What is Grazer’s origin story?
Grazer is the dating and friend-finding app for vegans and vegetarians. It is a networking hub, connecting the consciously like-minded through meatless matches. We created Grazer in response to the rapidly growing vegan movement and the inadequacy of plant-based dating app options.
We want Grazer to unite and empower the plant-based community, and build a brand that is aspirational to the new wave of veganism and act as a bridge for the plant-curious. Much like other dating apps, users can ‘graze’ (swipe) on Grazer. A mutual like creates a match and users can begin to chat.
Who are the founders of Grazer and what brought them together?
Lewis Foster and Charlotte Elizabeth are the founders of Grazer. Lewis has been vegan for 10 years, and wanted to create an app after witnessing and experiencing how hard it can be to find a plant-based partner.
Charlotte was dating a livestock farmer when she began her vegan journey five years ago. Learning about ethical veganism whilst her partner was sending lambs off to the slaughterhouse became a real point of friction and ultimately played a huge role in the relationship ending. Charlotte was previously a founding team member of a dating app where she oversaw their marketing efforts from 0-100k users.
We joined forces in early 2021 after discussing the dating and social problems the vegan community can face.
What has been the response from the plant-based community?
The response has been amazing! Our success so far has mainly been down to word of mouth. The vegan community has really helped us spread the word as we haven’t had much of a marketing budget to date. We’ve already produced marriages, relationships and even babies. Around 20% of our users currently use the friend-finding feature, which for us validates how important it is for the plant-based community to meet like-minded people.
Why do you think people in the plant-based community want a “dating and friend-finding” app?
Finding a partner is hard, but it’s harder if you're plant-based. 41% of online daters are put off when someone mentions the word vegan on their profile. US singles rank compatibility of diet as higher in importance than sexual chemistry, political values and even attractiveness. This is why we think the plant-based community deserves their own space where they can connect with the consciously like-minded.
Grazer recently had a very successful equity crowdfunding campaign. How does it plan to use this funding?
Thank you! It’s been overwhelming. We will be using the funding to make some key hires and focus on a big marketing push. We haven’t had a budget to invest in marketing to date so we’re excited to get going and have some fun with it... Watch this space.
What are some other startups operating in your space that you admire and respect?
We love the Barcelona-based food brand, Heura! They're creating delicious plant-based products, and combining that with food activism. Their "Good Rebel Revolution" is super inspiring for us!
