Page 19 - Food&Drink Business magazine October 2022

are short workouts of up to five minutes, designed for customers to do while they heat their meals.
KEEPING THE COVID CUSTOMERS
Stark says the company’s steadfast focus on variety, choice, and flexibility with every menu providing good nutrition and health has seen the company retain the customers gained during Covid.
Lite n’ Easy has more than 235 meals in a range of pack offerings. Its model doesn’t involve contracts or subscriptions, allowing customers to tailor the meals to their needs. Stark says flexibility and choice are also key to the company’s success.
“We have grown our fresh chilled range, which is made to order in each state, by 20 per cent. Customers are looking for variety and love the option of including fresh and frozen options in their delivery,” he adds.
Jones says the model also allows the company to develop meals for specific audiences and current trends such as protein rich, high fibre, or plant based.
“One key change we have seen is the demand for a chilled offering. Frozen product still has the benefit of a longer shelf life but being able to offer both chilled and frozen options
has really livened up our product offering and provided us with the opportunity to meet the needs of our customers – fresh when they want it and frozen when they need it.
“ActivATE was a response to increasing demand for a more holistic offering
MAIN and RIGHT: Lite n’ Easy has more than 235 meals in its offering.
ABOVE RIGHT: Lite n’ Easy dietician Ashleigh Jones and CEO Dennis Stark.
that encompasses nutrition, exercise, and overall wellbeing,” she says.
ON THE BOIL
The customer growth and retention has paid dividends for the company.
Stark says, “It has enabled us to reinvest back into the business with new meal development, staffing opportunities, and the ActiveATE app.
“We’ve also been able to reinvest back into the company with a brand-new facility in Regency Park in Adelaide to be able to improve the service to South Australian customers. Plus, we’ve put significant investments back into Western Australia, Victoria, and Queensland operational facilities.”
In the aftermath of the Royal Commission into Aged Care and revelations that the basic nutritional needs of many older Australians were not being met, the company has introduced a new range of meals called My Choice.
“Combined with access to the government funding via Home Care Packages, our goal is to make it easy and affordable for more older Australians to eat well and enjoy a better quality of life,” Stark says.
“ Ten years ago, we were considered just a weight loss brand. Today, more than 30 per cent of customers use our service simply for the healthy convenience. Increasingly time poor consumers mean convenience will continue to be a huge driver for the market.”
COMPANY PROFILE
A national roll out of My Choice is currently underway with specific Lite n’ Easy customer service teams
for Home Care Packages
and NDIS customers.
Programs like ActivATE and My Choice reveal a company committed to growth and the core principles of its brand.
Stark says the Light n’ Easy continues to expand its delivery footprint, with more regional areas added every month and a delivery network now covering more than 90 per cent of the
country’s population.
All its frozen meals now
use paper-based board trays, which are ovenable and create a better reheating experience. It is also moving towards compostable packaging.
“Our goal is to make it easy for every Australian to have affordable access to healthy, delicious meals,” Stark says. With tailored meal options for all ages, an exercise app for all ability levels, and a growing customer base,
that goal is in sight. ✷
www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | October 2022 | Food&Drink business | 19