The restaurant industry has taken a considerable financial hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As social distancing mandates force many of these businesses to shutter their doors, food chain suppliers are left with warehouses full of food and nowhere to ship it to.
Enter Pepper, an NYC startup that, until very recently, provided a platform that connected these food suppliers with local restaurants. The company has since pivoted, providing a space where housebound consumers can get food delivered to their home directly from these wholesalers. The new app is called Pepper Pantry.
“In response to the outbreak of COVID-19, our team has been hard at work trying to figure out how to best support some of those hit hardest in our community — our local food suppliers,” the company said on its website. “Our hope is that we can provide a convenient way for friends, families, and neighbors to buy what they need from home, while also helping family-owned businesses throughout the city adapt and stay in motion.”
Pepper CEO Bowie Cheung told TechCrunch that the portions will still be bulk, but will be similar to the sizes one purchases at Sam’s Club or Costco. Users simply select a vendor in their region, select whatever meat, produce and dairy products they want and check out. Order minimums and delivery times are determined by each supplier, but Pepper does charge a flat $5 processing fee.
For now, Pepper Pantry is only available in the greater NYC region (including New Jersey and Connecticut) and the greater Boston area.
