Get Ready: top-3 new trends of the ready meals market from Natalia Shmyghelska

Last year the ready meals market was transforming at an unprecedented rate. Contemporary customers are tired of counting the lockdowns and often work from home. They’d like to have their lunch ready but are not very fond of cooking it. Besides, they want that lunch to be cheap.

Ukraine follows the global trends, and several companies have already announced about entering the market with innovative replacements of animal products. However, are Ukrainians ready to put roasted vegan steaks on their plates instead of juicy Chicken Kyiv?

Natalia Shmyghelska, the founder of Astorg Holding, Ukrptahoservis, Gotovo, and Foodmama, outlined the key trends, which are becoming the real drivers of the food market. Natalia is one of the Top-20 Most Influential Women in agribusiness according to the ‘Top 100. The Ratings of the Largest’ magazine.

Trend 1 — Restaurant food at home

Contemporary customers don’t want to cook at home. Everyone wants ordinary, standard meals without spending time on cooking. At the same time, an average Ukrainian doesn’t earn enough to eat out at a restaurant too often.

Nonetheless, tasty ready-made food is available. We at Foodmama offer ready and half-ready meals, moving towards the segment of frozen food.

Foodmama works in the premium-quality segment at affordable prices, comparable to that of supermarkets or the cost of homemade food. We found an optimum lunch option, none of the restaurants offers such prices.

We managed to achieve it thanks to production process optimization, a large volume of raw materials procurement, and a relatively low margin. We allowed Ukrainians to buy the same lunch they can bring from home, offered 12 options, and provided fast delivery. Every single detail was paid attention to. For instance, you can microwave your lunch right in its packaging.

Trend 2 — Digitalization

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns influenced the ready and half-ready meals market in the last year. Of course, our sales decreased, but I view it as something that should have been expected.

At the same time, the pandemic encouraged us to use digital instruments. In just a few months, we designed a great website and integrated it with a CRM system, automating the entire chain from production to delivery.

THE PANDEMIC ENCOURAGED US TO USE DIGITAL INSTRUMENTS ACTIVELY

Now within 30 minutes, Foodmama will deliver you a fresh salad, a hot soup, spaghetti bolognese, or a barbecue with risotto and fresh vegetables. It allowed us to lower our dependency on supermarkets.

In other words, that is the same trend for takeaway food, but without wasting time on a trip to the supermarket or ques at the cash desk. Moreover, we open up near homes and offices. Thus, we can deliver website orders of fresh salads and hot soups in 30 minutes.

We cook tasty, cheap food using manual labor. I dream that Foodmama and Gotovo will become something like Nova Poshta [popular Ukrainian postal and courier company] for each family.

Note that Foodmama also offers a possibility to become a franchisee.

Trend 3 — Alternative Meat

The future of the food industry definitely lies in vegetable meat. It is a new trend, which is forecasted to grow by 60% in 2021.

Everybody understands that animal protein is overrated. That boosts the development of alternatives, providing necessary protein balance.

THE FUTURE OF THE FOOD INDUSTRY LIES IN VEGETABLE MEAT

Few people in Ukraine are ready to stop eating meat. Still, we offer our customers vegan food, which allows them to maintain a healthy diet with enough nutritious value, proteins, vitamins, microelements, etc.

Our alternative product line includes wonderful vegan cheesecakes and pancakes. We also have 100% vegetable lasagna. Just imagine the cheese spreading all over when you heat it in your oven at home!

By designing these products, we are following a promising global trend of vegetable meals. The customers want diversity, and we give them what to choose from.