2020 High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge finalist

1. Epicure
Save Money, Save Time, Cook Healthy Meals

2. Problem
People don’t feel like they have the time or skills to cook meals at home. It’s easier for people to eat out than to find a
recipe, go to the grocery store and find the ingredients, and follow a confusing recipe. As a result, Americans on average
are spending 4.7 percent of their annual income eating away from home -- income that they should have been putting
into their savings or retirement. 54.4 percent of the total food expenditures in the US are eating out, and that figure is
growing. Obesity and food waste in America are on the rise, and the struggle with cooking is helping lead the charge.
Solution
Epicure is a completely free meal planning app that allows customers of any skill level to start and maintain healthy,
affordable eating habits. All it takes is for someone to say to themselves, “I really should eat healthier” or “I’m spending
way too much money eating out,” and they become the perfect Epicure target customer. Epicure helps craft the perfect
meal plan for the week based on the user’s preferences, guides the user to a partner grocer where they will receive
exclusive discounts through the app, and gives the user an easy recipe to cook a healthy, delicious, affordable meal.
Partner grocers will benefit from the influx of customers, and users will be spending less on food, wasting less food, and
eating healthier food, all for a one-time payment of $0.00.

3. Market
Epicure will initially target college-educated individuals between the ages of 22 and 45 with a household income
between $40,000 - $100,000 per year. These young professionals are more likely to want to cook healthier meals at home
but lack the skills and awareness to do so given their busy schedules. Although plenty of meal planning apps exist, all of
them either charge hefty subscription fees or require money to upgrade to full functionality. Every aspect of Epicure is
completely free for the consumer, and on top of that, the user gets discounts on groceries bought through the app.
Epicure will cost even less than cooking at home without the app. This is where you ask, “Wait a second, how is Epicure
completely free--with discounts?” To answer, partner grocers agree to give Epicure two things: exclusive discounts for
Epicure users, and a portion of the profit per grocery item. The referrals to the grocers and the discounts encourage
frequent use of the app, and the money-making system creates a rapid growth model.

4. Prototype