Changing the World One Bite At a Time: IKU Turns 40
One of Australia’s first plant-based, chef-led eateries and now ready meal provider IKU is celebrating its 40 year anniversary with the business experiencing record growth since switching to an e-commerce model.
“What started as a small shop in Glebe in 1985 has grown into a national wholefood movement with thousands of boxes delivered every week Australia-wide and 1000 new customers signing up each month,” said IKU Managing Director Russell Johnson.
“IKU was founded on the belief real plant-based food could transform the way people feel and 40 years later that’s still the feedback we’re getting from customers,” said Mr Johnson.
The company has gone through a major transformation in recent years, pivoting to an all e-commerce model to deliver fresh ready-meals to customers across Australia.”
“We found ourselves in the unique position where the strong customer base and loyalty established from our physical stores proved instrumental in ensuring our successful transition into the digital business model,” said Mr Johnson.
With the ready-meal industry flooded with web first brands, IKU stands out.
“Part of our strength has been being able to harness 35 years of customer knowledge to adapt our recipes into a ready meal format that we knew people would love,” he said.
Some dishes still remain on the menu at IKU after 40 years -
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Spinach and eggplant lasagne
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Caramelised Onion Tart
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Creamy Coconut Laksa
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Chickpea and Coriander Curry
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Ayurvedic Pumpkin Curry
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Cacao Cocoa Sago Cup
“I think these recipes have stood the test of time because they were originally ahead of the curve. There has been so much scientific and medical research into the role foods play in gut health and IKU has been a pioneer in this type of eating for a long time.”
“We’re seeing more Australians move away from processed food and factory farmed meats to embrace a flexitarian wholefood diet which IKU can support them in by offering convenience and saving time in meal prep.”
IKU was born from a genuine passion for sourcing and eating food in a way that rewards your body and also protects the planet for future generations.
Since switching to a direct to consumer e-commerce model IKU has saved more than 43 hectares of forest, 782M litres of water and more than 1 million kg of CO².
“We have a lot to celebrate from the past four decades with IKU encouraging Australians to embrace the power of real food, championing food education and sustainable farming for future generations and leading the charge on reducing food waste,” said Mr Johnson.
“Our goal is to work with our logistics provider to eventually bring back a circular delivery system, a bit like the old milkman run, allowing boxes and insulation to be reused over and over again,” said Mr Johnson.
The company is now focusing on the next chapter with a pledge of being plastic-free by the end of 2026.
“In a world full of plastic ready meal trays we’ve spent a lot of time and research ensuring we have minimal waste, continuing our sustainability mission” said Mr Johnson.
“All our packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable with our meal trays made from a byproduct of the sugarcane industry.”
“A big part of our success is staying true to our original mission to make real plant based food more accessible. We’re proud of the journey so far and excited for the future.”
To celebrate the milestone IKU has some special birthday surprises planned for customers including a limited edition Birthday Box of their most popular meals and some special limited edition birthday treats added to the menu.
About IKU
IKU believes that what we eat can change how we live, so why not live well? Every IKU meal is carefully nutritionally balanced to look after the wellbeing of your body, brain and taste buds. No additives, no preservatives, just real plant based wholefood for better living, now delivered directly to your doorstep with the click of a button. IKU offers more than 50 meal options including breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, treats and juices https://eatiku.com.au/
