Siddarth Pimpale, Founder of FoodFly
Siddharth Pimpale, owner of FoodFly, was inspired by his parents' work ethic, working day and night to earn a living to build something for his community to leave behind. Applying this mindset, Pimpale looked at where there was a gap in the market, and what stuck out the most was the growing desire for affordable convenience.
"I had seen a lot of progress in this sector around the globe. Most countries had surpassed the delivery and started trailing the delivery concept in minutes. The question came: why isn't there anyone providing deliveries, let alone in minutes?"
However, after the COVID pandemic, major players switched to Click & Collect, eventually leading to delivery systems that came at a cost.
"FoodFly was born out of a deep understanding of customers' evolving needs and preferences, being transparent in our operations, pricing, and sourcing. Building trust with customers is central to our long-term vision."
The name FoodFly was born from a conversation with his partner. Pimpale said that his wife found the name amusing as she immediately associated the name with food flies. Pimpale immediately associated it with a dragonfly.
Pimpale aims to create an image of a fast and reliable delivery service, aligning with the notion of a dragonfly buzzing quickly from one flower to another, which he has also tried to convey through FoodFly's logo.
FoodFly's mission as a business is underscored by its commitment to transparency. Pimpale stated that he strives to make FoodFly's pricing, availability, and service range quite clear on the website to give shoppers confidence in their purchases.
FoodFly works towards creating a seamless journey from when a customer first visits its website to the checkout without trying to oversell customers' products that they would never use.
Moving forward, FoodFly is focused on reaching more customers Auckland-wide and expanding to other cities. With an ever-increasing product range and onboarding local suppliers and growers, FoodFly aims to build a community of trust.
Grocery is one of the few spaces that has been neglected for so long, and Pimpale sees potential in introducing technologies like Machine Learning and AI to create personalised experiences for the user.
"Blockchain for the supply chain to build transparency of product origins, incorporating virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) into the shopping experience to create an innovative and immersive way for customers to explore products before purchasing."
While many of these are in the early stages, Pimpale considers these all options for FoodFly to explore and possibly integrate, mainly as FoodFly is also in its early stages of growth. Pimpale stated there was a learning curve waiting for FoodFly, which it must address before venturing into new ideas.
Like any other business, the real challenge would always be for FoodFly to continue bettering itself.
FoodFly's supply chain, from supplier to customer's door, is created around quick turnover, ensuring produce and other products reach customers at the highest quality possible. To ensure this, it has a built-in audit process, and its packers are trained to handpick like they are picking for their family. Any product that does not meet FoodFly's standards is disposed of responsibly.
Sustainability is at the forefront for FoodFly and plays a huge part in decision-making for the future. FoodFly uses eco-friendly packaging and reusing packaging as much as possible, having a green delivery fleet and reducing wastage, with an overall aim to become carbon neutral are some of the ways FoodFly are planning to have a bare minimum impact on the environment while still providing the ease of receiving grocery to one's doorstep.
For 2024, FoodFly customers will see an ever-increasing product range focused on helping local suppliers by putting them in the limelight. FoodFly will also introduce competitive pricing, loyalty programmes, and a comprehensive delivery range.
