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Ryan Chuma, Sunday Life Correspondent
AVILIAN Meals, a healthy food start-up, is working to promote healthy eating habits that confront the prevalence of obesity and provide employment opportunities for youths and mothers in Bulawayo. Established last year in Cape Town, South Africa, Avilian Meals — was born out of a desire to tackle bad eating habits and the high unemployment rates among youths and mothers.
Reflecting on Avilian Meals’ journey so far, managing director, Rodney Manyakaidze said a lot of research and hard work was put in establishing this start-up.
“I got the idea to do Avilian Meals in June last year and have been working on it ever since. Through word-of-mouth advertising, we found about 30 single unemployed mothers, divorcees, and widows who wanted a job. We started talking to them and conscientised them about healthy eating habits, and good cooking methods. So, they became the first group that we created employment for.
“We did a lot of research and development to get to where we are now. My high school friend has got a couple of businesses here in Cape Town, so he’s the one who was giving me guidance. We are at a point where we are about to come to Bulawayo with the initiative,” he said.
He added that as a young person, he was utilising the opportunities presented by the Second Republic to contribute to nation-building and employment creation.
“We should all be cognisant of the fact that President Mnangagwa gave every countryman a mandate, which we as young people should utilise to contribute to nation-building,” he said.
He added that they were eager to make a difference in people’s lives.
“After we reach 200 000 subscribers then we can generate over a million dollars to help fund our cause. We know that we can employ 100 people every month and we can alleviate the youth unemployment rate in Bulawayo. Our ultimate goal is to deal with unemployment and we are just playing our part.”
Avilian Meals offers a subscription-based service that delivers two nutritious meals daily to customers in the CBD, conveniently partnering with the Standard Hotel as a distribution hub.
This innovative approach ensures that healthy eating is not only accessible but also hassle-free.
“We have found a solution that can make people live healthy lives, and eat a balanced diet below the PDL because our subscription model allows people to pay $40 a month and get two packaged healthy meals a day tailored to their dietary preferences and nutritional needs.
“We are trying to get people to eat healthy. Our menu is all vegan food. It’s healthy, organic, natural, non-GMO, it’s cooked foods. So, we teach women how to cook these meals from their homes. We are advocating for meals from home,” he said. @junzalweendo
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