On-the-Go Foodies
By Joan Mantini
Foodie Fit started in 2016 when Bo Vu left the world of gourmet cooking to pursue his passion for healthy cooking. He started by providing custom meal service for top athletes and figure competitors in Las Vegas, and later teamed up with the company’s current COO Andrew Kowal and Alex Lee to expand his culinary masterpieces to the public. Foodie Fit currently focuses on making healthy meals that are convenient, fresh, healthy and delicious.
The company cooks and packages all of its own signature meals, as well as provides healthy snacks and beverages to create a one stop shop for nutrition, health and wellness. Foodie Fit also has half of its business coming in from online orders where customers can customize their own meals, which requires custom labels on the fly and Epson ColorWorks printers are being utilized for its on-demand labels.
Kowal took some time out to discuss how Foodie Fit is gaining consumers attention in the market and how on-demand printers are beneficial to the company’s branding. What follows are his responses:
What type of growth has this market seen in the recent years, and do you think we can expect it to continue to grow? Why?
Kowal: All the major trends show that the premade meal market will continue to grow. For the most part, people have less time to cook, don’t know how to cook, have a growing concern for their health, and/or want the instant gratification of always having something available to eat.
What innovations in packaging are helping the Grab N’Go/Dairy/Snack Food market gain consumers attention?
Kowal: We are always looking for new ways to package our meals and grab the consumers attention. Modified atmosphere has given companies the ability to extend shelf life without adding preservatives. New insight and data analytics have made it easier to gain customer feedback on what is catching their eye.
What are some of the trends forcing innovation in this market?
Kowal: A low barrier of entry into the meal prep market means an endless supply of competition. This keeps larger companies of their toes and forces them to outperform the newcomers trying to make a name for themselves. Other major trends forcing innovation are the speed at which different diet fads come and go. Meal prep companies constantly must figure out ways to appeal to these consumers without restricting themselves to one diet or banking on a trend that might die.
Can you tell me what benefits on-demand printers have for Grab N’Go/Dairy/Snack Food packaging?
Kowal: On-demand printing with the Epson ColorWorks printers has given us the flexibility to adapt to consumer demands instantly. Most of our customers eat ten meals a week with our company, which means our menu is consistently rotating. On-demand printing has also given us the ability to change menu items quickly. We have also found a way through color to categorize our meals based on different diets and nutrition restrictions (e.g., yellow is breakfast, green is active lifestyle, red is lower carb). This makes it extremely easy for our customers to shop and know exactly what they are eating. Our goal is to simplify nutrition and make it easy for anyone to understand.
How are you using your packaging and on demand printing to gain consumer attention for your grab ‘n go meals?
Kowal: We use color as a representation to simplify nutrition. We only sell our own products in the stores so grabbing attention isn’t necessarily our goal. We use a very simple label design with color indicators so the consumer can easily identify the nutrition in each meal.
How are your grab ‘n go meals packaged for ecommerce?
Kowal: Our ecommerce meals are packaged using the same process as our instore meals. We do all of our deliveries in-house and use the labels to wrap around the lid to make sure they stay closed. They are not boxed up or insulated because the vans are refrigerated.