How one UAE-based entrepreneur is thriving in face of adversity

But Ashley Lane, founder of Livefreshr and JustCook, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in April 2014, is a testament to the saying ‘the show must go on’.

Two months after his diagnosis, the business was launched, and seven years on, it is still going strong.

In an exclusive interview with Arabian Business, Lane reveals how living with MS has impacted the start-up journey, how the meal kit service has grown, and plans for the future.

When did you come up with the idea of JustCook or realise there was a gap in the market for the business?

The business idea for JustCook, formerly Livefreshr, was first envisioned back in 2013 by my brother and myself. We were visiting friends in Melbourne, who had a meal kit service subscription. Having lived in the UAE, it was the first time we had ever seen the concept and instantly fell in love with the idea, due to its convenience and ability to eliminate food waste.

We were eager to create a similar offering back home, realising that there was nothing like it in Dubai at the time. Having returned and set the works in motion, we were due to launch in April 2014 until I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which initially put a spanner in the works since I couldn’t walk or speak.

It was unclear whether we would be able to continue, but we made the decision that it wouldn’t let it stop us. In June 2014, our first customers received their first meal kits. We were the first ones to offer meal kit delivery service in this market and have been working since then.

How does your diagnosis impact the way you run your business – does it make you more determined to succeed?

If I am being honest, I have been very lucky with my diagnosis so far. Following my relapse in 2014 I have been in remittance through until this year present time, when I am now having a few struggles again.

It is in these moments, however, that you really appreciate the team you have built. I popped into the office a few days back and my staff sent me home to rest!

In terms of making me more determined to succeed, possibly not, I was always very determined. However, it definitely makes me want to ensure it has no impact on the business by continuing to build great companies with great people and ensuring the show goes on regardless of any one person.

What is your business plan?

Since 2014 our sole focus has been JustCook (formerly Livefreshr), the meal kit service. However, in more recent times we are looking to expand our range of offerings to bring more convenient food and beverage-based concepts to the UAE market.

With these new plans, we have made the decision to rebrand Livefreshr to JustCook, with Livefreshr becoming the umbrella brand and JustCook being one of the offerings. 

Is the company bootstrapped or have you raised capital from investors? Can you take us through your funding journey?

To date, the company has been bootstrapped since its inception. We started off with around AED10,000 and everything we have achieved since has been through reinvestment of funds generated from the business.

We are not averse to investment, however, it is just something we have never actively looked at. There were a couple of times in the early days of the business, when I had been doing deliveries in my car for 10-12 hours to keep costs down, when the thought of investment was quite tempting!

Fortunately, it wasn’t too long before we reached a stage whereby things became self-sustaining, and we have our loyal customers to thank for that, some of which have been ordering for seven years and counting.

What are your expansion plans?

We have recently invested into expanding our facility in Dubai Investment Park and are also working on bringing several new food concepts to the UAE.

There is a major focus on marketing the new rebrand of JustCook, and this includes creating exciting and engaging media assets. We are in the process of designing and building our own photography and videography studio, which will allow us to create appealing content for our customers and potential consumers alike.

Where would you like to see the company in the next five years?

We expect to see continued growth of the business over the next five years as people become more and more familiar with the concept and the benefits it can bring to households, not just in terms of saving time, money, and effort, but also from an environmental angle, due to reductions in food wastage and unnecessary packaging.

Aside from that, the new food concepts that we are set to launch are not only new to the UAE, but also unseen anywhere in the world from what we can see. We expect these to prove very popular and potentially even outstrip JustCook in due course.

What is your vision for the company?

For Livefreshr and its brands to become the leading innovative food and beverage solutions company in the UAE within the next couple of years, with visions to expand in the regional market into countries like Saudi.