A FOOD delivery service is celebrating five years of serving up delicious meals to the Inverclyde community.
Clyde Eats, founded by Yvonne Purdie and Janine Brennan, launched in September 2021 as a more affordable and community-focused alternative to other services.
The platform now boasts more than 25,000 registered users and supports more than 80 local businesses.
Yvonne said: "It's been a rollercoaster.
"We never thought in a million years that it would grow to the way it is now."
The idea for Clyde Eats was born out of the businesswomen's frustration with high commission fees charged by larger delivery platforms during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yvonne added: "We thought, not only will we save ourselves money, we can save other local businesses money, customers money.
"It's just grown and grown since then."
Yvonne credited Janine for leading the platform’s continued expansion while she focused on the The Cottage Cafe Bistro and its new kiosk on Cathcart Street, which they also run together.
Janine said they wanted create a fairer local services that understood the the area.
"We launched into a market that was dominated by major national and international delivery platforms, so we had to continually adapt and improve in order to compete.
"If you told us back in 2021 what Clyde Eats would become, I'm not sure we would have believed you.
"We started with an idea that was inspired by our own experience of the cottage and just really a desire to do things differently.
"Reaching five years is a huge milestone for us."
Clyde Eats has become known not only for its business but also for its community involvement, working with many local groups and charities.
They've run competitions for local schools to win private cinema screenings and sponsored Inverclyde Five a Side Leagues as well as Ardgowan Hospice's upcoming Day Fever event.
Up and coming local boxer Jude McGuinness is among those who have received Clyde Eats sponsorship.
They also support the foodbank, especially during Easter and Christmas, with the team saying the community is at the heart of what they do.
Janine said: "We were born here, we went to school here, we grew up here, and being able to give back to just people like us, really.
"It's a lot of just genuine working-class people that are trying to do their best and that's the people that I feel as if support us.
"So it's nice to give back."
Clyde Eats has been recognised with several awards, winning the Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce entrepreneur award in 2022 and is a finalist for the Chamber's Retail and E-commerce awards this year.
To mark the fifth anniversary, Clyde Eats is planning a series of giveaways and competitions, including cash prizes, vouchers, and a public vote for a £500 sponsorship.
Janine said: "We're going to keep the prizes a wee bit under wraps for now but we're going to be giving away a lot of different prizes.
"There'll be cash prizes, there'll be vouchers, and there'll be items that we're giving away."
They are planning an interactive competition called 'Clyde and Seek', a treasure hunt-style event for the prizes.
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