Middle East meal delivery player Calo launches in UK, absorbs two local brands

Middle East meal delivery player Calo has launched in the UK and absorbed local prepared meal delivery brands Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen.

Calo delivered more than 10 million meals last year across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar.

The company said the UK “was the logical first market outside of MENA due to timezone alignment, shared language, and a strong cultural fit” with the Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen teams.

“The shared values made the partnership clear,” said Caspar Rose, general manager of Calo UK and former CEO of Fresh Fitness Food.

Detox Kitchen will be brought into Calo this month, with Fresh Fitness Food transitioned in May. Their customers will be “seamlessly transitioned to Calo on like-for-like plans, ensuring continuity and a better overall experience”.

In December, Calo raised $25m in Series B funding led by existing investors Nuwa Capital with participation from Khwarizmi Ventures and STV. It is understood the company plans to list in Saudi Arabia in the next few years.

While Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen “served specific niche audiences”, Rose told The Grocer, Calo is “positioned to serve a broader customer base, offering healthy, chef-made meals that are fully customisable, delivered daily, and designed to make healthy eating easy and accessible for everyone”.

“This isn’t just consolidation, it’s an evolution,” Rose added.

Customers can order meals from Calo for just one day or up to three months. Plans range from a simple working lunch (a main meal and a snack) to a full day of food, snacks, and drinks tailored to specific macronutrient needs.

Plans start from £11 per day, with the no-prep, ready-to-eat meals – of which there are 35 options per day – prepared in a single London kitchen, using Calo’s own drivers in London and DPD for national deliveries.

The company is exploring establishing its own nationwide fleet to replicate London’s fresh daily delivery model across the UK.

“The UK is a key market for us,” said Ahmed Alrawi, CEO and founder of Calo. “We started Calo to make healthy eating easy, personalised, and enjoyable. The integration of Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen strengthens our foundation in the UK with two highly respected brands whose values and customer-first approach align perfectly with Calo’s mission.”

Following the UK launch, the company plans to expand across Europe and the US.

“Calo is the Nike of food, a mission-led brand with solutions for a wide range of customer needs,” said Rose. “It’s takes the foundations built by Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen and supercharges them with advanced tech, broader personalisation, lower costs, and daily fresh delivery.”