G'day, I'm Che, and I'm the bloke behind GF Mate.

I've lived with coeliac disease pretty much my whole life, and if you're coeliac or gluten-free yourself, you'll probably understand exactly where this idea came from.

I'm fed up with how bloody difficult something as simple as going out for dinner can be.

Where can I eat?

Can I actually eat there safely?

Where can I buy something gluten-free?

What happens if I'm travelling somewhere I've never been before?

You end up checking Google, Facebook groups, restaurant websites, reviews and God knows what else just to work out where you can get something to eat.

And I thought... surely, we can do better than this.

So, I decided to build it.

That's where GF Mate came from.

GF Mate is an Australian-built app I'm creating specifically for Australia's gluten-free and coeliac community.

And this isn't just an idea anymore.

I'm actually building the bloody thing.

We've got people signing up, businesses starting to get involved, the app itself is being developed and we're getting closer to the point where we'll start putting GF Mate into people's hands for testing.

I don't want to give absolutely everything away yet, because there's some pretty cool stuff being built behind the scenes.

But I can tell you some of what's coming.

You'll be able to find places to eat, from restaurants and cafés to bakeries and other gluten-free businesses.

You'll be able to find places to shop and discover gluten-free products.

We're building trip planning, so when you're heading somewhere new you can actually plan your gluten-free options before you get there.

There'll be recipes, reviews, community experiences and much more.

And then there's Ask Mate.

That's one I'm particularly excited about.

Instead of spending half your life searching for information, the idea is that you'll be able to simply ask your Mate for help.

We're building much more than a directory.

I want GF Mate to become the mate that has your back when you're trying to find it, eat it, shop it or plan it.

So why am I asking for money?

This is probably the bit I find hardest to write.

I've funded GF Mate out of my own pocket up until now.

And I'm still doing that.

But as the app gets bigger and we get closer to testing and launch, the costs are starting to grow with it.

There are databases, maps, emails, development tools, hosting, security, testing, app-store costs and the technology behind things like Ask Mate.

None of that is particularly exciting to talk about, but unfortunately none of it is bloody free either.

And I don't want money to become the reason development has to slow down.

That's why I've started this fundraiser.

We're trying to raise A$10,000.

I'm not expecting people to throw hundreds of dollars at this.

Seriously.

If you can chuck in $10, thank you.

If you can manage $20 or $50, that's amazing.

If you're in a position to give more, I'll be incredibly grateful.

And if money's tight and you can't donate anything?

Don't.

Share this page instead. Tell somebody about GF Mate. Tag a gluten-free mate. Tell your local café, bakery or restaurant about us.

That helps too.

Why not just charge everyone for the app?

Because that's something I really don't want to do.

If you're coeliac or gluten-free, you already know we get charged enough for bloody everything.

GF Mate needs to become financially sustainable, of course. We're building ways for businesses and larger brands to support the platform, including paid business options.

But the person standing in a strange town trying to work out where the hell they can safely get something to eat?

I don't want to charge them for asking their Mate.

That's important to me.

There is another way you can help.

We've also got GF Mate merchandise.

Some of it is proper GF Mate branded gear.

Some of it is slightly ridiculous gluten-free stuff because, quite frankly, if you've spent your life dealing with this, sometimes you've got to have a laugh about it.

Every purchase helps put money back into building the app.

I actually preferred doing merchandise rather than just asking people for money because at least you get something for supporting us.

But the truth is, not everybody wants another bloody T-shirt.

So, this fundraiser gives people another option.

Buy some merch. Chuck in $10. Share the fundraiser.

Whatever works for you.

And finally, a little bit about me.

I'm not some massive technology company with millions of dollars behind me.

I'm Che.

I'm a chef. I'm coeliac. I live here in Australia. I love food, and I've experienced the same frustrations with gluten-free life that a lot of you have.

I'm learning a hell of a lot while building this too.

There have been late nights, plenty of swearing at computers, ideas that worked, ideas that absolutely didn't, and probably far too much coffee.

But every time another person signs up or messages me saying, “We need something like this,” it reminds me why I'm doing it.

I genuinely believe GF Mate can make life a little easier for people like us.

And we're getting closer.

Soon we'll start testing it with real people, and that's when this community becomes even more important because I want you lot telling me what we've got right, what we've got wrong and what GF Mate needs next.

I'm building it.

But ultimately, it's your Mate too.

So, if you'd like to help me get GF Mate over the next hurdle and into the hands of Australia's gluten-free community, I'd bloody love to have you along for the ride.

Thank you.

Seriously.

Let's build our Mate.

Che

Founder of GF Mate

Find it. Eat it. Shop it. Plan it.