When Fiona and Manuel first launched Cuisine Box in 2020, they focused on selling specialist ingredients, such as sushi rice or Middle Eastern spices. A few months in, they collected several ingredients together to create a sushi making kit. It quickly became a bestseller.
Since then, they have developed a range of ‘Adventurous Cooking Kits’, centred on cuisines from across the world. “The pizza recipe is an Argentinian recipe and doesn’t require a pizza oven,” says Manuel, who grew up in Argentina.
For some meals, customers need to top up the kit themselves with a few fresh ingredients. “For the ravioli, which customers can make from scratch, they get a short list of things to buy on the day, such as eggs. They’ll have everything else they need in the box, including a ravioli stamp, which they can keep, and double zero flour, which is what you need to make traditional Italian ravioli,” says Fiona.
In addition to specialist ingredients and sometimes tools, Fiona and Manuel also provide customers with a hosting guide.
“The hosting guides are what transform the meal into an event,” says Fiona. “We introduce the dish’s heritage and include a timeline of what to do when and tips on setting the table and creating a great atmosphere.”
For some dishes, they include a Spotify playlist inspired by the cuisine, such as Spanish or Italian, which customers can access by scanning a QR code. They also make suggestions for drinks that go well with certain dishes.
24/7 UK customer support
“We’ve been with Starling from the beginning,” says Fiona. “It’s very easy and if I ever have an issue, Customer Service is very responsive.”
For accounting, she uses Xero, which she connected to the Cuisine Box business account through Starling’s Marketplace. This means that all transactions are automatically fed into Xero in real time. “It was super simple to set up and link to,” she says. “Starling is modern, efficient and educational.”
The time Fiona saves by using Starling helps her to move her business forward. “We’re excited to be working with businesses on corporate gifts and growing the number of people that subscribe to our online Supper Club. We also can’t wait to launch our new range of cocktail making kits.”
Charlotte Lorimer
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