Mucuaa
Mucuaa serves freshly-prepared, Afro-Caribbean healthy plant-based and healthy pescatarian meals and was started by Leonor during the Covid lockdown in 2020. She had spent many years working in the hospitality industry and now works with her daughter Samaia. They sell a number of staple plant- based dishes that contain no dairy or meat. The main focus on the menu is the rich and endlessly diverse flavours of African Caribbean influence, specifically Angolan influence. This can be seen in how they cook their hearty kidney beans stew using simple ingredients as the base such as garlic and onion to enhance the natural flavours of each ingredient instead of masking them.
Some feedback from the judges:
- “We were blown away by the food and presentation, also lovely chef and daughter running the business together”
- “The Angolan (Afro-Caribbean) cuisine is like nothing we have at BOXPARK and we think it will be popular among locals in Croydon. The signature dish was full of flavour, colourful, and healthy”
We spoke to Leonor and Samaia to find out a bit more about them and the brand:
- What has been the biggest challenge you have faced so far since you started your business?
Logistics has been challenging for us as our current market stall that we sell from is in the middle of the street so storage is an issue. The weather is also a big challenge for us at the market, the wind and rain can be a nightmare when we are trading outside. When we started we didn’t expect it to be so hard and we lost some of our equipment and wasted a lot of food that fell on the floor in bad weather! We had to learn to tie things to the lampposts, we are excited to not have this problem at BOXPARK! We can’t trade when the weather is bad so it affects our sales.
- What is the most important thing you have learned during this competition process?
We have learned how we can scale the business and make it into a longer term strategy and how to look at the bigger picture. We have also learnt how to charge and do the prices better based on the work we put in.
- What makes your food business stand out compared to others in Croydon’s food scene?
The simple flavours are key for us. We have learnt from being in the market to make good relationships with our customers so we have a loyal fan base. Our customer service is the best around! Also, our famous chilli makes us stand out!
- What are you most looking forward to about your Pop-Up at BOXPARK Croydon?
Apart from having fun, we are mostly looking forward to selling the food and being in a new environment every day and the new people that we will meet. We can’t wait for people to try our food!
Fruiture Juicery
Fruiture Juicery was created because Simone, the founder, was struggling with serious health conditions. Her body was deteriorating from a type of psoriasis and no medication was working.
She first went vegan in 2010 after a doctor said “Healing starts within...at a cellular level.” Following this she researched what would make her better and put it into juices. She amassed a following during lockdown and lovingly named them #juicelovers. Simone worked several jobs to be able to reinvest in the business and pay the necessary fees that were required. Simone offers a range of different fruit juices and smoothies, cakes and fresh fruit.
Some feedback from the judges:
- “The juices were fresh, healthy & delicious – a nice range of flavours in there which can also be adapted before going to market.”
We spoke to Simone to find out a bit more about her and the brand:
- What has been the biggest challenge you have faced so far since you started your business?
Delegation has been a challenge for us and knowing when to hire staff to help the business expand. You need to outsource to professionals to elevate your business. Funding is also a challenge, as a new business it is hard to get funding from banks as you don’t have enough accounts available. Always save and invest as much as you can before you start the business.
- What is the most important thing you have learned during this competition process?
I think building a foundation for your business in your community is really important, if I didn’t have the initial traction and following, it would have been harder for BOXPARK to take the business seriously. Because I had so many pictures of my products and customers it helped me convey what my business was about.
- What makes your food business stand out compared to others in Croydon’s food scene?
Because my business is based solely on fresh first and it is seasonal, people can really have an insight into what they should be eating throughout the year they can really get an insight into what they should be eating and drinking to feel the best in their body.
- What are you most looking forward to about your Pop-Up at BOXPARK Croydon?
I can’t wait for the freedom of creativity, being around experienced traders and learning from them. I can’t wait to have my own space and meet the customers.
Soul Vegan
Soul Vegan is made up of 3 sisters, vegan since birth and born & raised in beautiful Bermuda!
They were lucky to live in several different countries throughout their life, whilst immersing themselves in their beautiful cultures. These experiences greatly influence their menu that they offer today. Soul Vegan’s food is bursting with rich, fresh, comforting Caribbean spices and international flavours, allowing customers to try their speciality, plant based Caribbean Soul Food!
Some feedback from the judges:
- “We think the signature dish (combo basket) was a great concept and price point”
- “They have a great story and journey that we think customers will buy into”
We spoke to Jameelah, Karima, and Tiana to find out more about them and the brand:
- What has been the biggest challenge you have faced so far since you started your business?
Understanding our limits of what we can and can’t do comes with experience and we have had to learn this the hard way! At the start we just said yes to everything but we have learnt when to say no.
- What is the most important thing you have learned during this competition process?
We have learnt to tap into the resources that are out there to help small businesses and you sometimes need another set of eyes to help with the strategic side of the business. Our mentor Nisha from Jack and Chill foods, really helped us throughout the process, especially with our business proposal.
- What makes your food business stand out compared to others in Croydon’s food scene?
For us, it is our fusion of Caribbean and American. The food is what we have grown up eating and our food is wholesome food that is healthy and made from scratch and you don’t have that guilt factor after eating it. We love fresh food and won’t hide the fact it is a natural plant based food, we don’t try to compete with meat but it is all about what tastes good.
- What are you most looking forward to about your Pop-Up at BOXPARK Croydon?
The vibes! We are a croydon based business and have so much loyal support from our customers so we can’t wait to give them a home to come to and eat our food! We absolutely love BOXPARK and always come here so to be able to serve our food here is a dream come true for us! We can’t wait to have all our staff here and celebrate with them!
