It can be hard to find the balance in life, whether you’re juggling career with family, or just trying to stay healthy whilst still enjoying food.
Here at Society, we love indulgence. The more decadent the better as far as we’re concerned, but we also love clever ideas.
Step forward the dream team at FitFat Deli, which was founded by two sisters in search of sweet treats with a difference.
Whatever you’re craving, Maryori and Eli Jardim probably have the answer, all boxed up and ready to go.
The enterprising pair decided to launch their own business, selling a range of healthy and not so healthy dishes.
From savoury donuts to miniature cheesecakes and blondies, there’s even tasty breakfast boxes complete with oat pancakes.
Both Maryori and Eli juggle running the business with caring for their young families, and also have nine till five jobs.
Baking can sometimes go on late into the night, and their passion is clear to see.
We caught up with Maryori and found out what the secret is to running a quirky deli, and why she’s determined that her dream of opening a coffee shop will one day become a reality.
How did FitFat Deli start?
So we haven’t been running for very long, I think we launched around Father’s Day in 2020, so right in the middle of the pandemic. Neither of us had done anything like this before, we’re from Venezuela originally.
I have a degree in molecular biology, and I started studying nutrition on a night course when I was pregnant with my first child.
Eli is a hairdresser, but she has always loved baking. We juggle the business with our day jobs, as I also work at a fast food chain at Union Square.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
Lots of reasons. Our mum always worked in bakery shops, and she loves to make bread and cakes as well.
That was an influence, and we’ve adapted a lot of Venezuelan recipes. So that was a big part of it.
So what was the vision with FitFat Deli?
I think I wanted to show people that you can eat healthy food and it can still taste really good. Just because something might be a little lower in calories, that doesn’t mean it can’t taste amazing. People are really surprised to learn that what they’re eating is in fact a healthy option.
I didn’t decide on the Fit part of the title purely based on calories though. It’s because we use quality ingredients such as almond flour, that’s what makes the difference.
Talk me through what you offer
We’ve tried all sorts of things since launching. Our Father’s Day breakfast trays were very popular. It included donuts, cheesecakes and savoury butteries.
That did really well, as do our breakfast trays. We’ve trialled so many different ideas, like mini banana pancakes which you can keep in the fridge. They’re ideal for when the kids come home from school and you want to give them a snack.
Then there’s our cheesecakes, with healthy and not so healthy options.
We do so many different flavours, ranging from kinder bueno to cookies and cream.
We did some boxes for The Key in order to get our name out there and as a result we got more well known. We were really grateful for that opportunity.
What’s the secret to your cheesecakes? They look mouth-watering.
I love experimenting in the kitchen. We use soft cheese, Philadelphia, and sugar. Plus they are always made fresh.
Our brownies and donuts are popular. We have a new recipe for our almond brownie which is dairy free. We make them using almond flour and maple syrup instead of sugar. Our chocolate is around 80% coco.
The savour donuts were all Eli’s idea. It’s a normal donut base, filled with cheese and then cheese on top. Maybe a sprinkle of bacon, customers seem to really love them.
Our healthy pancakes always do well.
What made you want to offer healthy options?
Everyone loves choosing sweet options for a snack, but imagine if you did that every day?
I just love baking, and I think ultimately it’s because I’m a parent now. Both myself and Eli have children, and it’s about wanting to make the absolute best food that you can for them from your own kitchen.
Where are you based?
So as the business is still quite new, we make everything fresh in my kitchen at home and then do deliveries in Aberdeen city.
It’s hard to juggle everything, Eli works as well and has two kids. I don’t know how she does it.
I think it just makes me more determined to make the business work though, as it’s hard to get a job with my degree because I didn’t study here.
My husband is a graphic designer and helped build our website. One day I want to open a coffee shop, that’s what I’m working towards, where people can order fit or fat options.
Have there been any challenges?
I think just trying to balance everything. Sometimes we can be in the kitchen baking at 2am, but we make it work.
Also getting our name out there. In Venezuela, Instagram is more popular but here it seems to be Facebook. So we have adapted to that.
Is social media important to your business?
Massively, we get ideas and inspiration from social media. People order from our Facebook and Instagram page.
We do delivery in the city, but we are also able to reach people further afield. You can subscribe to our fit boxes, which we send in the mail.
People are starting to get know more about us thanks to our Instagram and Facebook pages, it helps spread the word.
We’re excited to see what this year has in store for us.
You can find Fitfat deli on Instagram and Facebook @fitfatdeli_aberdeen
