A Chinese recipe box start-up is set to launch a fundraising round to drive plans to expand into a bigger base and create jobs.
Joshy Jin, a Newcastle University graduate, founded WowzaBox during the pandemic to fill a gap in the market for customers who were keen to enjoy restaurant-standard food at home. Mr Jin, who was running a successful Chinese restaurant in Newcastle, spent two years refining his business plan, establishing the facilities and sourcing authentic ingredients, before launching the business in the autumn of 2022.
The company offers a chef-led, no-subscription recipe box service, in which customers select meal choices from WowzaBox’s online menu. The team of five staff prepare the ingredients, which are then packed and distributed across the UK.
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The menu is packed with more than 50 authentic Chinese recipes – many of which are region specific Chinese delicacies that are challenging to find elsewhere in the UK – including dishes such as Gong Bao Chicken, Lychee Prawns, Guizhou Hot and Sour Pork Stew, Sichuan Numbing and Spicy Beef, Hunan Pork Belly Stir-fry, Xinjiang Big Plate Chicken, and Dan Dan Noodles.
In its first year WowzaBox totted up turnover of more than £500,000 in income from its 2,000 sq ft kitchens in Team Valley, and also reached a milestone at the start of the year, having produced its 150,000th meal since it was established.
On the back of strong growth, Mr Jin will be launching a fundraising round, which he hopes will enable WowzaBox to move to larger premises and increase automation and headcount.
Mr Jin said: “The response we’ve had from customers has been amazing and we’re exceptionally proud to have hit such a significant milestone so early in the life of WowzaBox. I was confident that this would be a popular concept, and the level of sales is more than justifying our ambitions.
“Surveys show that Chinese is often the UK’s favourite takeaway; however, there is a lack of a branded premium offering in the fresh Chinese food category. Combined with the recipe box approach, which has become an established dining option for the British public, we are certainly filling that niche and are confident we can continue to grow at this pace.
“Although we are still early in start-up phase, we have our eyes firmly on scaling our operations and being able to ramp up production through investment in people, technology and premises. Christmas and New Year were extremely popular times and with Chinese New Year fast approaching we are confident we’ll be smashing new milestones.”
