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.
IKU managing director, Russell Johnson, said the business had grown from a small shop in Glebe in 1985, to a national wholefood movement, with thousands of boxes delivered every week Australia-wide and 1000 new customers signing up each month.
Source: IKU
“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 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. The decision to use a direct-to-consumer business model has saved more than 43 hectares of forest, 782M litres of water and more than 1 million kg of CO².
“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 Johnson.
“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.”
Some dishes, including Spinach and Eggplant Lasagne, Caramelised Onion Tart, Creamy Coconut Laksa, Chickpea and Coriander Curry, Ayurvedic Pumpkin Curry, and Cacao Cocoa Sago Cup, still remain on the menu at IKU after 40 years of growth.
“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,” said Johnson.
“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.”
The company is now focusing on the next chapter with a pledge of being plastic-free by the end of 2026, aiming to work with its logistics provider to bring back a circular delivery system, allowing boxes and insulation to be reused over and over again.
“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 Johnson.
“All our packaging is 100 per cent 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 learn more about IKU and its offerings, head to eatiku.com.au.
