2024 is shaping up as a year for ambitious new projects and bold changes. A prominent creator announced a personal pivot: to drive transformation, a healthier diet would be essential, and the move led to the launch of a new company. The revelation came as the figure known to millions began unveiling a major stake in a fast food brand now recognized as Knoweats. This story follows the evolution of Knoweats from its inception to its current market positioning in the ready-made meal sector.
Knoweats traces its roots to 2019, when it emerged as a one-person venture under the Alicante family business tradition. Historically guided by two brothers, Vicente and José Enrique Saval Mendoza, Mendoza Catering initially focused on school cafeteria services and gradually expanded into a broader range of gastronomy offerings. The business added buffets, private-home dinners, and events such as baptisms, communions, and weddings, eventually venturing into home delivery. As observed by industry commentator Joaquín Domínguez, known to fans as El Xokas, the team possessed substantial experience but operated at a modest scale, delivering roughly a thousand plates weekly in the early days — a scale well below larger competitors.
The ready-made meal sector, characterized by home-delivered meals or weekly menus tailored to customer requests, has long accumulated practical know-how. A smaller competitor, Wetaca, had built significant momentum and continued to expand, even as Knoweats aimed to grow. El Xokas notes that Knoweats has not yet matched Wetaca’s trajectory, though its performance remains respectable in a crowded market.
Knoweats’s growth trajectory versus Wetaca
Since its founding, Knoweats has shown steady revenue growth, pairing expansion with occasional losses. In 2020, Mendoza Catering reported revenue around €345,000 for its first full financial year and incurred a net loss of about €20,000. The company rebounded in 2021 with improved results but still faced tighter margins. By 2022, revenue more than doubled, reaching approximately €810,000, and the company posted a profit in the mid-tens of thousands. Despite this progress, the figures indicate a narrower scale when compared with Wetaca, its main rival in the sector.
Wetaca’s story begins in 2013, born from the collaboration of two entrepreneurs, Andrés Casal Goicoechea and Efrén Álvarez Fernández. Its growth has outpaced Knoweats, with revenue climbing dramatically over eight years. From earning a little over €1,500 in 2014, Wetaca reached more than €11 million in 2022. The founders hold a majority stake in Alcasal Soluciones de Alimentación, which controls more than 70 percent of the company, and in 2016 they welcomed the venture capital firm Cabiedes & Partners as a key investor, helping to bolster the company’s expansion within the broader Spanish ecosystem.
There is a noticeable difference in scale and staffing between the two companies. Wetaca employs about 78 people, while Knoweats operates with a much smaller team — roughly five employees. The latest accounts suggest Wetaca maintains significant assets and more robust capitalization, whereas Knoweats presents a leaner balance sheet, with assets around €268,500 and liabilities near €219,000. The public record indicates that the most recent financial snapshot for Mendoza Catering shows assets of €3.54 million against debts of €2.97 million, highlighting a larger corporate footprint relative to the newer, more compact Knoweats investment.