February Newsletter 2024
...And just like that, the calendar declares it February. Time flies when you're having fun I guess? And we are really enjoying our new space! Room to move and everything in its right place - definitely a luxury in a commercial kitchen in Wellington!
Speaking of luxuries, we know that times are tough for a lot of people, and a meal box can be a bit of a luxury! We were really sad to hear earlier this year that our friends at Kai Box closed down. It feels like more and more small, local, family-run businesses are closing their doors, which is heartbreaking to see..
We definitely aren't going anywhere, but sadly we haven't seen much growth this year so far, despite making some positive changes to our service:
- extending our cut off time to Sunday evenings for extra convenience
- extending our delivery zone up to the top of Waikanae
- produce increased: there's now up to 5 different fresh veggies per recipe
- added fresh artisan bread/GF bread as a recurring recipe ingredient
- changing veg suppliers to Capital Produce - who have been amazing so far! we reckon the freshness and quality of our veggies has greatly improved since we switched.
- updated our recipe cards to include clearer instructions and recipe suggestions
- and adding new products to our Zero Waste Pantry Shop (we are loving Shelly Bay Baker!)
We also recently did some market research, and found that next to our closest competitors, we are a minimum of 20% cheaper per meal for every equivalent box!* We obviously can't compete with industry giants like Hello Fresh and My Food Bag in terms of price, but we like to hope our zero waste, hyper-local approach, (as well as being 100% plant based and gluten free friendly), adds something extra special to our service. There's plenty more we want to do/improve/offer, but without growing a bit more for extra cashflow first it's tough to add too many new things at once.
So we want to hear from you, our supporters!
Maybe you used to order, only order once in a while, or support our mahi but haven't quite found it suited your needs. What would get your attention? We've simplified our online feedback form, so you can just type exactly what you want to say without spending 10 minutes answering multi choice questions. We'd really appreciate the insight, and it's completely anonymous unless you opt to receive a response and add your email address. You can also just reply to this email if you prefer!
Yum Jar Menu for Week 6
Order before 5pm this Sunday 11th Feb for meal boxes ready from Feb 12th - 16th with some/all of the following recipes:
Recipe 1: Black Bean & Brown Rice Salad
with Fresh Summer Veggies in a Mango-Lime Dressing
Recipe 2: Falafel Burgers & Roasted Potatoes
with a Crispy Slaw, & Garlic Tahini Sauce
Recipe 3: Crunchy Mediterranean Salad
with Tofu-Feta & Chickpeas in a Herby Vinaigrette
Recipe 4 Smoky Tempeh Pasta Salad
with Crispy Lettuce, Toasted Almonds, Lemon & Thyme Dressing
Recipe 5: Edamame & Peanut Noodle Salad
with Veggies, Roasted Peanuts & Toasted Sesame Seeds
Nga Mihi Nui,
Ottilie & the Yum Jar Team
*Information sourced from competitors Green Dinner Table and Woop's respective websites on 8/2/24. Click here to see our findings!