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Toronto business that you love?

My love goes out to all the local restaurants out there. They are going through such a hard time. There are too many to mention. We are wishing them luck and sending them our support in getting through this challenging time.

The post Homegrown Business: Next Day Grocery Delivery with GoJavaGrocery! appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Instabuggy gives you a choice of stores to pick from, including FreshCo and Sobeys (although no huge players like Loblaws, Metro or No Frills) and promises delivery within an hour.

Convenience is key here; if you are hungry and want to order a packaged lunch, Instabuggy has your back. Same goes for dinner. When it comes to a weekly grocery shop, it becomes a little trickier to filter out the extortionately priced items for the everyday value you could find at the store.

I ordered a nice bundle of items for a picnic and they were delivered very promptly indeed, leaving me very impressed with the service, which certainly does seem to be the “speediest” in Toronto. On top of that, your first order boasts free delivery, meaning it is actually more cost effective for lunch items than apps like Uber Eats and Feast.

The perfect way to use Instabuggy would be in a group lunch or dinner scenario, that way (if you are ordering beyond your first delivery) you can split the costs. Instabuggy is also pro delivering in the park, which is a fun novelty! The minimum cost to order is $35 with an additional delivery fee. The fees range from $9.99 for orders between $35 and $60, and $5,99 for orders between $60.01 and $80. Delivery is free for orders over $80.

For me, it doesn’t solve the issue of Toronto lacking in bulkier grocery delivery services, as many of the items found on the site seem to be above that of what you would pay in store. For regularly use, I would also like to know the nutritional information for various items, which is perhaps something that could be developed.

Ultimately, Instabuggy is a commodity for convenience and, with many hectic days in the city leaving many of us struggling for time, a welcome on at that.

Check out their website for free delivery on your first order.

The post Instabuggy – Toronto’s Speediest Grocery Delivery Service appeared first on Toronto Guardian.