KZN Invest 6

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Issue 06

SEPTEMBER 2019

WE ARE FOOD A direct request for tasty frozen meals led to the inception of We Are Food, a family-run, Durban based, female-strong online business. Mother Didee and daughters Jane and Amy Weare started up in 2013 when Jane was doing her chef’s practical through the International Hotel School. A cousin phoned and begged her to make a couple of homestyle frozen meals. Says sister Amy: “One thing led to another and within a year we had 11 chef’s freezers lining our garage.” Although Amy describes the growth of We Are Food as “slow and steady”, it reads more like a business that is growing in leaps and bounds. In 2015 they moved into a 100m² industrial space; outgrew it within six months and moved into a 200m² space. Initially their core business was online but by 2017 growth and demand led to the opening of a retail outlet. By the end of 2017, they had

FOOD

ABOVE: THE TEAM AT WE ARE FOOD – AMY, DIDEE AND JANE. MEALS CORRECTLY BLAST FROZEN LOCK IN NUTRIENTS, PROLONG THE SHELF LIFE AND CAN BE MORE NUTRITIOUS THAN A FRESH MEAL.

bashed through the wall to take on another 300m². Currently, their operation comprises not only these premises but two brick and mortar stores (in Ballito and Glenashley) as well as a franchise in Johannesburg. “Many customers want to see the food,” says Amy. Ballito worked from the outset. “We like the physical presence. It is almost a depot and delivery hub. We believe that omni-channel retail where customers are offered multiple platforms through which to access what they want stimulates growth between platforms.” Growth of the business has been between 50 and 100% year on year, but the process could be best described as organic. Up to the beginning of this year, the business had no marketing budget and relied heavily on word of mouth. Amy attributes much of the success of the business to time-poor yet health-conscious people, families who want home-made, responsibly sourced, good quality food that is also financially viable. “It works because we are owner-operated, and are able to manage production and quality. “Bestsellers include our butter chicken curry, but low carb vegetarian and vegan is a big part of our market. In the last twelve to eighteen months we have seen a trend among the health-conscious – not only vegan – to move towards a more plant-based diet.”

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