(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Ravi Ayyalaraju immigrated to the U.S. from India in 1993.
With a background in computer and engineering, he said it was his grandmother who inspired him to pursue a more important mission.
"My grandmother was in her 90s. I was always worried about what she was eating. I noticed that she wasn't eating nutritious stuff. At that age, it wasn't about what you are eating, but if she's eating the right stuff."
"She'd sometimes forget to eat,” he added. “There’s a better way for all of us to eat well in an affordable way."
Ayyalaraju started Meal Village in 2016. It is a non-subscription-based comfort food meal delivery service in the Chicagoland suburbs.
"For families and seniors, there is an easier and affordable way to eat again and again and order it to meet our regular routines,” the CEO and founder said.
Within the last five years, Meal Village has grown to serve more than 100 zip codes. It has expanded into Chicago’s northern and western neighborhoods, serving Rogers Park south to Old Town and west to Logan Square.
"We have an online website where people can place and order. We also have a hotline for seniors who don't have access to technology. Once we place the order, our local cooks use fresh ingredients on a daily basis. Our menu changes daily.”
The meals are prepared in Meal Village’s kitchen in Lisle, and delivery drivers get the food to customers.
Ayyalaraju estimates they delivered 100,000 meals just last year.
This summer, the company will launch an Indian brand, with two health and fitness focused brands to follow by the end of the year.
"Right now, we focus on comfort food. I'm from India, I wanted Indian food, so we are going to launch Indian cuisine and then focus on healthy meals, like Gluten-free, heart-healthy, low sodium. We hope to launch that my October. Keto and Low Carb meals will launch in January.”
Ayyalaraju says his vision is to become America's alternative to home cooking, with meals under $10 delivered to customers’ doors.
"My mission is to make healthy meals affordable,” he said.
Ordering is available up to five days in advance, or same-day orders made by noon. They can be placed online, through the Meal Village app or over the phone.
Customers have the option to choose from two delivery windows between 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday to homes or offices.
For more information on delivery areas and ordering, visit https://www.mealvillage.com/ or call 1 888-610-2232.
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