By MENAFN Staff / MENAFN
SOURCE: MENAFN - UAE- Reaping the fruits of hard work
(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) It was while discussing a common problem that Marie-Christine Luijckx and three friends came up with a successful business model. Luijckx and her friends were doing long working hours in their corporate jobs with very few healthy food choices resulting in loss of productivity at the workplace. They thus decided to establish Fruitful Day, a business that delivers curated selections of fresh fruit to workplaces and homes across the UAE in 2015.
"Since its launch, we have expanded into home deliveries and gifting. At the heart of everything we do is great tasting seasonal fresh fruit," says Luijckx, founder and managing director of Fruitful Day.
Luijckx has been living in Dubai for 12 years and has a background in finance. She says that through the creation of Fruitful Day, she is leveraging her business knowledge to help Dubai's workplaces become healthier and happier.
"We felt that for companies and workplaces, it is important for employers to value their relationships with their employees and to show that they care about the health and quality of their employees' lives," she says.
Luijckx says the mission of Fruitful Day is to make a healthy lifestyle easier and more accessible to all.
"By 2030, half of humankind is expected to be overweight and we want to do our part to fight this frightening trend. We all know that healthy living is a long-term project - not something you can check off your to-do list after a single day. We believe that work and life can be better every day by making small choices towards a healthier lifestyle and we can be a part of inspiring that daily change," she describes.
Funding
Luijckx says all partners believe passionately in the business and they funded it with their personal savings. "Our only external funding to date has been through Beehive, which is a debt crowdfunding platform," she says.
Luijckx says as Fruitful Day continues to grow, she looks for opportunities that align with her vision of promoting healthy choices.
"For instance, we launched a Holy Month of 'Ramadan' gifting range, which is a modern healthy take on your traditional chocolates and desserts. When we designed our fruit platters, we wanted to encourage people to give the gift of health without compromising on presentation or taste," she explains.
Discussing her strategy, Luijckx says to build and grow a business, "you need a strong team by your side".
Source: menafn.com