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Raphael Thys
A tasteful spread / The Deli Society
C
uriosity is a spectacular thing. Responsible for fire, the internet and mango flavoured grapes, it’s behind plenty of our drive and often enables us to thrive.
Predictably, however, it has also given us our fair share of disappointments. Terrible lovers, candy floss flavoured grapes, and the most unforgivable of all life’s microaggressions: wrong food choices; the small injustice of plucking something from a shelf with hopeful curiosity then traipsing it home only to discover it’s not to your liking.
Well, now you can rest easy for the most part, because newly AI powered online shop The Deli Society is on a mission to discontinue such injustices one independently produced wheel of cheese at a time. Now, instead of having to (god forbid) try items of food to decide whether you’ll like them, members of the community based platform can simply take a quiz and be presented with groceries tailored to their own palette.
Whatsmore, according to co-founder Josh Higginson, the website’s AI technology will adjust its recommendations to a user’s developing taste buds. ‘As members review products, their matches will update and recommendations will get more accurate.’
Higginson, who came up with the idea with his brother Harry, says the pair developed the platform because ‘Everyone loves a good food and drink recommendation.’ The techology, he continues, is akin to ‘your local butcher, cheesemonger and sommelier all wrapped up into one.’
Plus, if pairings are your downfall, they’ve got you covered. ‘All our products are perfectly paired on our site, so if you’re fancying a specific steak, Olive can recommend the perfect wine or accompaniment to pair with it.’
Membership is free, but there are perks to being a regular, sustainable shopper with tiered pricing systems offering discounts for regular users.
Currently offering most must-have staples, at the moment you’ll find everything from butter and eggs to wine, fresh meat and fish, though soon the brothers are going to be broadening their horizons. ‘Over the coming weeks and months we’ll be adding lots more products to our membership. We’ll be getting real feedback from members and finding products that they want to see.’ says Higginson. ‘Seasonal veg is something we don’t currently have on our site but we’re working on how to make our offering fun and unique.’
In terms of development, according to Higginson, an app is in the works, as well as a member’s forum to share recipes. Furthermore, soon the brand will soon have a delectable offline presence. ‘We’ve got lots of meet the maker events and supper clubs planned for our foodie community too.’
A delicious idea? Definitely. Although we’re still leaving room to throw caution to the wind once in a while...