Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I just read Chocolate Wars (about the start and end of the big British chocolate makers, focusing on Cadbury) and wished that I could do something to support vegan chocolate makers. Well, Moo Free (makers of delicious vegan milk chocolate) are doing a Kickstarter to get more equipment so they can expand. They're not doing particularly well - they only have a couple of weeks left to raise about £25k. If you've got a couple thousand pounds lying around, maybe throw it their way? Or even just £5 or so and spread the word - you're probably familiar with Kickstarter, but if they don't reach their goal, they don't get anything, so you won't lose out if they fail. But if they succeed, their awesome chocolate will be more widely (and less sporadically) available.

I like Moo Free and want them to succeed, but 25k is a lot to raise in what are essentially donations to a commercial company.

Most kickstarter projects are about collecting potential orders, that then allow the goods to be produced at sensible cost - win:win for both parties. Moo Free's is basically asking for money with little in the way of tangible return.

The blurb on the kickstarter page says they're looking to do it because they couldn't get a bank loan, so why not create a kickstarter project that asks their customers to invest money instead? I think they'd get a lot more money that way.

I'm not a massive fan of their chocolate, but it'd be cool to have a more widely available vegan option.

It would be super cool to have a more widely available vegan chocolate but I have to agree with Mr Flibble that they've gone about their Kickstarter in entirely the wrong way. For as start, as he said, I'd want more than a Moo Free Character developed in my likeness for £2,500! Maybe shares in the company or a shitload of chocolate would be more relevant to people who might donate.

I know that being honest & transparent is good and all but the whole bit about having re-mortgaged their house & taken out personal loans already and the fact that the banks are refusing to give them more money doesn't give you much faith in the financial stability of the company. Also it's a HUGE amount of money, I don't think I've ever seen / supported a Kickstarter that's been asking for that amount before.

I like the idea of this one better:

http://www.indiegogo.com/mooseskitchen

which is basically saying: if you're willing to pay for your meal in advance then a new vegan cafe will open. If I lived locally I'd definitely be willing.

Yep. I saw that one on Twitter. I'll be supporting it when I have some spare cash next week.

My kids really enjoyed their moo free chocolate Santas, and banks really aren't giving loans to anyone at the moment. I can't afford to pledge much, but I hope they manage to expand one way or another.

I thought they were dickish on Twitter with attacking banks for not giving them loans. It would put me off donating even if I thought their Kickstarter was done in a sensible manner, which I don't.

I didn't see any of the surrounding stuff on twitter or elsewhere, I must be living under a rock!