One of my favorite recipes is pork cheek; Carrillada Ibérica. I always buy my cheeks at butcher Kema on the Amsterdam Kinkerstraat near the busy Ten Katemarkt. That’s a nice shopping trip if we have time. But, with our busy lives… Fortunately, we can now buy online at our butcher with Local Heroes.
The Amsterdam Local Heroes app has been launched, which makes it possible to order products online from local shops and food markets. With Local Heroes, customers can safely order their groceries from 24 shops and food stalls from the Amsterdam Ten Katemarkt and from the Oud-West district.
From hummus to fresh salmon from the fishmonger, roasted walnuts or strawberries from the vegetable stall; “All the best from the neighborhood can be ordered”. The groceries can be picked up the same day for free at a pick-up point, at the market, or delivered at home for a small fee by a cargo bike courier.
Support your local companies
Local Heroes is a new e-commerce platform to support local shops and food markets. They often do not have the means to compete with big online players. Many markets and shops are experiencing difficulties right now. Their turnover is declining with consumers staying at home. Local Heroes makes it possible to shop at my favorite stores simple and fast. Consumers do not pay extra; the prices of the products in the app are equal to the prices in the shops and market stalls.
More cities
After long preparations, the app is now live early in Amsterdam. The ambition is to roll out Local Heroes in other cities in the Netherlands. Founder Maarten Coumans explains: “We have been working on this platform behind the scenes for months to help small entrepreneurs to offer their products online. We were ready to go out in six weeks, but because of the coronavirus we have brought our launch forward. It is now more than ever relevant and important to do your shopping at the store around the corner so that your favorite vegetable stall or fishmonger will not fall over. You can order the products from the sofa at home and collect them outside, at the market, at the end of the day or have them delivered. Safe for everyone ”.
The team
Local Heroes is founded by Dutch entrepreneur Maarten Coumans. With 8 years of entrepreneurship and a background in FMCG at Unilever and Ahold Delhaize, he brings his experience to Local Heroes. Local Heroes has been selected for the “McKinsey Fuel Ignition Club”, a program in which promising start-ups are supported.