Gronda: Recipes for Chefs

What it does

Gronda is a high-end culinary platform designed for professional chefs and serious food enthusiasts. It serves as a combination of a social network, a recipe database, and an e-learning platform. Users can discover and save intricate recipes, watch detailed video masterclasses from world-renowned chefs, and follow creators to see their latest work.

Where it shines

Gronda excels at creating a premium, professional atmosphere. The onboarding quiz (00:11) immediately segments users, promising a tailored experience. The recipe detail screens are clean and comprehensive, listing ingredients, equipment, and step-by-step instructions (02:06). A particularly strong feature is the seamless integration of masterclasses (02:25), which allows users to move from inspiration on the feed to deep learning with just a few taps.

UX highlights

Onboarding Checklist: After subscribing, a "Get started (1/4)" guide appears on the home screen (01:20). This directs users to high-value actions like following creators, ensuring they have a good first session.
Private Collections: When saving a recipe, the user can create a new collection and mark it as private (01:45). This level of control is important for professionals who may be saving proprietary ideas.
Creator Equipment Pages: Creator profiles feature an "Equipment" tab (03:37) that lists the tools they use with direct purchase links, a clever and useful form of native monetization.
Advanced Filtering: The search functionality allows for deep filtering by station, difficulty, effort, and even specific cooking techniques like "sous-vide" or "spherification" (04:51).
Video Subtitle Controls: The masterclass video player includes easy access to settings for playback speed and subtitles (02:41), catering to an international audience.

Monetization & growth

The app's monetization strategy is clear from the start. It uses a soft paywall after a personalization quiz. The key offer is a yearly subscription that includes a 7-day free trial, framed with a "Save 16%" discount (00:56). The app builds trust before this ask with a transparent trial timeline (00:51) that explains exactly when the user will be reminded and charged. After subscribing, the app is fully unlocked, with "PRO" tags on content reinforcing the value.

Who it’s for

Gronda is clearly targeted at culinary professionals, from line cooks to head chefs, as well as very passionate home cooks who aspire to a professional level. The complexity of the recipes, the focus on specific techniques, and features like the Michelin guide integration (04:40) and "Hire a chef" (05:14) confirm its focus on the high-end of the food industry.

Notes & opportunities

The app is polished, but the onboarding could feel a bit long before reaching the core content. While the quiz is great for personalization, the mandatory sign-up and paywall before seeing any recipes might deter more casual users. Offering a limited browse mode before the sign-up wall could potentially increase top-of-funnel conversion. Additionally, the onboarding checklist, while effective, could be made more visually engaging to increase completion rates.