French startup La Fourche has taken a contrarian approach to the online grocery market, eschewing the quick-commerce model that has dominated the industry in recent years. Instead, the company has focused on building a sustainable, subscription-based business that prioritizes healthy and organic products.

Co-founder and CEO Nathan Labat attributes the company's success to its unique approach, which caters to three distinct buying patterns: quick refills, weekly planning, and stock-up opportunities. La Fourche's inventory consists mainly of products with a long shelf life, such as olive oil, diapers, cereals, shampoo, and coffee beans, allowing customers to plan and stock up accordingly.

The company's business model is built around a yearly membership fee, currently €60 per year, which grants customers access to a curated selection of products without overwhelming them with choice. This approach has allowed La Fourche to differentiate itself from traditional supermarket chains and their delivery services, which often offer a vast but uninspiring catalog of products.

Labat cites the rise of food health quality apps like Yuka as evidence of consumers' growing dissatisfaction with traditional supermarkets, and sees La Fourche's model as a solution to this problem. The company's own brand products and limited options per category are designed to provide broad coverage of customers' needs without overwhelming them.

La Fourche's metrics suggest that its approach is paying off. The company has 120,000 members, with an average order value of €120 per month, and is on track to generate €100 million in gross merchandise volume in 2025. Unit economics are also improving, with the company aiming to achieve its first profitable quarter by the end of 2025.

One key factor in La Fourche's success is its scalable business model, which doesn't require increased marketing spending as it grows. Instead, the company relies on referrals, with 5% of revenue spent on marketing. La Fourche's automated warehouse, built using AutoStore's technology, also allows it to maintain a relatively asset-light model with high recurrence rates.

Another notable aspect of La Fourche's business is its focus on rural areas, with 46% of customers residing in the countryside. This sets it apart from many startups that focus primarily on urban areas.

Looking ahead, La Fourche plans to expand its customer base in Germany, where it recently launched its online organic supermarket under the brand name Ackerherz. If the company can demonstrate the replicability of its model across different countries, further geographic expansions are likely to follow.

In a market dominated by quick-commerce startups, La Fourche's sustainable, subscription-based approach offers a refreshing alternative. As the company continues to grow and expand, it will be interesting to see how its model fares in the long term.