The online platform acts exactly as a bricks-and-mortar delicatessen - all cold meats are sliced fresh to order, there are daily freshly baked breads and deli goods such as cheese, olives, marinated vegetables, pasta sauce and more.

The Merchant's Feast was founded by siblings Marie and Dominic Vilardi, along with their mother Anne.

"We had a quintessential Italian upbringing and would regularly host gatherings for our hundreds of cousins, aunties and uncles," says Marie.

"We would often have our family over for birthdays, christenings, engagements, or even just a simple dinner. But it was never simple with that many people and we would always serve up delicious home-cooked meals made using traditional recipes."

It was this desire to gather over good food that inspired the family to create The Merchant's Feast.

"We feel so lucky to have access to this incredible authentic food that has the capacity to bring our entire family together," says Marie. "We not only wanted to make it accessible to the people around us, but we want to use it as a way of bringing people together, whether it's to celebrate a special occasion or merely spend quality time together, something that, after 2020, we'll never take for granted again."

The Merchant's Feast features pantry and grazing boxes sections. Within the pantry customers can order their deli produce while the grazing section provides a range of Mediterranean-style brunch, lunch and afternoon tea boxes perfect for catering all kinds of gatherings.

But no matter which section you order from, customers are assured that the produce is both authentic and traditionally European.

"We've spent the past few months trying and testing all of our products before deciding to stock them in our online store," says Dominic.

The Merchant's Feast distributes weekly from Wednesday to Saturday across Canberra and Queanbeyan, with next day delivery for most orders placed before 1pm.