This campaign by one of the biggest food delivery platforms in the country highlights deserving small food businesses
Small businesses are the backbone of the economy according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) make up the majority of the ventures in the Philippines. These small businesses usually serve clients within their locales as they often operate from home or do not have formal establishments or offices. This is why small food businesses are perceived to be key players in building the local food scene. In recent years, especially because of the pandemic, new food brands have emerged, most of which are MSMEs, as the need for livelihoods arose due to several lockdown restrictions that left thousands jobless.
To support small businesses bring their quality food beyond their communities, Grab has launched a new campaign called Indie Eats. GrabFood’s latest initiative is focused on having undiscovered small, local, and quality merchant partners come to light by championing them on the platform.
Through the project, the Southeast Asian technology company hopes not only to guide users to find hidden gems more easily but also to provide the startups and small businesses with up-skilling seminars to help them grow.
“We’re trying to highlight and promote the smaller merchant-partners on the GrabFood platform,” says Martin Luchangco, head of merchants and partnerships, in an exclusive interview with Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “This started because with the realization that we tend to order from the bigger brands like fast food and foreign chains. After a while, consumers want something new. But often, they don’t know what to choose. That’s why we came up with this.”
Indie Eats hosts a full lineup of local merchants in various genres. Because all types of food are covered, all cravings are satisfied, from refreshing mango coolers to beat the heat by Mango Series to the hearty and comforting taste of lugaw by Lugaw ni Pinggoy or a quick bite of delectable pastries from Panaderia Pantoja.
To guarantee that the restaurants being promoted are good, the main considerations for recommendations are based on reviews and ratings. A vetting program ensures that merchant partners are sufficiently screened before qualifying to be part of the Indie Eats roster. Consumers can now easily order what entices them and even try out new restaurants at the end of the day.
Leading this empowering movement are some of the biggest content creators today, Erwan Heussaff and Sassa Gurl.
Through the project, the Southeast Asian technology company hopes not only to guide users to find hidden gems more easily but also to provide the startups and small businesses with up-skilling seminars to help them grow.
An adventurous eater, Erwan is known for his food content on YouTube. As a foodie, he enjoys discovering up-and-coming food favorites. He is also a staunch supporter of underdogs in the food industry. “Consumers can’t always get everything in one place, and there will always be the desire to discover even more new places to enjoy. That is why with Indie Eats, it’s now made even more convenient and helpful to enjoy those places that used to be undiscovered—being able to see their ratings and menu items,” says the social media personality.
On the other hand, Sassa Gurl adds fun to the advocacy with her quirk and her brand of comedy. The Tiktok influencer, and the opposite of the mellow and technical Erwan, gives a non-foodie but refreshing perspective to the campaign.
The two brand ambassadors released for Indie Eats a collaborative mukbang video that had them answer burning questions while enjoying food from some of the participating stores.
“Working with Grab showed to be a trusting process,” says Erwan, noting that it’s good to work with brands who understand content creators and take the content and its impact seriously. “None of it was forced and everything felt natural, which is a mark of success for the campaign.”
Sassa, meanwhile, expresses her gratitude and admiration to the everyday super app for putting a spotlight on smaller businesses through the program. “This can help them expand their market and serve more consumers with their quality offerings, which is something I support,” the TikTok star said. “All in all, working with Grab and Erwan was a great experience. Similar to what Erwan said, the collaboration felt very natural.”
“There is definitely more to look forward to with Indie Eats in the future. As more and more Filipinos discover the small businesses in their area, what Grab hopes to continue is its commitment to the growth of its smaller merchant-partners,” explains Martin. “We will continue to be agile in identifying steps we can take to continue providing them with the support that they need.”
The head of the initiative adds that they are exploring more opportunities to highlight Indie Eats merchants, whether on-ground activities or new content. “We would definitely look forward to exploring these channels and help bring our merchant-partners to light,” he says.
Grab is also working with a number of food content creators on various social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, so there will be more content to look forward to. “Apart from these, we have food reviews for the various Indie Eats merchants coming as well, so be sure to watch out for those,” Martin says.