Meet Here Here Market: A Next-Gen Marketplace For Chef-Made Packaged Goods

There’s a new ecomm website in town, and it’s here (here) to bring you unique, high-quality pantry staples from professional chefs. Founded in 2021, Here Here Market is a next generation marketplace connecting culinary creators with food enthusiasts. On their website, you’ll find curated gift boxes and artisanal products sourced directly from notable and up-and-coming independent chefs, restaurateurs and food artisans. It’s like the Goldbelly of shelf-stable foods.

“Each year, nearly 30,000 new food brands are launched, yet 75-95% of those brands fail,” a press release reads. “Here Here Market was created to overcome those barriers, democratizing access to the e-commerce industry for small and emerging brands, and subsequently helping to make the restaurant industry recession proof by creating and streamlining additional revenue streams for chefs.” The brand also aims to be a driver in diversity in the food industry, and almost 60% of the products sold on their website are from female and BIPOC creators.

When restaurants were forced to close during the pandemic and many culinary professionals turned to digital platforms to get their food to consumers, the founders of Here Here Market, Disha Gulati and Nick Florek, saw an opportunity to redefine the restaurant-to-retail model. They created a platform to help chefs generate additional revenue, build omni-channel brand exposure, and create and scale unique collaborations. For chefs that have never run an ecomm business before, Here Here Market helps to break down some of those entrepreneurial barriers and make it easier for creators to get their products in the hands of consumers.

I had the opportunity to connect with Nick Florek, co-founder and COO of Here Here Market, to learn more about the online marketplace and its products. I’ll let him take it away from here.

Abigail Abesamis Demarest: How do you choose which brands to work with? How do new chefs or makers join the platform?

Nick Florek: We are a curated marketplace that works with small-batch artisanal and chef-driven products, and ships them to shopper’s doors or to friends as a gift nationwide. To work with us, a creator has to be working out of a regulated kitchen (e.g. we don’t work with home cooks) such as a shared kitchen space or restaurant kitchen. In curating our selection, we seek out creators that are food experts and really know their craft, typically current or former chefs and food industry professionals.

To join the platform, it’s as simple as sending a note of interest to us at [email protected]! From there, we’ll send a quick screening questionnaire and set up a call.

Demarest: How is Here Here Market different from Goldbelly?

Florek: Goldbelly works with restaurant brands to help them market and send consumable dishes. We focus on non-perishable, packaged items and also more culinary ingredients. So while someone may buy something from Goldbelly to eat a meal, they may buy from us to cook with and create their own chef-driven experience. We also focus more on the individual creator and have a different distribution model that makes fulfillment easier for the people we work with.

Demarest: What are some of the products or gift sets you’re most excited about?

Florek: You really can’t go wrong but here are a few we are really proud of:

James Beard Chicago Alumni: This gift collection was curated in partnership with the James Beard Foundation. It features all Chicago nominated alumni, which is especially fitting as we are a Chicago-based and founded company and the awards have been held here since 2015. The products are very high quality and really allow the gifter and recipient to share a foodie experience.

Carolyn’s Krisps: For individual items, we love these crackers that were ranked a top snack by Food52. Fully vegan, the “Cheddar” Krisps are our favorite as they are so good that even non-vegans will find them super tasty!

Stellar Granola Bundle: I love this set that includes a Cinnamon Toast and Golden Milk granola. Stellar Granola was started by the dynamic duo Chrissy Camba and Emily Knapp, who are on a mission to create healthy, craveable and allergen-friendly granola with superfoods. They come up with new, creative varieties every month (like Golden Milk and S’mores), and we can’t get enough of their classic flavor: Cinnamon Toast granola.

Demarest: What’s next for Here Here Market? What’s your ultimate goal?

Florek: The sky’s the limit! In the next year, consumers can expect more products and creators that include expansion in our selection to creators outside of the Chicago area. We’ll also be providing easier ways to shop for your favorites and discover the next best thing, including subscription options, a sampling program and exclusive access limited drops. Lastly, we’ll also be amping up ways for customers to connect more directly with creators whether it’s accessing content like recipe demos or culinary Q&As.

Our ultimate goal is to be the #1 destination to find and buy from culinary creators while designing a digital home that is the best place for these creators to launch and grow their businesses.