Meet the Founder: Mr Lee’s, most cancers survivor and creator of one-of-a-kind wholesome on the spot noodles

At any given time, the Seedrs platform is house to quite a lot of inspiring entrepreneur tales, throughout each sector from finance to meals and beverage – and Damien Lee’s journey in creating Mr Lee’s Noodles is strictly that.

We sat down with Damien to learn how his game-changing fast noodles recipe is remodeling a beloved family staple for the higher.

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What’s Mr Lee’s mission, in your individual phrases?

Mr Lee’s Pure Meals are all about bettering wholesome meals selections globally, for time-pressed individuals and meal events. In brief, we consider that everybody has the appropriate to fast, trustworthy and attractive meals.

Our mission is to disrupt on-the-go meals with our award-winning on the spot noodle vary, new Congee rice porridge and enlargement of our food-tech innovation.

What was the inspiration behind the enterprise?

A couple of years again I used to be identified with late stage 4 most cancers and my prognosis was simply weeks. Naturally, I used to be devastated, however I knew I needed to act to battle it; in the beginning as a single father, I wished to make sure I used to be round for a very long time formy two younger sons. Being a agency believer in ‘you’re what you eat’ I instantly took all of the nasties out of my weight loss plan. It was throughout this time I discovered I couldn’t have my favorite snack of on the spot noodles anymore as a result of they had been so filled with salt, sugars, Es and synthetic preservatives. I made a pact with myself then that as quickly as I acquired higher, I’d create noodles that didn’t have nasties in. This led to the creation of Mr Lee’s Noodles!

What differentiates you from different gamers out there?

Mr Lee’s use solely the best freeze-dried substances, actual beef, beneficiant chunks of 100% hen breast, actual broccoli florets, actual cauliflower – you identify it. The noodles and their six various flavours are uniquely crafted from genuine Asian recipes, those who I grew up with as a child again house in Australia. They’ve recreated precisely my imaginative and prescient – superb tasting noodles with completely no nasties! 

This freeze-drying course of is modern and disruptive for the comfort meals business, drastically altering the standard of meals on-the-go. Our opponents restrict as compared, as they primarily use dehydrated substances which pulls many of the vitamins out and fills them with junk, they usually use flavourings that create one over-saturated style, which means each chunk is just like the final. Mr Lee’s presents a totally totally different expertise!

How did your earlier profession expertise put together you for this?

With all the companies I’ve ever constructed, they’ve been in industries I’d no expertise inside, this enables me to steer with a contemporary new perspective, carving new routes to market by industries that will not have modified for a few years.

How will the proceeds from this spherical assist the enterprise develop?

Our manufacturers & food-to-go propositions will develop additional in Europe and Asia-Pacific, concurrently launching nationwide within the USA in 2020. 

Throughout three continents our enterprise is scaling-up with new meals and companions becoming a member of our present vary & customer-base. We’re looking for capital to gas our Might 2020 USA launch, and speed up different present enterprise.

How has your model technique/id advanced over time?

Since this initiative started, Mr Lee’s has created vital advantages to each our prospects and staff. Our promise to supply fast, trustworthy and attractive meals for all has taken form on account of a quick path to market, notably in export, impressing each stakeholders and prospects. Our sturdy advertising and marketing technique has positioned suitably healthful, allergen-considerate, handy merchandise in entrance of a number of influencers, and the enterprise has seen elevated engagement from lively communities, together with; coeliacs, diabetics, vegans, individuals making an attempt to drop some pounds, busy mother and father, college students, professionals and extra.

With a major hole to fill within the on the spot noodles sector, Mr Lee’s has prompted a shift in pondering from the as soon as ‘nasty noodles’ mindset, to offering merchandise extra respected and trustworthy about their substances, and in addition introducing merchandising machines which uniquely provide scorching and wholesome choices in distinction to the usual fashions individuals are used to. 

What are the important thing values and expertise you search for in members of your core workforce?

Get the individuals round you which are higher than you at sure expertise. If you’ve acquired individuals with these expertise sharing your imaginative and prescient,then you’re in the appropriate place.

The enterprise has benefitted by higher retention on account of a high-degree of ardour for the model shared by the workforce (which is among the important necessities to work at Mr Lee’s), the businesses international outreach resulting in enterprise journey alternatives and cultural endeavors to encourage the workforce and nurture international enterprise pondering. 

What’s essentially the most precious piece of recommendation you can provide?

The recommendation I’d give to budding entrepreneurs or start-up house owners is to not be held again by the norms of your business, and definitely don’t be deterred by not having expertise. The whole lot may be learnt on the job and being new to the business isn’t essentially at your detriment. Use your creativity to innovate the market and don’t comply with the identical path that different entrepreneurs have taken. The giants of the market which are caught following the identical previous methods and creating the identical previous merchandise can’t sustain with the ever-changing calls for of the patron in the intervening time, so it is a nice time for start-ups to get forward of the sport. Get in there, take your individual path and get the job carried out.

In gentle of the Covid-19 disaster, Mr Lee’s is providing free supply and 20% off for all UK orders right here to assist with the present disaster. 

To search out out extra, go to Mr Lee’s pitch.

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Michaela Salomon

Marketing campaign Help Crew