Eat Kochi Eat becomes first Indian foodie community to be funded by Facebook

Eat Kochi Eat, a popular foodie community from Kerala with a follower base of over 5 lakh across digital platforms, has been selected by Facebook in their ‘Community Accelerator Program’. The program aims to help leaders leverage the power of their communities to create a greater impact in society.

More than 13,000 communities had applied in which 13 were selected from India. Out of the 13, Eat Kochi Eat became the sole foodie community from India to get inducted into the ‘Community Accelerator Program’.

This selection will give Eat Kochi Eat a privileged early access to all new Facebook products, a series of mentorship sessions and also a financial backing up to $50,000 for future community activities and events.

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Started in 2015 as a city-based foodie community, Eat Kochi Eat’s popularity grew exponentially over the years. The community has already conducted over 30 events ranging from casual community meet-ups to food exploration trips and many more. Various hidden food spots in the city which served mouth-watering delicacies in Kochi came into the limelight through Eat Kochi Eat.

The community has also provided a platform to entrepreneurs to identify and master various trends in the restaurant business by conducting interactive sessions with industry leaders (EKE Talks). Even during the lockdown, Eat Kochi Eat created video content like ‘Bachelor’s Kitchen’ to keep their community base engaged.

The community has so far published over 200 videos under various series. The increasing follower-ship and the variety in content paved the way to numerous brand collaborations including international brands.

Karthik Murali, Founder and Creative Head at Eat Kochi Eat, said that they have successfully explored multiple operational models when it comes to community engagement and brand associations. Giving insights on the operational aspects,

Biniyas VL, Co-founder and Operations Head at Each Kochi Eat, added that “Eat Kochi Eat offers brands a great opportunity to reach out to like-minded foodies”. “The increasing level of traction that brands are able to generate through Eat Kochi Eat has indeed contributed to this recognition by Facebook,” said Biniyas.

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Celebrity MasterChef, Chef Pillai said, “Eat Kochi Eat is one of the first digital communities that focused on familiarising a good food culture to the Keralites. Over the years, they have developed themselves into a group that conducts multiple events and seminars. I myself have had the opportunity to network with multiple leaders from the food and restaurant industry by attending EKE events.”

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