DELLI, a London-based online platform for independent food and drink, has scooped $6 million in seed extension. The round was led by existing investors Balderton, which recently backed Tilt and Checkly, and HV Capital, which invested in Again, alongside Simon Beckerman, DELLI’s founder and Chief Creative Officer. Previously, the startup raised $7.2 million in 2022.
Funds utilisation
The funding will be used to expand DELLI’s offering and introduce more convenient delivery options for the buyers. It will also launch more exclusive drops and exciting collaborations that connect food with fashion and music.
Daniel Waterhouse, General Partner at Balderton Capital, said “Since stepping into the CEO role, Marie has taken DELLI’s growth to the next level, and the momentum is remarkable. Doubling down on our investment was a no-brainer, and I’m excited for what’s to come. DELLI has been one step ahead of shifting consumer behaviours around food and drink, and as more and more people opt for quality, independent craftsmanship over mass-produced and ultra-processed products, I have no doubt DELLI’s growth will continue to soar.”
Food is the new fashion
Food has surpassed fashion in popularity on social media, with new generations exploring food more than ever in the digital world. Fashion brands are taking note, and looking at food more than ever – with collaborations such as Off White with Evian, Supreme with Barbera Oil, and Momo Kombucha with Ganni.
The idea behind DELLI is based on the belief that “food is the new fashion”. Realising this trend, the company offers the next generation of buyers a new way to shop for food. It draws cues from fashion, leveraging strategies such as exclusive drops and influencer collaborations to reinvent the way food is sold. Focusing on curation, DELLI allows buyers to discover and buy food from independent food makers in an inspiring way, delivering products that used to be available only locally all across the UK.
Marketplace for food and drinks
Founded by Depop alumni Marie Petrovicka and Simon Beckerman in 2022, DELLI is a platform to buy the best independent food and drinks. DELLI uses the “drop” model to sell products, where a limited amount of a new product is released at a set time to help build excitement around each product. The company combats obstacles that small producers can face like managing food waste, cash, and ingredient flow. By supporting the small producers of this world, the company aims to change the broken food industry.
The key work on the seller side will be to build tools so that more independent food & drink sellers can start and grow their businesses on DELLI, following in the footsteps of some of the most successful sellers, such as Mama Yu, Dudu Eats or Christina Sots, who have launched and scaled their businesses on the platform, growing side hustles into substantial businesses that routinely sell out drops of thousands of products in hours.
Partnerships and growth
In the past months, DELLI partnered with Ravneet Gill, Ben Lippett, Jackson Boxer, James Cochrane or Sam Grainger, to name a few. The platform’s raw aesthetic and emphasis on origin and storytelling mirror the ethos of independent makers.
In recent times, the company has seen 16x growth in sales since last year, offering thousands of new products, and hundreds of thousands of items sold, with customers doubling their basket size on the platform and returning twice as often.
Simon Beckerman, Chief Creative Office and Co-founder at DELLI: “I’m excited to support the growing community of creative food makers who are reshaping the way we experience food. DELLI is here to give these independent producers a platform to share their passion and story, making it easier for buyers to discover and enjoy unique, small-batch products that truly stand out.”
