Graze (company)

Graze
Industry Food distribution, Food manufacturing
Founder Graham Bosher
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Key people
Anthony Fletcher, CEO[1]
Products Subscription boxes, Healthy snacks
Number of employees
500
Website graze.com

Graze is a United Kingdom-based snack company which offers over 200 snack combinations [2] through snack subscription boxes, an online shop [3] and retailers. The company distributes thousands of snack boxes per day across the UK.[4] Graze expanded operations to include the United States in 2013,[5] launching snacks into US retailers in 2016.[6]

History

Graze was launched in 2008 by seven friends brought together by Graham Bosher, the founder of LoveFilm.[7][8] The company began delivering snacks including nuts, small puddings, and porridge across the United Kingdom.[1] In November 2012, The Carlyle Group purchased the majority stake of Graze.[7][9]

Graze opened a distribution center in New Jersey in January 2013 to begin beta trials in the United States.[4][5][9] Graze officially expanded into the United States by late 2013 and has offices in Jersey City, New Jersey and Manhattan, New York.[10][11] By the end of 2014, Graze had generated £68 million in revenue.[12]

Graze announced the launch of a line of snack products to UK retailers including Sainsbury's, Boots UK, and WHSmith in July 2015.[13]

In 2015 Graze was listed as a member of the Sunday Times Fast Track 100,[14] the list of Britain's top 100 fastest growing companies.

In 2016 Graze launched an online shop[15] for one-off purchases, outside the snack subscription model, and began selling a range of their snacks in Walgreens stores across the US.[6]

Production

Graze uses an algorithm called DARWIN (Decision Algorithm Rating What Ingredient's Next) to customize snack boxes based on the preferences subscribers enter on the site.[10][16] Graze develops its own recipes that do not include genetically engineered ingredients, artificial flavors or colors, high fructose corn syrup, or trans fats.[17] Variety boxes contain four or eight snacks and can be delivered weekly, biweekly, or monthly.[18] Larger sharing bags and multipacks are available to buy ad-hoc on graze's online shop [3]

Graze donates a portion of its profits from referrals to the Graze School of Farming charity, an organization that works to reduce global poverty through the Graze School of Farming in Kabubbu, Uganda. The farm teaches students how to farm and maintain fruit trees in order to help bring income to families living in poverty.[19][20]

References

  1. 1 2 Graham Ruddick (November 10, 2013). "Families snack on graze boxes". Telegraph. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  2. Rebecca Burn-Callander (December 6, 2015). "Graze sales in supermarkets 'could overtake' online revenues". The Telegraph. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "the graze shop website".
  4. 1 2 Kacey Culliney (January 14, 2014). "Graze.com ready to gobble up US market prospects". Bakery And Snacks. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Catherine Clifford (December 12, 2013). "Graze.com Wants to Send You Boxes of Healthy Snacks for $6 a Pop". Entrepreneur. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Graham Ruddick (October 17, 2016). "Graze aims for healthy bite of US snack market with bricks and mortar". The Guardian. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Jon Yeomans (September 29, 2014). "Graze boxes up 31% sales growth". The Grocer. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  8. Eleanor Ross (November 22, 2014). "In the Spotlight... Anthony Fletcher, Graze chief executive". The Guardian. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Rebecca Burn-Callander (December 12, 2013). "Snack maker Graze.com launches in US". Telegraph. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Erin McCarthy (November 16, 2015). "The Snacks-by-Mail Company Graze Turns Snacking into a Science". mental_floss. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  11. Rick Pendrous (September 29, 2014). "Graze's online sales of healthy snacks hit £53M". Food Manufacture. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  12. Ben Sillitoe (June 9, 2015). "Online healthy snacks retailer Graze.com reports US success". Essential Retail. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  13. Nathan Gray (July 13, 2015). "From online to in-store: graze.com aims to 'transform snacking' with UK retail move". Food Navigator. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  14. "Graze.com - Fast Track". Sunday Times.
  15. Leonie Roderick (November 19, 2015). "Graze opens up its products to non-subscribers in ecommerce push\". Marketing Week. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  16. Nate Lanxon (May 11, 2012). "Graze anatomy: the tech behind Graze.com's customized snacks". Wired. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  17. Anna Petrow (May 19, 2015). "This Is the Easiest Way to Snack Healthy at Work". Brit+Co. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  18. Jocelyn Voo. "Snack by Mail: The Best Snack Subscription Boxes". Fitness Magazine. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  19. Rachel Cannon (June 2, 2014). "Graze School of Farming". Borgen Magazine. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  20. Amber Box (August 29, 2014). "GRAZE: Sustainable Farming". Southern New Hampshire University. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
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