We all crave some good homemade food sometimes. Sadly enough, with our extremely busy schedules, and long working hours, we doubt anyone has time to pre-cook for the next day or cook after work. It’s a hassle, that’s why we resort to ordering food, it’s faster and easier. But it is still not quite the same as eating your mom’s machbuus.
But what if we tell you that you can now order some good homemade food? Yep, you read right. This Saudi startup solves it all for you.
Mathaqi is a food delivery service that is founded by Nouf Alsaleem, and launched in March 2017 in Saudi Arabia with the aim of providing homemade food services on the go while actively engaging and helping families market their food products and increase their income, thus lowering down the unemployment rate in Saudi. According to Nouf, Mathaqi is also the perfect platform to empower women as it grants them the opportunity to create a sustainable and independent lifestyle for themselves. Since its launch, the startup has attracted over 1500 subscribers with an estimate of 250 new users coming in every month.
How does Mathaqi help with unemployment? Well, the startup is basically a platform for chefs and home-based “foodprenuers” to market their meals. So let’s say you’re an amazing cook, but lack the funds to open a restaurant, this is where Mathaqi comes in, and helps you from pricing the product, marketing and packaging it and delivering it to your clients.
Nouf was inspired to launch Mathaqi after repeatedly reading about the challenges and difficulties faced by families, and especially women in Saudi Arabia. She felt that it was part of her social responsibility to create a solution and at the same time create job opportunities. “Many Saudi women make good delicious food but don’t know how to pack it for commercial use nor do they know how to price them. That’s where we come in: We guide these women and assist them in selling their food products and in turn increase their income,” Nouf told Startup MGZN.
To ensure and safeguard the quality of the food and services, Mathaqi carefully selects chefs with reputable portfolios and records. In addition, thorough medical tests and kitchen inspections are conducted to guarantee that they follow high standards of food quality and hygiene. Today there is more than 80 professional chefs that are listed on Mathaqi’s online platform.
Here’s how the app works: Once you download the app from Apple Store or Google Play, you fill out the necessary details such as name, contact number, and location. After ordering food from the daily menu, you can choose the time and place to get your food delivered.
With a minimum order of SR15, plus a SR5 delivery fee, the ordered meal will be brought to your doorstep. The menu offers a selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods that are packed under different temperature conditions in food-grade quality packaging materials at the kitchen under the strict supervision of the chef. Aside from that, Mathaqi also caters to parties on request.
Mathaqi also took part in Seedstar’s GCC competition that was held here in Bahrain back in September 2017. “ Seedstars GCC was an incredible experience for Saudi startups to grow and become more globally connected within a short amount of time,” she says. Nouf summarizes her Seedstars experience in three words: “Networks, Insights, and Challenges.”
Interested in knowing more about Mathaqi? Check out their website here and follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.