Gym Meals Direct managing director Hesh Sandi and CEO Mick Tonna are making nutrient-dense ready meals a staple for many local homes. Photo: Thomas Lucraft.
In 2015, a local Canberra business was getting ready to pivot in response to customer demand – a move that would turn out to be its bread and butter, so to speak. Easy Life Meals, a locally owned and operated ready-meal delivery business focused on gourmet food for busy people, was receiving an inordinate number of requests for healthier, simpler, more protein-heavy options.
Being time-poor fitness fanatics themselves, managing director Hesh Sandi and CEO Mick Tonna had no issues adding a branch to the business to cater for this demand.
Gym Meals Direct (GMD) was born initially as a “side hustle”, but demand for the nutrient-dense ready meals soon outstripped that of Easy Life Meals.
Hesh and Mick decided to discontinue the latter to focus on GMD, which before long became a staple in many local homes.
GMD is 100 per cent locally owned and operated, servicing Canberra, Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Murrumbateman and Yass.
But apart from a conscious decision to remain local, little else has stood still for GMD as it continues to pivot in response to customer feedback.
For starters, Mick agrees that “gym meals” is probably a misnomer.
“Our clientele ranges from elderly people in retirement to elite athletes,” he says.
“We have over 60 different meals meeting a broad range of dietary needs. To make the cut, they have to be delicious, high quality and convenient, but they don’t all share the same nutritional profile because everyone has different requirements.
“The offering also includes weekly specials that we create based on what customers want that week. We put the call out for feedback and if it’s a hit, it stays on the menu.”
Critical to staying relevant to their market is the GMD feedback loop, which informs its regular pivots.
It’s why the menu caters to a variety of allergens and offers vegan, high-protein, low-carb, gluten-free and gourmet options in two different portion sizes.
It’s also why the service includes an option that truly sets it apart from other ready-meal brands – the ability to customise the side dishes of certain meals.
“It’s a helpful feature for people who have food intolerances, have different nutritional requirements, or simply have certain preferences,” Mick says.
“For example, if you’re looking for a low-carb option we might swap out the rice for cauliflower rice, but otherwise maintain the flavour profile of the meal.”
Mick Tonna says GMD meals are sold strictly direct-to-customer. Photo: Thomas Lucraft.
Despite their popularity, you won’t find GMD meals in supermarkets – they’re strictly direct-to-customer.
“We dabbled in that, but we’re proud of our product and wanted to maintain control over how it’s displayed, represented and distributed and, critically, to maintain a link to our customers,” Hesh says.
“It’s the same reason we take care of our own deliveries, unlike most similar products where delivery is outsourced to big courier companies.
“We take great care in preparing the meal, the presentation and packaging and want to see it safely to our customers’ doors.”
This also allows GMD to minimise packaging waste. It offers a pick-up service at each delivery for its boxes, liners and ice, which get cleaned, sorted and reused where possible.
GMD orders are placed before midnight on Thursday and the GMD team works through the weekend to prepare the meals fresh for a Sunday or Monday delivery or pick-up.
Its customers are not beholden to contracts – they can subscribe to meal plans or select a la carte week-to-week as they please. It’s an approach consistent with their modus operandi of giving customers what they really want.
But Mick says for the business to be truly successful, its reach must extend beyond individual clients.
“We’re a 100 per cent local business, so it’s important to us to give back to the broader community in which we operate,” he says.
“We donate meals through Oz Harvest. In an economic climate where people are struggling with the cost of living, nutritious and delicious meals are more important than ever.
“And when you boil it down, that’s our specialty.”
For more information or to order delicious and nutritious meals straight to your door, visit GMD.
Loading ...
