Interview with Floris Wolswijk, Founder and CEO of Queal

SPORT - INTERVIEW

by Mehmet Kaplan

We like to cook, we also like to eat together with our family or with our friends. But sometimes we can not even find time to make a sandwich. At that moment we need a meal that we can get our nutritional requirement and easy to prepare. This is where the Queal's mission begins. This Rotterdam-based company offers a fast and healthy solution to meet nutrition needs with the concept of 'complete meal'.

Would quick meals be the biggest competitor of traditional food in the future? Or is it only an easy solution to help us on fast moving days? In order to learn more about it, I talked to Floris Wolswijk, Founder and CEO of Queal.

How did you find Queal idea? What inspired you?

Queal (quick + meal) was created to solve a central dilemma of our current times. We have become increasingly aware of what terrible processed foods we're eating. Yet at the same time, we have less time available than ever before. Queal solves this by making a complete meal that you can make in a minute. Our shakes combine timeless products like oats and soy with modern mixing and flavoring technologies.

Our team was inspired by both the epidemic of problems our health faces, as well as the promise of new technology to solve these problems. We're at a crossroads and I believe that we can tip the scale towards a more healthy and sustainable future.

Queal

Let's start with Steady. What does 'Complete meal in a shake' mean? And what is it made of?

Each Steady is one-third of the food for a day. This could be a breakfast, lunch or even dinner. It's complete both in the large building blocks (carbs, protein, fats) and all essential vitamins and minerals. You can compare it with a home-made salad or a pasta with enough vegetables but then 100% more convenient.

Most people eat Steady for breakfast and lunch. And the ingredients are very familiar. Whole grain oats, whey protein, soy, maltodextrin, sunflower oil, and 27 vitamins & minerals. The one you may not know, maltodextrin, is a carbohydrate that comes from corn. They are all mixed into a powder (even the oil is micro-coated in) and one of 7 delicious flavors is added to make it complete.

Does it contain any prohibited performance-enhancing ingredients for athletes?

Queal is perfect for athletes. It's high in protein and doesn't contain ain prohibited ingredients. It's especially handy for athletes who have to eat 3000 calories or more per day. A shake is very easy to make and you can take it with you everywhere.

Where do you supply your ingredients from? How do you ensure the sustainability of quality?

All our large ingredients are sourced from different countries in Europe. Only an anti-oxidant and sweetener are actually sourced from the US. Because everything is from nearby countries we know exactly what is going on and we can achieve both sustainability in sourcing and transportation.

We actually have a whole page dedicated to sustainability: https://queal.com/sustainability

Queal

How many types of Steady do you offer? Do you have plans for new mixes?

We currently have our Standard version for sale in the US. This is our first entry and soon we will also sell our Vegan, Agile (fewer calories, same micronutrients) and Athletic (extra protein) variations in the US. We do ship all of the worldwide from our EU warehouse.

Currently, we're working on some top secret projects under the project name 'Ready' so I can't tell you much about that at the moment.

What can Queal offer us that other nutrition food brands have not?

Queal offers a convenient and healthy food option you almost can't find anywhere else. Many brands focus on one of both, but almost never both at the same time. Queal is also made to be a normal meal. Yes, it's more convenient, sustainable and tasty, but it's still a full meal. You can use it every day and make your life just a bit easier.

Queal

Could you talk more about the team behind your project?

Our interdisciplinary team spans from nutritionists to digital marketers. Because we're a relatively small company, everyone gets to have a say in most projects and innovation is a given. I'm especially proud that we've been able to reach tens of thousands of people in only a relatively small amount of time.

For example, if you would be able to find as much funding as you need, could Steady be a solution to the hunger problem in the world?

Yes and no. Yes, it could solve many problems because the production is relatively low-impact and very sustainable. But at the same time, there is some great work being done with reinforcing rice and other staple foods to make local foods in third world countries more healthy and resistant. I think a local solution there would even be more sustainable.

Queal

Social media is an indispensable part of our life. How do you use social media for marketing? Which one do you prefer?

We use social media to let our (future) customers know what we're up to. New and limited edition products are announced there and we don't shy away from asking feedback online.

One other thing we've done is ask our customers to join us on our own platform. We do this on a public forum and in a private dashboard where they can see their statistics, invite friends, and follow orders.

Queal

How can our readers buy Steady and your other foods? Do you offer international shipping option?

You can buy Queal directly from our website at https://queal.com . We ship all over the world and we also ship domestically in the US (https://us.queal.com)

What are the next steps and future plans for Queal?

We are currently working on two large projects. One is the 'Ready' product I can't tell much about yet. And we are continually developing the dashboard so that our customers can get more insights and better feedback.

With that, we hope that we will make a global impact and help people eat healthier and more sustainable without giving up convenience.

Thank you Floris.

For more information, please visit website of Queal