KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — Consumers today are spoilt for choices when it comes to healthy food options and juices, which are available in supermarkets, stand-alone kiosks, shoplots and food trucks.
For Anabelle Co-Martinent, the founder of La Juiceria Superfoods Sdn Bhd, starting her healthy line of juice bars and cafes via the La Juiceria brand, a cold-pressed juice bar in 2013, was intended to help Malaysians adopt healthier lifestyles through a balanced diet.
She first started La Juiceria online, marketing her products via social media and personally delivering them.
The business took off and soon expanded to a physical store in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
Today, La Juiceria is a leading healthy food and beverages group, providing wholesome choices across five different brands.
Looking back on how it evolved, Anabelle said she took the opportunity to venture into the food delivery services platforms when they first emerged.
She eventually chose to collaborate with Grab as one of its Signature Merchants.
“We were working with other services before GrabFood, and though it started great, there was no pro-activity in supporting our growth.
“So when Grab approached me with ideas and campaigns that would help drive sales, I was pleased!” Anabelle told Bernama.
As part of Grab’s Signature Merchants programme, La Juiceria was able to increase its exposure to a broader pool of consumers.
Since the collaboration, Anabelle and her team have been also able to tap on insights from GrabFood to better understand consumer trends, and identify potential growth opportunities.
These insights, including brand performance, benefited them in identifying growth areas and developing new brands.
“Grab gave us data beyond our point-of-sales system and confirmed some of our assumptions which gave us confidence to make decisions, including opening new locations.
“Today, we have grown and established ourselves as a healthy food brand among consumers, resulting in increased revenues,” she said.
Today, GrabFood orders account for nearly a third of the company’s overall sales.
Meanwhile, Anabelle and her team have also identified new business opportunities and launched creative ideas such as the concept of Hawker Hall, a contemporary, pork-free hawker centre that offers a variety of cuisines under one roof.
She had always wanted to create a brand focusing on Malaysian favourites but needed a clearer view of current market preferences.
“Beyond our own research, data from Grab has been invaluable in our expansion. With knowledge on consumer demographics, preferences, and willingness to spend, we were able to curate an offering that was an immediate market fit,” said Annabelle.
Being on GrabFood also helped La Juiceria pivot quickly during the Movement Control Order (MCO) by innovating on local favourites to cater to its customers while alleviating the impact of the decline of dine-ins.
“We were grateful that we were already on board with the GrabFood platform during the MCO which allowed us to continue reaching consumers while minimising disruptions.
“The world has gone online, and having a storefront without online support is no longer sufficient. To grow the business, there should be equal focus between online and offline,” she said.
Through the experience with Grab, she said, the company has learnt that businesses should find partners who are there for them for the long term.
“Through assistance in areas where you have less experience, you will have appropriate guidance while focusing on your core competencies,” Anabelle added.
Sources: BERNAMA