So you’re a busy young professional living in Toronto determined to try to save money and time on your weekly grocery bill but don’t know what to do? The meal-kit delivery biz has flourished with popular brands such as Chefs Plate, Hello Fresh, and Good Food popping up in kitchens across Canada.
I’ve chatted with friends in the city who all live busy lives, curious to find out what they thought about the services they’ve tested out at home. They raved about how meal-kit kit programs cut down on their grocery and cooking time, and dramatically increased the number of healthy meals they enjoyed throughout the week.
Truth be told I’ve never tried a meal-kit service because I actually enjoy grocery shopping and love cooking at home (recipe development is what I do!) But each September when TIFF takes over the city I find myself sleeping 5 hours a night and have zero time to grocery shop or prepare myself healthy meals. This year in an attempt to ensure I was eating well during the festival I signed up for Yumba, a unique meal delivery service that sets itself apart from the meal-kit companies you’re likely familiar with.
Yumba is a great meal delivery solution for those who don’t have time to grocery shop or cook, or simply have no skills in the kitchen. Yumba is also a perfect solution for those who are time crunched: whether you’re a student readying for a busy exam season, a manager diving into a week long conference or convention, or a film critic who has zero time to ponder what to eat between screenings.
Based on my two week experience testing out Yumba at TIFF, here are ten things you should know about Toronto’s trendiest meal delivery service:
- Yumba initially launched in January 2017 and its production facility is located north of downtown Toronto. Because Yumba is located outside of the city and doesn’t require an expensive storefront the company is able to pass on savings to its customers.
- Yumba currently delivers to downtown Toronto, Etobicoke, and North York.
- Each week Yumba users must select their dishes by Wednesday at midnight. This allows the culinary team to know exactly how many dishes they will be preparing in the kitchen that week. This helps Yumba significantly reduce food waste and save its customers money.
- Yumba has developed over 100 proprietary dishes. Check out the menu each week and you’ll see what recipes the culinary team are cooking up.
- For those who are busy throughout the week Yumba offers handy delivery windows (9am-12pm or 5pm-9pm) so you can ensure you’re home to receive your package.
- You can opt to have your delivery arrive once or twice a week to ensure your meals stay fresh (Monday or Thursday).
- One of the biggest complaints meal-kit users have with their services is regarding the amount of waste related to their orders (as each grocery item is individually wrapped to make prep at home easy). At Yumba each chef prepared meal is packaged in recyclable packaging, and arrives in an ice-packed freezer bag. Simply put your clean used containers and bags at your front door the following week and Yumba will pick them up when they deliver your next order.
- Click on each of Yumba’s menu items and you’ll find a detailed outline for each recipe: ingredients, allergens, as well as total protein, calories and carbs.
- Yumba’s weekly menus offer plenty of interesting options. In a given week there are typically vegetarians options, seafood, and meat (chicken, beef, and pork). You’ll also find a colourful collection of multicultural dishes including Jamaican Jerk Salmon, Italian Braised Beef Ragu, Thai Coconut Green Curry, and Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki.
- If you’re keen to test out Yumba use promo code DOBBERNATION20 to receive $20 off your first order.
