The seeds were first sown for My Food Bag in 2013, and since then it has flourished into one of New Zealand’s most successful homegrown business stories, now producing over a million meals each month.
But while the premise of the business begun by asking the question, ‘What’s for dinner tonight?’ the answer to has grown increasingly complex as New Zealander’s preferences and lifestyles change.
To meet these changing needs, My Food Bag now offers a variety of different food bags in terms of content, size and cooking speed, but with that step up came a need for a more expansive space.
“We had really outgrown our previous space a long time ago and our new HQ is a measure in time of where we are now,” founder and co-CEO of My Food Bag Cecilia Robinson says.
“However, taking two levels of our new building enables us to be flexible and nimble as we continue to grow.”
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The new Parnell headquarters was fitted out by Platform Consulting Group.
Robinson says the new workspace is set up to enable the team to be creative and collaborative to aid the future development of the business, as a big part of the company’s success relies on Nadia and the team’s ability to experiment and test out recipes.
“Our downstairs recipe development headquarters enables our chefs to truly innovate and come up with new ideas, while level three gives all our teams the opportunity to work together,” she says.
“The new HQ has really been set up with the goal to have the team work as closely together as possible and we are already starting to see the rewards, in terms of innovation, through this change in working practice.”
Features of the kitchen include a massive walk-in fridge and pantry, as well as a two-station photography kitchen where each dish undergoes a photo shoot after making it through the “stringent” evaluation process.
On the upper level, there’s the administrative hub of the business, where areas of the business like marketing, digital and finance operate out of.
Robinson says while the development kitchen is the biggest change from its previous headquarters, the staff’s casual dining area on the third level where the team can relax and enjoy a game of pool is a highlight.
Last year saw My Food Bag expand into offering Bargain Boxes, a value-orientated food bag, while Waterman Capital took a stake in the business.
The details of the transaction weren’t disclosed, but Waterman Capital said it was one of the biggest private equity deals done in New Zealand involving a young company.
With the recent launch of Fresh Start with Nadia last month, a product range designed for people who want to manage their weight, and no doubt more in the pipeline, My Food Bag’s new headquarters mean it’s in a prime position for more rapid growth.
