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Click your way to health

We all want to eat and live as healthily as possible…but it can often be complicated and time-consuming to source chemical-and-hormone-free fresh produce and meat. Ballito business owner Michelle McNamara’s curated grocery shopping app makes ordering healthy food and household products quick and easy – and they are delivered directly to your doorstep.

While you may enjoy perusing the farmer’s market, filling your fridge with the best, locally-sourced hormone-free meat and organic produce, the reality is that most of us simply don’t have the time to shop this way all the time. Or do we?

Brettenwood couple Michelle and John McNamara have brought an exciting new shopping app and click-and-collect store called Hupu to the North Coast – and now locals can enjoy the convenience of having healthy, straight-from-the-farm food and chemical-free products delivered to their homes.

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The app itself has been in operation for a year and Michelle says she’s been ordering her groceries this way for a long time. She first discovered it after she fell ill (from stress and an unhealthy lifestyle) and was looking for a healthier way of eating.

“I’ve been in sales my whole life. But a few years ago, I decided it was time to take a breather from the corporate world. I wasn’t eating or sleeping properly and became increasing ill, suffering from severe psoriasis. My husband urged me to stop working.”

It was her illness, Michelle says, that was a catalyst for her to change the way she lived her life. “I received treatment from a reflexologist who healed me naturally. I changed my lifestyle and lost 12kg in two months using a natural weight loss product.” Inspired by the changes in her own life, Michelle started a company called Health Life, helping others lose weight the natural way. “Through my journey I realised how much of an impact the type of food we eat has on our health. As soon as I returned to eating badly, I would flare up and fall ill again.”

When John heard about Hupu from a friend, he started placing the odd order and Michelle says soon she found herself unable to buy meat from regular grocery stores. “The idea behind Hupu is that they source artisan food and produce directly from the farms, which means everything is fresh and hormone and chemical free.”

When the couple moved to the North Coast at the end of last year, they decided to start their own Hupu franchise from their home in Brettenwood Estate. With John having been in advertising his whole life and Michelle in sales, the couple have a wealth of experience in terms of customer service and quality. “We just loved the concept and local farmers were so excited to get on board. Big retailers often squeeze them for every cent and then put huge mark ups in place so both the customer and the farmers suffer. Hupu isn’t about making huge money. We want to connect the local farmers and producers with the community.

When you do a grocery shop on Hupu you can pretty much order everything you need (apart from fruit, which Michelle says is very seasonal and often hard to source). The concept is simple: you load the app onto your phone (or order online), pick your area for delivery (free for Brettenwood and Simbithi residents and R35 per delivery elsewhere) and start ordering. Orders need to be placed by Monday for the Friday delivery and you can browse everything from artisan bread and cheese to farm fresh dairy, veggies, meat and chicken. They also have a wide selection of curated kitchen and pantry staples like jams and condiments, dried fruit and nuts, baked goods, artisan ice cream and even locally grown fresh flowers and eco-friendly cleaning products!

Although they only started operating on the North Coast in January, Michelle says business is already going very well, so much so that they now have their own ‘click-and-collect’ store in the Simbithi Office Park. “You can order on the app and then collect your order a few days later. We also have a range of health and gifting products in store to browse through.” Details: www.hupu.co.za / 084 501 8230 (or download the app onto your phone).

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