Life in lockdown: Ready meal sales double as Aussies are ‘sick of cooking’

Aussies are already “sick” of making dinner every night, turning to a home delivery service that has seen sales double in lockdown.

The novelty of lockdown is beginning to wear off, with Australians turning to ready meals because they are “sick of cooking” in isolation.

Thr1ve, a food subscription service that delivers freshly prepared meals direct to your door, has seen a huge surge in demand in recent weeks.

While supermarkets are now reporting demand for groceries had begun to normalise, Thr1ve’s business has continued to soar.

“The volumes have been sustained and we think that online ready meals will now become permanently embedded in the Aussie repertoire,” owner Luke Baylis told news.com.au.

“A lot of customers are now getting sick of cooking every day, washing up and also putting on extra weight while stuck in isolation. This is why it is such a great option to break that routine.”

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Sales of Thr1ve’s healthy ready-meals have more than doubled in recent weeks. Picture: Supplied

The brand, which was created in 2016 to provide a healthy way of eating without compromising taste, was acquired by Mr Baylis in December 2018. Meals cost between $7.95 and 15.95 per dish and can be kept in the fridge or stored in the freezer to last longer.

“Many of our dishes are formulated to meet our high protein and low carb protocol. We have also now introduced many plant-based dishes to provide more variety to those eating less meat,” the 43-year-old said, adding the most popular dish was Beef Zoodles which he describes as “healthy comfort food”.

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Owner Luke Baylis said Aussies are becoming ‘sick of cooking’ during isolation. Picture: Supplied

While the brand is also stocked in Woolworths and IGA supermarkets, it is the no contact delivery to over 4000 postcodes on the Australian east coast that has boomed.

“People now want the safety and peace of mind knowing their food being cooked in high care kitchen,” the 43-year-old said. “Thr1ve is in a very fortunate position to be able meet these changing needs.”

The brand announced an additional service this week, the ‘Healthy Essentials Box’ which costs $149,95 and consists of big batches of ready-made meals, hearty soups as well as a selection of fresh, seasonal produce.

Meals start at $8 and are delivered fresh to your door. Picture: Supplied

“This has come from listening to our customers and trying to find a solution to their problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Baylis said.

“People have been telling us they have been gaining excessive amounts of weight during the imposed government restrictions and many families are sick of cooking and cleaning up all day every day.

“This eliminates a lot of this problem in an affordable and convenient manner.”

Another factor Mr Baylis said has led new customers to them is concern over buying foods that have been touched by the general public – however official advice from The Produce Marketing Association Australia-New Zealand has stated it is safe to shop in supermarkets.

Eighteen months ago, when Thr1ve was acquired by Mr Baylis who is the creator of SumoSalads, the business made the decision to shut down its stores and focus on online home deliveries.

“At the time these channels were only a small portion of the businesses income however it has proven to be a good decision and has been a saviour for our business,” he said.

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