Boomf
|
Magical Mallows | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Personalised confectionary |
| Founded | November 2013 |
| Founders | James Middleton and Andy Bell |
| Headquarters | Reading and London, England |
Area served | Global |
| Website |
www |
Boomf is a UK company that delivers marshmallows personalised with photos by post. The company positions itself as an alternative to sending flowers or chocolates.
History
Boomf was founded in November 2013 by James Middleton and Andy Bell. Middleton had previously founded Nice Cakes, which specialised in personalised cakes. Bell had previously founded Mint Digital, which created StickyGram (now Sticky9), an Instagram magnet company which sold to PhotoBox.[1] Boomf takes elements from both businesses: it combines the ease-of-postage of StickyGram with the tastiness of Nice Cakes.
In 2014, Boomf raised over $1m and is backed by a number of angel investors, including Nick Jenkins, founder of Moonpig, Duncan Jennings, founder of VoucherCodes and Matt Wheeler of DriftRock.[2]
Launch
Boomf launched in November 2013 without mentioning Middleton's involvement, to allow for a low profile launch.[3] In January 2014, Boomf announced Middleton's involvement, believing that it would be impossible to keep it secret long-term.[4]
Reception
The initial reaction to Boomf was incredulity. In the Bluff the Listener section of NPR's Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me, one listener believed it was more plausible that Vladimir Putin had a brother Igor who had invented a pill to stop old people smelling, than that the Duchess of Cambridge's brother has launched a personalised marshmallow company.[5]
Since then Boomf seems to have established itself. It shipped over 2 tons of marshmallows in its first year and made £100,000 ($168,000) in sales in its first three months.[6]
Real world
Boomf launched a real-time personalised marshmallow service on a reconditioned Pashley's tricycle in the department store Selfridges, as part of Selfridge's Meet the Makers pop-up season.[7] For Valentines, Boomf created a S'mores pop-up, allowing customers to roast their ex.[8]
References
- ↑ Titcomb, James (24 June 2014). "Printing Site PhotoBox Snaps Up London-Based Instagram Firm". City A.M. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ↑ Baker, Dylan (8 August 2014). "Middleton Brother's Boomf Instagram Marshmallows Raise Over $1m". TechCityNews. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ↑ Bryant, Martin (25 November 2013). "Boomf: Marshmallows with Your Instagram Photos on Them". TNW Blog. The Next Web. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ↑ Bryant, Martin (23 January 2014). "James Middleton, Brother of the Duchess of Cambridge: The Man Behind Boomf's Instagram Marshmallows". TNW Blog. The Next Web. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ↑ "Bluff the Listener". Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!. NPR. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ↑ Petroff, Alanna (12 August 2014). "Kate Middleton's brother: The Marshmallow Selfie King". CNN Money (London). Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ↑ Stephens, Charlie (23 July 2014). "Refurbished Tricycle Lets You Create Edible Marshmallow Instagrams On-Demand". PSFK. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ↑ Calladine, Dan (10 February 2015). "Boomf's Valentines S'Mores Trike in Selfridges". London Pop-ups. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
Further reading
- Garber, Megan (27 Nov 2013). "The Edible Instagram". The Atlantic (New York). Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- Beck, Laura (30 November 2013). "Get Your Instagram Photos Printed on Marshmallows". Cosmopolitan (New York: Hearst Communications). Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- Glanfield, Emma (24 July 2014). "Showing His Soft Side: James Middleton Launches Mobile Marshmallow Picture-Printing Business with Help of Reconditioned Tricycle". Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- Jacobs, Alexandra (14 November 2014). "James Middleton Will Put a Happy Face on Your S’mores". New York Times. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- Schwiegershausen, Erica (30 May 2014). "James Middleton on Marshmallows, and Being a 'New Age Willy Wonka'". New York (New York). Retrieved 9 March 2015.