A cruelty-free food delivery platform is set to roll out across the UK.听
Get Vegan Grub, formerly known as听IndieHob, is the brainchild of entrepreneur听Prashant Kumbhat.听
Described as an 鈥榚thical alternative to Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat鈥�, it works with听small, independent food businesses selling vegan and gluten-free vegan food across Manchester.听
Technologist听Kumbhat, educated in Dubai and India, is a former manager at听Deloitte Digital听in听Boston听in the听US.听His business is rooted in the principles of Jainism, an听ancient religion from India.听
鈥�I was raised to follow the principles of Jainism,听the most important of which is ahimsa, or听non-violence,鈥� he wrote on LinkedIn.听
鈥�Ahimsa means trying your best to reduce mental or physical violence against any living being. As is the norm in Jainism, I grew up a vegetarian, oblivious to the cruelty of the dairy industry.听
鈥淸I came to realise that] ahimsa isn’t just about avoiding eating animals; it’s also about avoiding prolonged mental and physical violence against animals.听My wife and I decided to turn vegan and we’ve never looked back.听
鈥�I saw the opportunity for it to be an extension of how I want to live, and the values I want to promote. I never intended to profit from the torment and misery of voiceless animals.听This is my听way of creating a blueprint for how I want entrepreneurs to think.鈥�听
Upon moving to Manchester two years ago,听Kumbhat听found a thriving street food scene.听Having听founded听IndieHob, which is self-funded,听he听aims to work with local partners rather than major players.听
鈥淲e听give them our business even if it costs a bit more,鈥� he continued.听鈥�It’s no secret that big corporations are slowly eating their way into local markets by providing deep discounts, funded by VCs, and killing small local players in the process. We went vegan for a reason, and we refuse to play by mainstream rules.听
鈥淯nlike other platforms –听like Just Eat, Uber Eats or Deliveroo – we do not overcharge our partners. This means our partners get to reinvest their profits back in their businesses.听
鈥淲e’re very young, and there’s still much to be done. We strive to continue working towards our goal of being cruelty-free in every aspect of our business, and to create a sustainable model that others can follow.鈥�听
The Get Vegan Grub platform allows businesses to take pre-orders and live orders, with a dedicated page where customers can see when they are taking orders and the daily menu.听All orders are managed online, with automated notifications for updates.听听
The business, which has听held two online vegan food festivals, does not charge businesses听joining or monthly fees. It also eschews monthly minimums.听听
鈥淥ur commission is the lowest of any platform in the market, and you can get started in under a day,鈥� said听Kumbhat.听
It is now partnering with a UK-based company to provide local delivery across the UK via a , which Kumbhat says will be a mix of influencers and on-ground sales team.
Soon听customers听in other major cities听will be able to听place orders on Get Vegan Grub from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp.