With the co-investment led by top investors such as Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures (USV) and Frederic Court of Felix Capital, the time is ripe for the young company to continue to grow its movement in reconnecting consumers and food producers.
Launched in 2011, La Ruche qui dit Oui! in France (known as The Food Assembly in the UK) built the foundations of a new food model by creating a platform that enables producers to sell directly to local groups of customers.
With the French company’s recent expansion in Europe, the network now has 100,000 active customers, 4,500 local producers, 700 communities. The company has 70 employees operating in six countries.
It’s known as La Ruche qui dit Oui! in France and Belgium; The Food Assembly in the UK and Germany; ¡La Colmena que dice Si! in Spain; L’alveare che dice Si! in Italy and Boeren & Buren in Flemish Belgium.
“The goal of The Food Assembly is to empower people to reconnect to their food and to ensure farmers and foodmakers get a fair price for their work,” says the company’s president and co-founder Guilhem Chéron.
Co-founder and CEO Marc-David Choukroun says: “By combining technology and sustainable agriculture, we’re inventing a business model that is collaborative, social, and good for the economy.”
“To run such an online platform is complex, and tech innovation relies on solid teams, this raise will enable us to hire nine new people to help us offer the best technology needed.”
Each of the four new investors offer specific expertise for the development of The Food Assembly. New York investors USVhave extensive experience in the field of social platforms (Twitter, Tumblr), but also online marketplaces (Etsy, Kickstarter).
Fred Wilson of USV says: “We’ve been looking for something to invest in the ‘farm to table’ sector for many years and finally found it with The Food Assembly. Our hope is that they can expand their unique farm-to-table marketplace globally so citizens of every country can connect with farmers and purchase quality food for their tables directly from them.”
The new London-based venture firm Felix Capital led by Frederic Court, which recently launched successfully, is also excited about its new investment.
“The Food Assembly is a unique community. It matches our values as we seek unique models with strong teams and the opportunity to grow internationally. We believe that The Food Assembly is building a unique platform enabling producers to build their business, reaching both consumers and professionals in a seamless and efficient way,” says Frederic Court of Felix Capital.
