Partners have recipe for quick meals

Braden Service (left), Dawn Jennings and Eduardo Perez with the Komida meals they are selling to health-conscious sportspeople. Photo / Supplied

A friendship developed at a local gym has been pumped up into a growing business for three Hawkes' Bay bodybuilders who saw an opportunity to cash in on their shared interests in cooking and sports.

Restaurant owners Braden Service and Dawn Jennings met Eduardo Perez at the gym three years ago and the trio began bodybuilding training together.

They soon realised they had a common interest in food and recognised there was a gap in the Hawke's Bay market for convenience meals that offered nutritious and fresh ingredients, delivered direct to customers.

Their company Komida - with the tagline "feeding good habits" - was born and has been growing strongly since its launch in March.

"There are a lot of single people in our community who don't cook properly for themselves.

"Our meals are perfect for them - we just deliver them to their door and all the work is done," Mr Perez said.

"People lead busy lives these days and we know as competitive bodybuilders ourselves, training takes a lot of time and commitment. It makes life a whole lot easier if you know you can just go to the fridge or freezer, grab a decent meal and know you are getting the right nutrition."

The business is based out of Estuary's Restaurant at Westshore, owned and managed by Mr Service and Ms Jennings, while Mr Perez's skills as a web developer have been put to use growing Komida's online presence (www.komida.nz).

The trio have been producing hundreds of meals a week which are delivered in takeaway containers to dozens of Hawke's Bay athletes, gym-goers and bodybuilders who want to eat healthily, without the hassle of preparing and cooking meals themselves.

The meals - including everything from sweet chilli tiger prawn stir fry with soba noodles to satay beef with brown rice and vegetables - cost $15 with discounts and free delivery for multiple orders.

The three business partners are now focused on expanding. "We appeal to a wide range of people and our menu is varied to accommodate all tastes and requirements," Mr Perez said. "Customers have the choice of which meals they want and how many and we are also introducing new items like pancakes and whey and protein loaves for snack options."

All ingredients are sourced locally.