Waala is a company that works in the production, processing and sale of vegetarian food, also offering services such as catering for private and corporate events, meal plans and nutritional consultancy. It was created at a moment of personal reinvention in which its founder, Nádia Nunes, on beginning a dietary transition to vegetarianism and finding that there were few vegetarian options in the city of Maputo, decided to embrace the challenge of promoting initiatives for more conscious and healthy eating as well.
Waala's purposes are to promote a healthy way of eating, dispel misconceptions about vegetarianism, and teach and give tips on making use of food and other products in a creative and sustainable way. The dishes it prepares are varied, always treating creativity as a key factor. Its target audience ranges from vegetarians to people who want to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Waala has a team of 4: a chef-owner, responsible for managing the company, devising and executing the menus and creating the recipes; a manager in charge of accounting and logistics; a marketing team resulting from a partnership with the agency Balaia, jointly responsible for the image and design of the Waala brand and the management of its social media, and the delivery service, whose role is to deliver the products.
The biggest challenges Waala has faced are the lack of a physical space, the shortage of eco-friendly products and non-animal-based products, whether in terms of variety or price, and a lack of knowledge on the part of some customers who ask for animal-based products (meat, for example) to be included in the food it prepares. It is noticeable, however, that since the start of its activity, curiosity and interest among the non-vegetarian public in trying its dishes have been growing, as has the great satisfaction of the vegetarian community, which is constantly expanding.
For the future, Waala intends to become a reference brand in 100% Mozambican vegetarian food and to serve customers better. It also wishes to expand to other provinces so as to reach a greater number of people across the country and to develop awareness-raising and social responsibility projects for people and families in need. It also aims to establish partnerships with non-vegetarian establishments and restaurants, with a view to enriching those venues' menus with vegetarian options.
Waala, which currently has a virtual base, considers that the digital world plays a crucial role in promoting the company and the services it offers, since it is on social media that it advertises the meals and promotions on offer and shares other information.
