Three years ago Grater Goods co-founder and CEO Flip Grater started selling gourmet plant-based meats on Facebook to the small but loyal Christchurch Vegan community. The idea was to give an option to people who want to reduce their meat and dairy consumption, but don't want to compromise on taste, texture and pleasure when they're eating. What was then a few products selling to a close-knit following, is now a luxury vegan delicatessen, bistro and catering company with more than 20 products stocked in 26 supermarkets and delis.
Flip says its high growth pace is being made a lot easier with Upstock on the team.
“As part of the scaling up of Grater Goods, we've been trying to automate more of our processes. And being able to automate our sales and invoicing has been a big game-changer as I work hard to extract myself from the day-to-day. It's been wonderful to be able to free up my time to focus on our expansion”
“We're just about to launch into the North Island, we've got several new products on the burner. And we’re in the process of expanding and really making the most of the New Zealand market, as well as looking towards offshore markets.”
Flip’s Production Manager, Sonya Tweeddale says the automation of ordering and invoicing means they are now getting paid so much faster too. “Previous systems there was always such a lag with orders”
Sonya says the slicker invoicing system has been the biggest benefit to the production side of the business. And it’s brought more efficiency and accuracy in its dealings with both customers and staff.
“There used to be a lot of to-ing and fro-ing - ‘Have you invoiced? Have you done this?’ Which I used to find frustrating. That’s all been eliminated.”
Now Sonya is taking the time she’s saving to learn more about her customers, by using Upstock to drill down on their ordering behaviour and activity.
“I like the fact that I can go into a customer and go, ‘Oh, how often are they ordering?’ and I can search for them and it will bring up all the orders, when they are ordered and what kind of product works for them. That's really good to have those insights.” says Sonya.
More from our chat with Flip and Sonya:
What do you love most about your business?
FLIP: I love being part of something that really is making a difference. I love that it feels like a form of activism - really delicious activism! I love being part of something that is about making a positive change in the world. And can really show people that an option exists that is decadent and delicious and not a compromise; you can care about the planet, you can care about your body and you can also have all the good things.
What are the top 3 biggest benefits of using Upstock?
FLIP: Number one, would definitely be the integration between Foodstuffs and Upstock. Number two is the ease of order management (with having everything in one place), and number three - we’ve found the customer support really excellent.
How has Upstock made things easier?
SONYA: The Upstock app itself is incredibly easy to use on your phone. Much easier than any other platform that I’ve used for anything else on my mobile. I never have that feeling of: I’ll wait to do that task cos it's easier on the desktop.
From a production perspective, just everything being all in one place is the biggest thing. Like if I had to go into multiple platforms to get out orders – because Foodstuffs, South Island and Foodstuffs North Island are two different companies – that’d be another platform to deal with. That’d be a bit of a nightmare. The Foodstuffs integration in Upstock is a godsend as we expand into the North Island.
What would you say to someone considering using Upstock?
FLIP: We love that it feels so tailored to what we’re doing and it's so easy to get something updated to work for us, and all the integration options. It doesn't have that old school feeling like a lot of software does. With Upstock it feels like there's an open mindedness and malleability.
