US start-up SquarEat debuts whole food squares in “disruptive” meal subscription service

18 Aug 2021 --- US-based start-up SquarEat is poised to make healthy, natural eating more convenient and efficient with a subscription service that delivers whole foods in healthy, compact squares with naturally long shelf lives.

The burgeoning company says it “sees a clear possibility of disruption” with its highly efficient production chain that can deliver meals just once or twice a month, saving time and resources.

FoodIngredientsFirst speaks with Maria Laura Vacaflores, chief marketing officer and co-founder of SquarEat, on the company’s debut this September in Miami, targeting health-conscious, time-pressed consumers.  

“We have created around 30 different Squares, and our R&D never stops,” she explains. “Our product is 100 percent real food. The taste and consistency are like eating regular food. A Chicken Square is a chicken patty.”  

The company will first launch with 15 different Squares: chicken, beef, salmon, seabass, basmati rice, sweet potato, quinoa, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, vegan burger, chocolate pancake, hazelnut, peanut and pistachio.

Squares are made using whole food ingredients.Squaring up nutrients
Squares act as individual food elements that are mixed and matched into meals. Subscribers can choose to receive meal kits in either small or large sizes, amounting to four 50 g Squares or six 50 g Squares. Squares will also be available in the instant food delivery app.

“The app will be available from day one and will guide customers in every step, suggesting to them what they need to eat based on an algorithm,” details Vacaflores. 

The company works with chefs in Italy to develop culinary-inspired Square recipes. SquarEat’s CEO and several team members come from the Mediterranean country and now reside in the US, where the business model will first be deployed. 

Highly efficient production chain
SquarEat’s says the “secret” to its disruptive potential is in the company’s production chain and need for minimal staff, which could “generate margins never seen before in the industry.”

“Our production chain is simplified by the way we process fresh food,” explains Vacaflores.  

“As soon as we receive ingredients, we don’t store them and then process them like other meal plans do. We transform them into Squares right away, extending the product’s shelf life significantly without any additives.”

Since only one ingredient is handled at a time, it can be processed in one batch and stored as a square. This model allows the company to work on high volumes, improve the margins and keep the operations unconstrained.

“Let’s say that we produce our Asparagus Squares in a single day and assemble the entire meal at a later stage. This is a source of great efficiency,” she asserts. 

Squares are made of 100 percent real food and can be delivered once or twice a month.Controlling freshness with temperature
Among other steps in its natural preservation process, SquarEat uses thermal shock conservation that prevents nutrient loss and germ proliferation.

The technique uses special freezers that bring the temperature of the food from high temperatures to below -5 Fahrenheit degrees in about an hour. 

“This method is very expensive and not mandatory in the US, so not everybody uses it. We do it to keep a quality top standard,” she adds. 

Given the long shelf life, it means that Squares have a competitive edge over other prepared or fresh foods, affirms Vacaflores. 

“For this reason, we can deliver biweekly or even monthly with evident advantages versus our competitors’ need of daily deliveries for non-frozen products.”

Squares are mixed and matched to create nutrient-dense meals with a long shelf life.Bright future for square food
Having already raised US$350,000 from founders and angel investors, the start-up recently launched a campaign on the crowdfunding platform Wefunder to raise an additional US$700,000. 

The crowdfunding campaign aims to raise funds to develop a completely automatized production chain as well as a marketing campaign. This will result in optimized production while cutting costs significantly.

“It’s positive to see that the investors writing the larger checks have decided to invest after they tried the product. We have conducted several tasting sessions in both Italy and US and the feedback was unanimously positive.”

Next in food development, the company seeks to include more options, expanding its vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, as well as regular Squares. 

After the initial launch of the subscription and app service, SquarEat plans to expand through other channels. Vending machines in offices, universities and gyms, corners at events, airplane meals and eventually retailers’ shelves are all on the table. 

Inspired by a need for great food
The SquarEat concept was born out of a gap in the market identified by CEO Paolo Cadegiani. As a semi-professional athlete, he was juggling a busy lifestyle and need for eating healthy several times a day. 

After trying several ready-to-eat meal plans, he went back to cooking on his own meals, but struggled with the time it took to cook, pack, clean and store healthy food. 

In his quest, he spent two years working with chefs and nutritionists. In the end, he was able to “crack the code” with the creation of Squares. 

By Missy Green