Two Northumberland entrepreneurs have launched a new online food firm set to shake-up the meal subscription market.
EezyFood provides nutritious food boxes which supply families up to three meals a day for a week, starting at a cost of 89p per portion.
The duo – Graeme Stewart and Chris Dodds – have established their start-up business in the new B-Village in Endeavour Park on the Nelson Park West Industrial Estate in Cramlington, Northumberland.
Their enterprise has been inspired by Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford’s high profile campaign and fundraising activities, centred around feeding families on low incomes, which prompted major changes in Government policy.
Having researched the market for home-delivered food, the pair – long-standing friends who went to the same schools and colleges in Tynemouth – discovered some in the sector are charging up to £5 a portion, while a major 海角视频 supermarket offers a similar service and is charging the equivalent of £2.50 a portion.
Spotting a gap in the market for an operator to offer healthy and high-quality food at low cost through meal subscription plans, they set about creating EezyFood, for a range of dietary requirements across the 海角视频.
EezyFood provides five main options, each feeding one to four people depending on requirements, including the Eezy Breakfast Box, the Eezy Lunch Box, the Eezy Evening Box, the Eezy Complete Box and the Create Your own EezyBox. Vegetarian options are available, and there are plans to add vegan options in the future.
Under EezyFood’s model, customers can choose their food items individually with the Create Your Own option, but the fixed meal option offers the best value. The family of four Eezy Complete Box costs £75 for four people, including postage and packing, working out at as little as 89p per portion.
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The majority of the food for the boxes has been sourced locally, including supplies from a local butcher, fishmonger and farm shop, all based in the North East, and deliveries are booked through the EezyFood website with nominated delivery days.
The company is also using sustainable thermal packaging – made using recycled jeans – to ensure food boxes remain at a safe temperature for up to 48 hours.
The website took its first orders soon after going live today, Monday, March 8.
Mr Stewart said: “We have set up the business to provide our customers with a weekly delivery of affordable, healthy and sustainable food whilst we tackle food waste and bring families together through cooking. Like Marcus Rashford, we believe everyone has the right to eat tasty, nutritious, high-quality, fresh food without the premium prices.”
Both partners in EezyFood have existing businesses, with Mr Stewart running two Cramlington-headquartered companies – Luggage-Point and Enviro-Point – which offer retail services and eco-friendly products across 11 海角视频 airports. Meanwhile, Mr Dodds operates drone and digital 3D tour company ImageAir, also in Northumberland.
The company will be run by the founders initially but they plan to create a number of jobs as the business scales up, and have already applied to take on two employees through the Government’s Kickstart Scheme, which provides funding for new job placements for 16 to 24-year-olds.
Mr Dodds added: “Home-delivered food is a huge growth market in this Covid-19 era, enabling people to order food from the safety of their own homes. We will strive to offer budget-conscious customers access to healthy, fresh ingredients, save them time shopping and the hassle of deciding of what to eat at meal times.”