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| Nairobi Business Monthly February

Companies&Industries

Local enterprise adds spice to the Pret a manger model

READY CUISINE

BY AAMERA JIWAJI

The Good Food Company, Kenya’s ventureinto the internationally celebrated Pret aManger concept, is designed to satisfy in

a modern society where instant gratication -in a healthy and a ordable way - is the avour

of the day.The concept of Pret a Manger was developed

in 1983 in London when Je rey Hyman openedthe rst Pret a Manger. Coined from the fash-ion phrase Pret a Porter (ready to wear), Pret aManger (ready to eat) prepares gourmet foodin a ready to eat format and the idea took theBritish consumer market by storm.

Today, the original Pret a Manger chaincurrently operates 294 outlets globally, andthe approach gained more acclaim when retailBritish stores like Marks & Spencers and Wool-

worths embraced the idea and began sellingfresh, ready made meals at outlets across thecountry.

Kenya’s The Good Food Company, whichbegan trading in Nairobi in July last year, hasadopted the concept and tweaked it to suitthe Kenyan market. Co-owned by innovative

entrepreneurs Esmeralda De Souza, SpencerFondaumiere, Kiran Jethwa and Nawaz Meghji,the good food aficionados combined theirknowledge of the gastronomical industry, anddecided the Kenyan market was primed for thePret a Manger concept. With their eye keenlytrained on fresh products that were healthy,easily made and delicious, they prioritisedthe development of a strong and sophisticatedbrand.

Spencer and Esmerald together own anoutside catering business in Karen called Spez,

Esmeralda De Souza and SpencerFondaumiere, two of the directorsof The Good Food Company

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February Nairobi Business Monthly |

while Kiran and Nawaz are proprietors of Sevenseafood and grill restaurant at ABC Place.

Kiran and Spencer, the two chefs among thebusiness owners, developed recipes cuttingacross a range of international cuisines includ-ing Asian, Oriental, Italian and Kenyan, andtargeted the Nairobi lunch crowd with an

o ering of salads, sandwiches, wraps, bloom-ers (subs) and hot meals.

Two years of strategising later, the fourinvested Sh8million into the idea (spent mainlyon equipment and packaging), and opened afull industrial kitchen of 3,000 square feet inNairobi’s Industrial area to serve the city andits environs. Orders can be called, emailed ortexted in every weekday and the meal will bedelivered in between 45 minutes to an hourthrough to 4.30pm in the evening.

“Our food is a la carte, which means it is

freshly made when you place an order, and ittakes between three to six minutes to make eachmeal. That’s why it tastes amazing,” Esmeraldasaid with a smile.

Having run a catering business with Spen-cer for over ve years, Esmeralda was able toreplicate many of its best practices to The Good

Food Company.“It’s a similar product, it’s food,” she said.

“So the principles of running both companiesis the same: a good product, excellent serviceand on time delivery.” All three of these arestrengthened, she said, by a good relationshipwith reliable suppliers who o er high qualityraw materials.

One of the greatest challenges, however, hasbeen convincing the Kenyan market to embracea healthy food option which pulls away fromusual lunch habits, and is priced slightly higher.

“Most Kenyans like going for chips and chicken,but our menu o ers a convenient, full meal in apacket as opposed to your usual junk food overlunch,” said the 26 year old Esmeralda.

Items on The Good Food Company menurange from Sh400 (sandwiches) to Sh650 (fora hot meal) with bloomers and salads falling

mid way - as compared to a typical Kenyan fastfood lunch of between Sh200 to Sh300.

At present, The Good Food Company’s month-ly sales are at 200 meals a day, well below theirtarget of 5,000 meals a day, but Esmeralda isconfident about their growth. They plan tointroduce breakfast options like sandwiches tocater for clients who want something to eat midmorning. Other growth avenues the company islooking at include setting up kiosk style outletsat key locations, which o er the same fresh qual-ity food on a nearby corner.

“Our food isa la carte,

which means it

is freshly madewhen you placean order, and ittakes betweenthree to sixminutes to makeeach meal.That’s why ittastes amazing,”

Esmerelda saidwith a smile.

The Good FoodCompany runs a fullindustrial kitchen inNairobi’s IndustrialArea, and invested asubstantial percentageof their start-upcapital on branded

packaging material.