The Beginning

WASO was started when I was 28 years old in 2015. Originally working at J.P. Morgan in Tokyo, I resigned to pursue my dream of expanding globally with a business rooted in Japanese culture. I moved to London on a working holiday visa in April 2014, switched to an entrepreneur visa in September, and by March 2015, I launched WASO with my co-founder Gen, a secondary school classmate.

Our initial business model aimed to deliver lunch to London offices with "no minimum order, no delivery fee," by optimising delivery routes to minimise costs.

Early Days

For the first three months, I personally cooked dishes and delivered them from a kitchen in Camberwell to offices in the city of London. About six months after starting the business, we moved to a warehouse in Old Street. However, we couldn't afford an office, so we bought the cheapest water at a café and worked there. Every morning, I distributed leaflets myself at stations like Bank. In 2018, we were featured on TV Tokyo's "Future Century Zipangu" and won a contract with Japan House London.

By summer 2018, as funds ran out, investors helped us, but we faced financial difficulties again by autumn 2019. However, we still had to pay the rent for the kitchen and my home. Starting the next week, I decided to operate with one staff about 2 to 3 times a week while considering our future course of action. I personally prepared the main dishes, packed everything with just the two of us, and delivered to the city using a trolley on my own. Delivering across the city by myself was time-consuming, and I was constantly running at full speed with the trolley to make the deliveries.

Second Founding and COVID-19 Pivot

We restarted from scratch, and with the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, we decided to pivot to a frozen meal home delivery model. On 20th March, we launched the frozen meal delivery service, and by 23rd March, as lockdown began, home delivery orders surged, allowing us to survive.

We have continuously improved our service, now delivering everyday across the UK, including various products with free shipping and full theft coverage.

WASO's Vision

When we pivoted to frozen meal delivery during COVID-19, we realised something deeper: it is not easy for anyone to enjoy the foods of their homeland. This is the true challenge we aim to solve. Our vision is to build a platform where people can access those tastes wherever they are in the world. We will continue expanding the range of products we offer at accessible prices, so that everyone can reconnect with the flavours that matter to them. Please continue to support WASO as we move closer to this vision.

Lastly, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported us thus far. We believe it is now our turn to give back to you all. Through WASO, we hope to bring you flavours that lift your spirits during tough times and give you comfort when you need encouragement.

Founder & CEO Toshihiro Yoshimura