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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Vembla

Swedish Grocery Delivery Service Vembla Raises 6M SEK

Vembla, a Swedish delivery service for groceries and other goods, told The Spoon via email today that it has raised 6 million Swedish Krona (~$704,000 USD) from angel investors including Tuomas Kukkonen (FMCG entrepreneur in Finland), Michael Wolf (ex CEO of Swedbank), Manfred Aronsson (ex. CEO Discovery Networks).

Similar to Instacart here in the U.S., Vembla is an app that partners with local grocery stores in Sweden. Customers shop at stores on the Vembla app, while Vembla “shoppers” go in and pick up the order and deliver it. The startup promises to deliver orders in an hour.

According to the press announcement that Vembla sent, online grocery shopping in Sweden hit 5 percent of total sales in 2020, up from 2 percent in 2019. That growth is projected to continue to hit nearly 7 percent of total sales in 2022 (Source: Industry reports, DI, Nordea).

We aren’t that well versed in the Scandinavian grocery market, but it stands to reason that the COVID-19 pandemic would have a similar effect in Sweden as it has here in the U.S. Even though Sweden has been more lax in its approach to tackling the virus.

Domestically, the pandemic pushed online grocery shopping to record heights this year. Over the next five years, online grocery shopping is projected to take up 21.5 percent of all grocery sales in the U.S.

The bigger question for pure delivery plays like Vembla and Instacart is how long retailers will rely on them. Right now, third-party delivery services can help with the crush of new customers. But over the long haul, will retailers want to keep handing over the customer relationship to an outside delivery service, or do more investment to bring delivery in-house?

Plant Jammer, TrusTrace Join Cohort 2020 of Bloomer’s Food Tech Accelerator

Plant Jammer, TrusTrace, and six other food tech startups have been selected to join the 2020 cohort of Stockholm, Sweden-based accelerator program Bloomer. The program is new, and a joint effort from supermarket chain Coop Sweden, startup investor Norrsken, and Sweden FoodTech. 

Like other food tech accelerators, much of the emphasis of the program will be on helping the chosen companies further develop products and services that contribute to a more sustainable, eco-friendly food system:

Companies who join the program must relocate to Stockholm, Sweden for a mandatory 12 weeks starting at the end of March, with an optional extension that runs through September. Programming is a combination of standard curriculum — what Bloomer calls “The Frame” — as well as more customized learning based on each individual startup’s goals and needs. According to the program’s website, participating companies receive $250 SEK against equity, mentorship opportunities, and access to Coop’s data, customers, and industry connections. 

Startups should plan to relocate to Norrsken’s coworking space in Stockholm, Norrsken House. 

Eight companies total were chose for the 2020 cohort:

  • Volta Greentech makes an algae-based feed supplement for cows that reduces their methane production by up to 80 percent.
  • Foodla is a food market app where food producers can sell their products to local communities.
  • Plant Jammer has an AI-powered platform that creates personalized recipes for users based on their diets, food preferences, and fridge contents.
  • Lunch.co is an online marketplace for work colleagues to buy and sell home-cooked lunches.
  • Leafymade makes plastic-free, 100 percent biodegradable bowls, plates, cutlery, and other items meant to replace single-use disposable products.
  • Vembla has an e-commerce platform selling groceries, household goods, and pharmaceuticals from local retailers. 
  • Grönska is building out its own AI-powered vertical farming system that grows leafy greens using hydroponics.
  • TrusTrace collects, verifies and analyses data to improve traceability across the food system.

The program kicks off March 30. Those interested in applying for future cohorts should check out the program criteria here.