About

We are a family of friends based in Dubai who came together with a common passion for doing our part to improve health and well-being in the UAE. We have slaved away in offices and we understand how difficult it can be to make healthy choices when time is limited and the candy machine is the only thing in sight.

One afternoon we were talking to Yael Meijia, who until recently ran Baker & Spice in the Middle East. Yael worked in the Middle East for 7 years and has a vast body of knowledge about the region, its product and how to access the best produce that the region has to offer. She has probably forgotten more about fruit than most people will ever learn in a lifetime!

We realised that we are situated in a unique part of the world with a rich history of fruit that many people don’t have the opportunity to experience and enjoy. Fruit has been growing in the Middle East forever, but with modern agricultural methods and geopolitical issues, local farmers are often overshadowed by much larger exporters who supply in bulk to supermarket conglomerates. Hence Fruitful Day was born – with a mission to bring fresh fruit to workplaces and homes in the UAE.

Inspired by our collective vision, Managing Partner, Marie-Christine (MC) Luijckx left the world of finance in 2014 to commit her time to our new venture. Having spent 8 years working long hours in the DIFC, she is excited to launch a company aimed at improving health and happiness in the workplace. MC spent her childhood in the Netherlands, often on her grandfather’s farm, where he grew strawberries. Not surprisingly, that is her favourite fruit.

MC is joined by Lyla Dalal-Rawi who has a background in business development. Lyla is responsible for our corporate clients and spreading the gift of healthy eating to employees and workplaces throughout the Emirates. Lyla is a foodie at heart and is never happier than when she is feeding others. Lyla grew up in the UK and with her Indian heritage, she is never more excited than when Spring signals the start of the delicious Alphonso mango season. Lyla is committed to ensuring that we are consistently curating the freshest, best tasting fruit and is passionate in her belief that eating fruit in-season is vitally important.

We are passionate about creating a business focused on sustainability and to ensure that we have some fun along the way. We thought a lot about the details of the business and how we can make a difference through our choices. We use recycled materials for our packaging. Our fruit is sourced in the region, with the exception of limited fruit where we feel you’ll get a better tasting product from importing from further abroad (blueberries being one exception!).

Any excess fruit left over at the end of the week is donated to labourers in DIP. We’re really excited to get UAE ready to #RebootWithFruit.