Taking it to the people
Though 2019 is being hailed the year of the vegan, for Mila Arena it was last year that things really took flight.
It was then that the Argentinian-born chef’s vegan food delivery service, V on Wheels, bloomed from a small Tauranga operation to one dispatching meals across the North Island.
“Even though veganism was born in the 50s, I feel 2017 was when people really started talking about it, 2018 was definitely the vegan-booming year. Slowly, restaurants and cafes started adding vegan meal options to their menus; veganism on social media became a strong trend; organisations like Veganuary or Meat-free Monday contributed massively, and everyday
Even though veganism was born in the 50s, I feel 2017 was the time people really started talking about it. Mila Arena
people and celebrities started joining the movement.”
Arena’s business started as a service for her friends in Tauranga; she would prepare meals in a tiny kitchen then drop them off. She has since hired a chef, and uses a food technologist, business adviser and couriers to send out up to 300 orders each week.
Arena offers different meal plans each week and says her clients include a wide range from families, busy mums, busy workers, midwives on the go, and people after a “detox” diet. Her next move will be into the South Island market.
“I read: ‘where millennials lead, businesses and governments will follow’, and that’s already a fact. Veganism was a minority until 2018.”
Social media plays a big part, she says. “Easy access to information about the animal industry and animal activism around the world have made veganism go mainstream. Nowadays, health organisations, doctors, documentaries about sustainability, environment specialists, are all recommending plantbased diets. I see myself as not just selling the product but selling the message.”