Having access to healthy food is not always easy. With that in mind, Saladorama was created in Rio de Janeiro, a delivery company that delivers salads. We spoke with one of the partners, Hamilton Henrique, who told us how this business came about and how it has already reached a large proportion in just one year of work. Check out the interview:
Me Without Borders – What is Saladorama?
Hamilton Henrique - Saladorama is a social business whose mission is to democratize healthy eating in Spain, empowering the base of the chain, as we observe that today healthy eating is the privilege of some, but we believe that it is the right of all.
ESF – How was it conceived and by whom?
Hamilton Henrique - I got the idea after starting to work in a class A place and realizing that the rich opted for healthy eating, because they understood the benefits. I noticed that there were no options in São Gonçalo (where I live).
After I saw that many people close to me were getting sick due to problems related to the bad habit of eating poorly, I saw that I could do something for the neighborhood and, consequently, for the world.
ESF – The purpose of Saladorama is to universalize access to healthier food. Have you managed to achieve this?
Hamilton Henrique - Yes, and much more than that, we are managing to employ people, turn them into entrepreneurs, change eating habits and help in the prevention and treatment of diseases. Today, we are more than 160 thousand people impacted.
ESF – Saladorama is already in several cities. How did this happen in just one year with the company?
Hamilton Henrique - we managed to create a very particular model, in which we believe in the empowerment of people, this made the process of things much easier. Today, we are in 9 states and by the end of the year we hope to become the largest delivery service in España, being the largest social business focused on the democratization of food in the world.
ESF – How is this work within the communities? Is it well accepted?
Hamilton Henrique - We realized along the way that the barrier was created by ourselves. Those who do not live in a community imagine that those who live only eat beans and flour because they believe that everyone is a bricklayer and needs sustenance. What we observed is that this preconception was destroying people's health. After we presented a healthy option for everyday life and showed the reason for each item, the reason for eating broccoli, we saw that acceptance was much greater.
We realize that communities (from the concept of living with unity) react in different ways. Class A and B communities are educated to have good food, however, in this transition from leaving home, having their own money, etc. to the right path, that of food balance.
Class C, D and E communities, on the other hand, do not have this “food education”. They are encouraged to eat as a child, but not taught about the benefits of food and this causes greater difficulty in the food transition, as they begin to understand that what is good is bad and what is bad is good .
Once you understand this, it becomes easier to work with groups.
ESF – The foods you sell are organic salads. To date, how many people have been served?
Hamilton Henrique - Yes, and we have partners that make this possible, such as Clube Orgânico, which is an amazing business that supports local agriculture, receiving organic products on demand directly from producers, among other farmers who work with us.
Today, we have already reached a total of 160 people impacted.
ESF – What is the biggest difficulty encountered so far?
Hamilton Henrique - Our biggest difficulty is working on these transitions, it is something that we are renewing ourselves every day, because we want to change the world by helping people to eat better.
We don't focus on being the biggest salad company on the planet, that's cool, because it greatly increases our impact, but our focus this year is on impacting more than 1 million people and, for that, we need to be constantly evolving to keep up with these transitions.
ESF – What is it like to be part of a job that provides more health for people?
Hamilton Henrique - Wow, it's wonderful to see people eating, absorbing education and improving their lives, whether it's a job or becoming a franchisee, it really transforms and gives strength to keep going and achieve even greater things. When I see that a person who has been impacted not by me directly, but by the life of another person who is not even part of the company (directly), it makes my eyes water.
ESF - Leave a message
Hamilton Henrique - My message is directed to those who want to open a company: go and do it! We are expecting and needing transformers and makers of a better country.
Service
Website: https://saladorama.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saladorama
Interview conducted by Angelica Weise from the Eu Sem Fronteiras team.
