The innovator next door
During the first lockdown, Yuru Guo saw social media pictures of the tempting meals people were creating in their kitchens. It inspired her to create an online marketplace for home-cooked food.
Yuru sees her platform, Hey! Food is Ready, as an opportunity for refugees, immigrants, stay-at-home parents, and retirees to generate an income while sharing their native cuisine. For customers, it offers the chance to enjoy homemade meals locally prepared by their neighbours. Deepening cross-cultural understanding is one of Yuru’s goals.
Alongside completing her Master’s in entrepreneurship, Yuru developed a prototype for the website and brought her co-founders together to turn it into a reality. The business is now working from Newcastle offices and recruiting its first home cooks from the city. That includes visiting NGOs in search of refugees or immigrants who would like to sell meals via the platform.
I cannot wait to grow together with my business