An apple a day will the keep doctor at bay is the old saying, and who are we to argue when it comes to healthy advice. So delete McDonald’s delivery from your speed dial and add Fruitful (a new fruit box delivery company) to your phone book to ensure you get your five a day. #EWGetsFit
What Is It?
Fruitful Day, is a genius, new healthy concept for Dubai where fast food can be delivered to your doorstep. Founded by a group of friends, it delivers delicious fresh fruit directly to your workplace. Their aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of employees. “Research shows that making the right choice in the office boosts productivity, performance, improves wellbeing and helps companies to improve their bottom lines… A healthier office also reduces the amount of absenteeism,” says a spokesperson.
How It Works
The fruit is delivered packaged in a neat, chilled box and packaged in biodegradable bags (nice touch). All the fruit comes washed and sliced (the larger fruit like melon and mango) and ready to eat. Eating healthy couldn’t be more easy.
What makes it more interesting is that Fruitful Day has established relationships with local and regional suppliers, Yael Mejia, the founder of Baker and Spice, acts as and advisor and helps select the“in-season, in-region fruit”. This unique approach means they fruit will be tastier and at its nutritional peak.
Marie-Christine Luijckx, Managing Director of Fruitful Day, says: “Fruit has been growing in the Middle East for hundreds of years, but with modern agricultural methods and geopolitical issues, local farmers are often overshadowed by much larger exporters who supply in bulk to supermarket conglomerates.”
Yael Mejia, adds: “We source our fruit from across the region, choosing the best of what each country has to offer. The region has a rich history of fruit that many people don’t have the opportunity to experience and enjoy.”
Verdict?
You have never seen Team EW getting so exciting over a box, you would have thought it was Tiffany & Co. The boxes come jam-packed with succulent fruit from apples to bananas, the juiciest of cherries and blueberries, grapefruit, mango, melon, peaches and plums.
On busy days it’s all too easy to reach for our sweet jars (yes, we have them in the office – just ask our dentists) but having the box on hand was a delightful, healthy treat and it’s so affordable too.
Details
The fruit boxes are available on a subscription basis in two sizes, small and large, and in two types, staples and discovery. They deliver Sunday-Thursday throughout Dubai.
Sample boxes start from Dhs95 per day (for 25 servings of fruit) and includes all of the old favourites – bananas, apples and citrus fruit – with one surprise seasonal fruit thrown in.
Discovery boxes start from Dhs125 per day (for 25 servings of fruit) and is full of surprises – you never know what you’re going to get. Each week the team at Fruitful Day curate a different box of fresh fruit, in season and nurtured lovingly by farmers in the region.
Want to get down on the fruity action, visit here.
Regional Fruit Facts:
• UAE – Abu Dhabi farmers produced over 38,800 tonnes of quality produce during the 2014-2015 farming season. These included strawberries and watermelons. The UAE, with KSA, is the date capital of the world.
• KSA – A wide range of fruit is grown in Saudi Arabia such as watermelon, nectarines and white grapes. The nectarine comes from a deciduous tree, which needs to experience a certain number of hours at a low temperature in order to flower. The desert has a peculiarity where it produces very low temperatures in the Winter, so allowing nectarines, apricots and peaches to thrive in KSA.
• Lebanon – A country known for its fertile land and landscaped terraces. It produces delicious oranges, apricots, peaches, plums and apples, to name a few.
• Iran – The country ranks first in fruit production in the Middle East and North Africa. Iran produces Persian walnut, melon, tangerine, citrus fruits, Kiwifruit, dates, cherries, pomegranates, peach, oranges and raisins.
• Ethiopia – Agriculture in Ethiopia is the foundation of the country’s economy, and it produces delicious avocados.
• Turkey – Fertile soil, access to sufficient water, a suitable climate, and hard-working farmers, all make for a successful agricultural sector. Turkey produces grapes, citrus fruit, melons, and pears.
• Afghanistan produces a variety of fruits, notably grapes, pomegranates, apricots, berries and plums, which have traditionally been Afghanistan’s main food exports.
• India – Mango season is April – June.
