Graze (company) explained

Nature Delivered Limited
Trading Name:Graze
Founder:Graham Bosher
Hq Location City:London
Hq Location Country:United Kingdom
Areas Served:-->
Key People:Joanna Allen (CEO)
Num Employees:500
Owner:Unilever[1]
Owners:-->

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

Graze includes sweet and savoury snacks. Many of the products are suitable for vegans.

History

Graze was launched in 2008 by seven friends brought together by Graham Bosher, the founder of LoveFilm.[7] The company began delivering snacks including nuts, small puddings, and porridge across the United Kingdom.[8] In November 2012, The Carlyle Group purchased the majority stake of Graze.[9] [10]

Graze opened a distribution center in New Jersey in January 2013 to begin beta trials in the United States.[6] [11] [10] Graze officially expanded into the United States by late 2013 and has offices in Jersey City, New Jersey and Manhattan, New York.[12] [13] By the end of 2014, Graze had generated £68 million in revenue.[14] In February 2017, Graze reported £75.8 million in revenue for the year.[15] As of September 2017, Graze was available in 7,500 stores across the United States.[16]

Graze announced the launch of a line of snack products to UK retailers including Sainsbury's, Boots UK, and WHSmith in July 2015.[17]

In 2015, Graze was listed as a member of the Sunday Times Fast Track 100,[18] the list of Britain's top 100 fastest growing companies.

In 2016, Graze launched an online shop[19] for one-off purchases, outside the snack subscription model, and began selling a range of their snacks in Walgreens stores across the US.[20]

In February 2019, Graze was acquired by Unilever.

In August 2019, Graze subscribers in the US were notified that delivery on their subscriptions would end in September. As of September 2019, the Graze website store showed no products available for sale and no pending orders and by December 2019 it had reverted to a UK only website. The company has made no public announcement of why they have ceased business operations in the US.

In early 2024 they stopped their classic subscription box which fits through the letterbox and launched the new monthly subscription box in April 2024,[21] containing 8 snacks but no longer tailored to individual preferences. However, the new boxes were stopped being sent out after 3 months [22]

Production

Graze used an algorithm called DARWIN (Decision Algorithm Rating What Ingredient's Next) to customise snack boxes based on the preferences subscribers entered on the site.[12] [23] Graze develops its own recipes that do not include genetically engineered ingredients, artificial flavors or colors, high fructose corn syrup, or trans fats.[24] The old variety boxes contained four snacks and could be delivered weekly, biweekly, or monthly.[25] Larger sharing bags and multipacks are available to buy ad-hoc on graze's online shop [5]

Since 2023, graze has donated a portion of its profits to City Harvest,[26] a London-based charity that redistributes surplus food to help tackle food poverty. Before this, graze supported the graze School of Farming in Uganda which helped over 400 families gain the skills and experience needed to feed and support themselves.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Unilever acquires Graze.
  2. Web site: 2007-10-17 . NATURE DELIVERED LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK . 2023-08-03 . . en.
  3. Web site: Unilever acquires Graze.
  4. Web site: Graze sales in supermarkets 'could overtake' online revenues. Rebecca Burn-Callander. 6 December 2015. The Telegraph. 24 October 2016.
  5. Web site: the graze shop website.
  6. Web site: Graze.com ready to gobble up US market prospects. Kacey Culliney. 14 January 2014. Bakery And Snacks. 12 January 2016.
  7. Web site: In the Spotlight... Anthony Fletcher, Graze chief executive. Eleanor Ross. 22 November 2014. The Guardian. 12 January 2016.
  8. Web site: Families snack on graze boxes. Graham Ruddick. 10 November 2013. Telegraph. 12 January 2016.
  9. Web site: Graze boxes up 31% sales growth. Jon Yeomans. 29 September 2014. The Grocer. 12 January 2016.
  10. Web site: Snack maker Graze.com launches in US. Rebecca Burn-Callander. 12 December 2013. Telegraph. 12 January 2016.
  11. Web site: Graze.com Wants to Send You Boxes of Healthy Snacks for $6 a Pop. Catherine Clifford. 12 December 2013. Entrepreneur. 12 January 2016.
  12. Web site: The Snacks-by-Mail Company Graze Turns Snacking into a Science. Erin McCarthy. 16 November 2015. mental_floss. 21 October 2016.
  13. Web site: Grazs online sales of healthy snacks hit £53M. Rick Pendrous. 29 September 2014. Food Manufacture. 12 January 2016.
  14. Web site: Online healthy snacks retailer Graze.com reports US success. Ben Sillitoe. 9 June 2015. Essential Retail . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305050421/https://www.essentialretail.com/news/article/55771371d0af7-online-healthy-snacks-retailer-grazecom-reports-us-success . 2016-03-05 . dead . 2019-09-08.
  15. Web site: Sales up and profits down at Graze, following multichannel and US investments. InternetRetailing. En. 30 August 2018.
  16. News: Graze groomed for £300m sale as healthy eating booms. Armstrong. Ashley. 22 July 2017. The Telegraph. 30 August 2018. en-GB. 0307-1235.
  17. Web site: From online to in-store: graze.com aims to 'transform snacking' with UK retail move. Nathan Gray. 13 July 2015. Food Navigator. 12 January 2016.
  18. Web site: Graze.com - Fast Track. Sunday Times.
  19. Web site: Graze opens up its products to non-subscribers in ecommerce push\ . Leonie Roderick. 19 November 2015. Marketing Week. 21 October 2016.
  20. Web site: Graze aims for healthy bite of US snack market with bricks and mortar. Graham Ruddick. 17 October 2016. The Guardian. 24 October 2016.
  21. graze launches new monthly subscription box with ‘A Taste of the World’ (retailtimes.co.uk)
  22. Web site: Graze anatomy: the tech behind Graze.com's customized snacks. Nate Lanxon. 11 May 2012. Wired. 12 January 2016.
  23. Web site: This Is the Easiest Way to Snack Healthy at Work. Anna Petrow. 19 May 2015. Brit+Co. 12 January 2016.
  24. Web site: Snack by Mail: The Best Snack Subscription Boxes. Jocelyn Voo. Fitness Magazine. 12 January 2016.
  25. Graze 2022 Impact Report