Discover the World Through Food

David Foult and Kat Vorotova, co-founders of Try the World, told Food Navigator USA that since launching in 2013, the company went from zero to 40,000 subscribers in just one year. It now stocks items from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Vorotova worked for Weight Watchers while running a foodie blog on the side, while Foult started a microfinance company for local food producers and manufacturers in Vietnam.  

Subscribers have a choice: Pay $39 a month and receive seven to eight products all from the same country, with recipe cards and an overview of that country’s culture, orr pay $19 a month and receive five “snack” products from five different countries. There are discounts for six-month subscriptions. A distinct point of difference is that the products are chosen by Michelin-star chefs. 

And say a subscriber really likes one or two of the products and wants to rebuy -- the items are sold on the website. Foult also shared with Food Navigator USA  that a key to success has been the company’s in-house algorithm, which is used to attract and acquire new consumers through online ads. 

The company is starting to exhibit at trade shows, like the Fancy Food Show and it has started doing pop-up stores around Manhattan. The company says that it has created a loyal following among its early adapters, mostly young women living in big cities, but it's confident that with both digital and in-person efforts, its span would reach an even wider audience. Yes, this is yet another Millennial-focused solution, but the interesting twist is the company’s distribution strategy; mail order, online, pop-up stores and who knows what else. 

Two telling quotes from Food Navigator: "The idea is you won't need to go grocery shopping anymore, except for your fresh ingredients" and "everyone buys food products every day, so there's no discrimination there."