Crowdfunding campaign launched to help grow artisan food and drink platform

15th March 2021

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The founder of fast-growing artisan food and drink platform www.meltedinside.com has launched a campaign on Crowdfunder to raise finance for the next phase of the platform’s development.

 

Sussex-based entrepreneur and businesswoman Candy Bowles started on the journey to make her vision a reality in September 2019.

 

Candy explains: “In the last 12 months the world was turned upside down and a lot of unexpected things have happened. I was very fortunate to have something positive to focus on – getting MeltedInside.com off the ground. I started with researching the market and then worked on getting the brand and the website developed with the help of an incredible team. We then started inviting lots of amazing makers to join Melted Inside - a brand new platform.

 

“After many months of non-stop activities, I am so glad to have this opportunity to reflect why I am on this journey, share why I believe in what we are doing and now fundraise to develop MeltedInside.com even further to give artisan food and drink a bigger voice while giving more choice to shoppers.”

 

Candy’s idea started with her own frustration of not knowing what food and drink makers she had in her area. She knew there were many people with the same frustration as her who wanted to know more about the provenance of their food and drink, where it came from, who made it, what they made it from and why they did what they did.

 

Candy also did not like the fact that supermarkets seemed to dictate what she could eat or drink and their use of plastic. In 2019 she reached a point when she wanted to do something to break this invisible chain.

 

She added: “I’d like to believe that when we know more about the origin of our food and drink we can make more informed decisions about what we eat or drink and we can play a more active part in giving artisan food and drink makers a better chance to thrive, while helping the many local communities the artisan food makers belong to.”

 

The name ‘Melted Inside’ was chosen to capture that moment or feeling when you experience something special, for example when you enjoy a meal specially prepared for you or when you open a thoughtful present, or when you taste something amazing for the very first time. That very moment of speechlessness - when your heart is melting and you melt inside.

 

Candy went on to say: “Many artisan food and drink products are made by producers who are passionate about what they do and love what they do. Their products taste more authentic and better simply because of their creators’ devotion and obsession with the quality of the ingredients. You may ask, if artisan food and drink products taste so much better why don’t more people buy them?

 

“Most artisans are small operators and don’t have the big marketing budgets needed to compete with larger brands. Especially during Covid19, shoppers have almost no opportunity to taste the products before they buy and it is not easy for makers to communicate why their products are far superior and convince more customers to give them a chance. Admittedly products made with better-quality ingredients in small batches, and in many cases ethically sourced, are often more expensive than the ‘comparables’ manufactured on a bigger scale.”

 

She added: “Artisan food and drink makers have a rich tapestry of stories: pioneers who did not wait for the solutions; parents who make brave choices to create options for their children; close-knitted families that work together to carry on a legacy; entrepreneurs inspired by their travelling, etc. Melted Inside brings these stories, experience and food-related discussions to the customers. With that we can all make more informed decisions.”

 

Candy is aiming to raise £50,000 in funding to take her business to the next level. Donations from £20 upwards earn artisan rewards. The funding will be used to make Meltedinside.com the first genuinely content-rich, open and technology-driven online marketplace for artisan food and drink while fulfilling the purpose of supporting local communities.

 

The fund will be used for new features for the platform, more forms of content to bring to life stories about artisan makers and more shopper engagement initiatives at the community level.

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To support the campaign, visit: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/meltedinside-artisan-food-and-drink-marketplace

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More about Melted Inside

meltedinside.com exists to share the love of what artisan makers do every day and the love they put into creating products for shoppers looking to buy real food from real people. If you are an artisan food maker and interested in joining Melted Inside please email artisanteam@meltedinside.com  

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Melted Inside is a member of the Good Market community - a curated platform that makes it easier to find and connect with social enterprises, responsible businesses and changemakers who are creating a better world.

 

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ENDS

For more information, interviews, images or if you would like to review one of Melted Inside’s products please contact Suzi Christie:  Suzi@blueberry-pr.co.uk  07590 591140