Why it may now be acceptable to call me a cow…

A few weeks ago, I made a discovery. Of the food variety (my favourite variety). And it is slowly but surely being disseminated round the office, and a fair few friends of mine too, so I’ve decided to share it with the masses in case you haven’t been indoctrinated already.

Ladies and gentleman, the Graze box.

Basically a cardboard ‘lidded tray’ that gets sent to you once a week (or more, or less, you decide) containing four dinky boxes of deliciousness. It might sounds like a cross between meals on wheels and airline food, but the Graze folk have got it spot on.

I decided to have a go when a friend sent me a code to get my first box for free (they are normally £3.49) – clever marketing ploy, part 1.

The website is refreshingly clean on the design front, easy to navigate, and friendly without making your toes curl. I found out very quickly that I would be under no commitment if I signed up, and that I would be able to cancel my orders at any time – clever marketing ploy, part 2. Nobody wants to be reminded of the gym membership they took out in 2003 that wallowed unused for 11 months.

OK, sucked in, now what do I do?? “Oh GOODY!” I thought when I saw all the questions I could answer on my likes and dislikes. No, I’m not joking, I am the only person I know who filled in the recent census form on the day it arrived. Graze sets out all the ‘little punnets’ that they include, and invites you to say whether you want to bin/try/like/love/send often.

I was in heaven, frankly. Out with your ‘beach bum’ mix (can’t stand dried mango), in with the ‘honey bee good’ (love anything nutty). Lay off the olives please, but send me lots of the dark rocky road

So, form filling complete, I sat and waited for Wednesday morning when box number one was due. Get into the office, and there it is on my desk as promised. Packaging that made all of us ‘ooohhh’ and ‘aaaahhh’ – the little booklet giving me “fact-tips” about how to get the most out of Graze and how nutritionally balanced each box is, the little punnets sitting in their specially designed insert, the contrast of the gorgeous colour photography against the ‘raw’ brown paper style packaging. And the invitation to “eat more healthy food (fewer biscuits)”. Brilliant; I was being healthy to boot, it says so in black and white – clever marketing ploy part 3.

Suffice to say, at least half of the office had signed up by lunchtime using the code I’d given them to get a free box – reciprocal marketing at work, I also benefit from them joining by getting £1 to use against my next order, or to donate to Graze’s school of farming in Uganda.

I actually look forward to the email I get the day before my box arrives, giving me a sneak peek at what’s coming. I look forward to the actual box arriving like a 9 year old getting their first letter through the post.

I am now a very happy Grazer, and just hoping I don’t start to moo with delight.

www.graze.com