- Creates a platform for unorganised butcher stores to have an opportunity to bridge the gap between offline and online meat shopping.
- The entrepreneur sees growth opportunities as the industry is unorganised, inefficient and fragmented.
- Startup plans to raise $275,000 to spread wings across the UAE and has eyes on B2B space.
Necessity is the mother of all inventions and it has proved again true in the case of Dubai-based meat aggregator start-up – Meat-O-Door.
Speaking to TechChannel News, its Founder Ambreen Khan said that she felt there was a demand and she is a consumer in trouble.
“I always felt that the kind of meat I get, being an Asian, is not the cut which I wanted. We don’t get different kinds of cuts from the hypermarkets and we need to go to the butchers. The area where I live is not accessible to reach out to the other side of Dubai. The butchers are based out on the other side of Dubai and it was always a hassle,” she said.
So, after facing difficulties, Kahn said that she discussed it with her friends and neighbours and realised that it is something which is required the most.
“When I dived deep into the concept, I realised that there was so much to explore and there is a big opportunity. The market size is huge and the entire Gulf Co-operation Council countries meat market is worth $7 billion,” Khan said.
Butchers going digital
The UAE market alone is worth around $2 billion, she said and the whole industry is so unorganised, inefficient and fragmented.
Moreover, Kahn also lived in Saudi Arabia for about 10 years and she said online shopping is a complete hassle.
“By starting my venture, I also knew that it will become a success in Saudi also. The idea is to build up a brand here because the Dubai government is very supportive of setting up startups, and expand into other GCC markets,” Khan said.
The start-up’s idea was to connect different areas of Dubai and they have divided it into 31 zones and each zone comes with different delivery slots. Buyers can schedule the delivery time, between 12-4PM or between 4-8PM.
The startup sells meat, poultry, seafood and other exotic meats such as camel, turkey and pigeon.
With the pandemic and people going digital due to the lockdowns, Khan said the unorganised butcher stores now have an opportunity to bridge the gap between offline and online meat shopping.
Moreover, due to the rising trend of digitisation coupled with the Covid 19 Pandemic, she said that consumers feel safer ordering meat online.
Eliminating multiple touchpoints
She said that consumers can now get a wide range of premium cuts in one platform by eliminating multiple touchpoints.
Since the startup is not currently into cold chain logistics, she said that they have done strict quality checks and provide the necessary toolboxes, imported from Holland, for meat vendors to connect with their consumers through digital solutions and cold chain logistics.
Many other outlets offer meat products online but she said that most products offered are by in-house stores and some products are always out of stock.
“It is also difficult to compare prices of products and customisation is not available. What we have done is the platform itself will give choice for customers regarding the price,” Khan said.
The service is available only in Dubai right now and plans to offer it in Sharjah next month.
Khan said that Abu Dhabi is quite restricted at the moment due to the pandemic.
Meet-O-Door has more than 50 butchers from Dubai and more than 6,300 products are listed on the platform.
“Right now, we are working as a marketing platform but we need to get into cold chain logistics also very quickly, as it is very important when it comes to meat,” she said, added that the platform has 250 active users and they have been purchasing once a week and spending an average of AED150.
Eid-Al-Adha campaign
Khan said that they have invested about AED500,000 and are open for the pre-seed round.
“We are reaching out to investors and plan to raise $275,000 to scale in the UAE and go for next round to expand across the GCC. The next stop will be Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the entire GCC after that and India by 2023. The GCC and India market is valued at $36 billion,” Kahn said.
Khan also has her eyes set on entering the B2B space as the industries such as restaurants, catering companies and hoteliers are disorganised.
“They need to systemise their orders and manage their inventory well. They need to connect to a supplier to get organised. The meat will be our core focus but we also plan to enter into meal boxes with a subscription model and disrupt the business model. Eventually into cloud kitchen recipes and create our brand,” she said.
She has started an Eid-Al-Adha campaign to book sacrifices from butchers, approved by Dubai municipality, from the comfort of home.
The animals will be sacrificed on behalf of the customer and the meat will be delivered to their doorstep by offering a wide range of sacrificial animals along with different price points and the platform also provides customers with an easy option to donate meat to underserved families through the UAE Food Bank.
Khan wants to disrupt the meat industry and become a brand down the line.