MH.CO.ZA/ August 2019 79time analysing historical purchase data;
and from that, we change our service
accordingly.”
Along with customer feedback, the team
also researches international trends, and
selects those that they feel will resonate
with the local market. “People have such
a special relationship with food. We want
to make sure that every time someone
prepares a UCOOK dinner, they’re
enjoying the best possible experience.”Respect Logistical
Boundaries
While it might be tempting to dream up
ambitious new plans and run with them, the
UCOOK team has been careful to stick within
realistic parameters – first considering
whether a new strategy is aligned with their
focus for the year, and if they have the capacity
to make those changes.
“The introduction of any new departure
needs to be managed carefully,” explains
David. “The distribution of responsibilities
and resources needs to be such that we
maintain our core business and look to keepinnovating, while freeing up enough time and
energy to get new developments over the line.”
One of the core components of their
business is how the products are delivered.
When they first established the service,
they delivered all the boxes themselves. But
once they started receiving more orders,
they needed to find a reliable courier
company that would deliver for them.
For a while after they started, the
company’s services were only available
in Cape Town. Expanding to other areas
meant the logistics became trickier.
“Initially, we would f ly boxes up to their
respective destinations. Now we have
operations based in Johannesburg, and thatmakes things easier for us,” explains Chris.
In those early days, the low number of
deliveries made it difficult for them to find
a courier company to work with. “When
you’re delivering 40 boxes a week, no courier
company wants to work with you. So we
had to do it in-house until we could get
companies to sign with us.”
While the company continues to expand
their business, they’ve found themselves
slowing down their rate of growth. “With
our kind of service, it’s very hard to go
from 6 000 orders one week to 9 000
orders the next. That kind of jump puts
pressure on your logistics network,”
explains Chris.
“Obviously, we want to keep growing; but
there’s a kind of tug of war you play with
operations and marketing.”
Regardless of the challenges they face,
David and Chris are ecstatic with the way
their business has grown. “We feel very
privileged that we’ve been able to be part
of something that’s grown, and that’s a
brand that’s loved by a lot of South Africans
a r ou nd t he c ou nt r y.”Your weekly
mealkit is
delivered in
recyclable
packaging.meals they cook to their experience with
the service as a whole. “We take this data
seriously, and it’s a great way to tap into what
our customers are looking for,” says Chris.
“What we’re offering is a very personalservice. We bring something into people’s
homes every single week, based on what
their dining plans are. We want to keep
those customers; and so, along with
ensuring that our service is growing, we also
ensure that our service is always evolving.”
From starting with fixed-category menuboxes, customers can now customise the
meal options that come in their weekly box.
They can change up the number of meals
they want each week, and the number of
people they’re feeding. “We spend a lot of
“It’s about giving the consumer a
unique and curated experience,
one they can’t find with any
other competitor in the market.”