Written by Niket Soni (BSc ’13)
My start-up, Grocera.ca, is an online grocery shopping and delivery service. Our service specializes in providing local, nutritious food with the convenience of at-home delivery and online ordering. We partner with local farmers, manufacturers and independent retailers to provide consumers the best selection of local foods for their grocery shopping needs. We truly believe the future of retail is e-commerce, and we aim to be the first in this space to capture the local food industry.
I
now
come
to
the
realization
that
transferring
after
first
year
from
the
University
of
Guelph
to
the
University
of
Waterloo
has
become
one
of
the
most
important
decisions
of
my
life.
After
graduating
in
2013
from
Biomedical
Sciences,
with
minors
in
Human
Nutrition
&
Biology,
I
secured
a
full-time
federal
government
job
as
a
Food
Safety
Specialist
for
the
Canadian
Food
Inspection
Agency
(CFIA).
Here,
I
utilized
my
diverse
background
in
biology
and
nutrition
to
safeguard
Canada’s
food
supply
as
a
regulatory
specialist.
However,
after
about
two
years
in
the
federal
government,
I
realized
that
this
was
not
the
end
goal
for
me.
During
my
last
year
at
the
CFIA,
I
started
to
pursue
other
interests
in
my
spare
time,
namely
web
design
and
programming.
This,
combined
with
my
knowledge
of
the
food
industry
in
Canada,
lit
a
spark
that
continues
to
burn
to
this
day.
I
had
noticed
during
my
time
at
the
CFIA
that
there
was
a
massive
gap
in
the
market
place
where
local
food
isn’t
as
accessible
as
it
should
be.
Local,
by
definition,
means
that
it
should
be
accessible
by
everyone.
It’s
freshly
harvested,
freshly
made,
and
more
nutritious
than
something
that’s
travelled
2,000
km
to
get
here.
However,
inexpensive
imports
at
the
supermarkets
and
an
intensely
competitive
brick
&
mortar
retail
industry,
prevent
access
to
local
food.
I
decided
to
combine
my
new
found
interest
in
web
designing
and
coding,
and
my
passion
for
local
fresh
produce,
to
build
a
solution
to
this
problem:
Grocera.
The type of solution I was envisioning couldn’t be done by one person. I needed help, support and mentorship. Thankfully, I consider my current town of Kitchener-Waterloo a mini Silicon Valley of the North, and my alumnus status at the University of Waterloo helped me land a spot in the Velocity Garage. My co-founder, Patrick Valoppi, a BBA alumnus from Wilfrid Laurier University, joined me in the early stages because he believed in the idea and vision we wanted to execute.
At the Velocity Garage, we have taken advantage of the plethora of resources and mentorship that are offered to not only make Grocera into reality, but also prepare it for growth and scale. As of early June, we have been live with an increasing customer base and fantastic organic growth in our early stages. We’ve discovered multiple customer segments that our service appeals to, including the student population.
Throughout all this, the entrepreneurial atmosphere at the University of Waterloo has no doubt, had a conscious effect on me. The resources that the University provides for students and alumni are priceless, and really do encourage young entrepreneurs to take the plunge into the start-up world. I couldn’t be more thankful for being a UWaterloo alumnus.