Why Flave's sustainability goals are not mission impossible
Research reveals 80% of Australians want to consume less meat.
Husband and wife, Stuart and Samantha Cook once preferred eating meat over anything else. But after a health scare caused by it, where Samantha had to be airlifted to the hospital, both decided to explore a more plant-based diet to aid her recovery.
After reading tons of books, watching documentaries, and listening to podcasts they went out and started Flave which had one mission: to ‘Flave’ the world.
But what does this exactly mean? QSR Media sat down with both founders and talked to them about flave-ing the world.
QSR Media: Tell us about your mission. What does ‘Flave the world’ mean?
Samantha: Australia is the third fastest-growing vegan market in the world. Around 80% of Australians want to consume less meat, research by consumer intelligence platform Toluna has found.
We believe that people as a collective want to do better, it’s a natural act of wanting to stand for something bigger than themselves but, at the same time, they don’t want it to cost them or make them sacrifice something. That’s why Flave doesn’t push people into a plant-based eating box. Flave is here to show people that food can taste just as great, if not better (!) than the traditional Western version - AND, the real kicker, it has a substantially less environmental impact too!
Flave is packaged as something that absolutely everyone can enjoy, whether you’re a staunch meat-eater, or whether you’re a new-age flexitarian, vegan or just curious. Flave is not preachy about being plant-based. We believe if we can show you how great our menu tastes, the rest will follow. Just remember to leave your preconceptions when dining with Flave and let the food and experience speak for themselves.
We heard you are doing a crowdfunding campaign. Can you tell us about it?
Stuart: Flave is looking to raise up to $2m. We are thrilled to welcome everyday Aussies to invest and witness the power of the collective as we Flave the world, one delicious bite at a time. Find out more and be sure to watch the pitch video here.
What can you tell us about what you are doing right now in Flave?
Samantha: We’re stoked that our product is itself an innovation — flavour-first food that just happens to be plant-based! Our considered strategy is to lead with ‘flavour’, and let our 100% plant-based status simply be a bonus! We’re delighted that the most consistent feedback from our guests is, “I can’t believe it’s not meat!” It’s music to our ears every time!
In terms of innovation, Flave is also very excited about officially launching our catering arm of the business. We’re offering businesses tailored plant-based meal solutions, injecting some much-needed freshness and variety into everything from workplace lunches to Friday night post-work canapés. We are eager to help corporates and community members reach their sustainability goals by providing "greener" lunch options and facilitating things such as "Meatless Mondays" and "Future Fridays".
As you can see, this brand-new catering option has a seriously sustainable bend, as part of our offering provides guests with the ability to track the positive impacts of their meat-free momentum, thanks to our partnership with the Darwin Challenge App. Created by Charles Darwin’s great-great-grandson, The Darwin Challenge uses metrics to quantify the impact of each meat-free day you have. These metrics span various categories, from the number of cows still mooing, to minutes added to your lifespan, to the number of forests saved!
For example, within Flave’s first 8 weeks of trade, serving over 9,500 guests, the app’s metrics demonstrated that 58,522 m2 of the marine reserve was created, 286 tennis courts of forest were saved, 67,215 kilometres of GHGs were avoided and 5,218 fish were still swimming.
These aren’t just fun facts – they demonstrate the startling impact more eco-conscious eating can have. As businesses and individuals become more mindful of their environmental impact, we’re convinced they’ll be fascinated (and galvanised) by what the app tells them, all the while chowing down on our delicious fare!
We would love to be considered to cater your upcoming holiday party or event. If you or a contact is interested in Flave catering opportunities reach out to us at [email protected].
