Taran Machra
Swolefoods Founder
We shine a light on some of Aotearoa's best and brightest.
They shine a light on their favourite 3 Wise Men Clothing.
Without exaggeration, meeting Taran Machra (“Call me Taz bro”)for the first time, is a life-changing experience. And eating his health and wellness-based meals, for many, is exactly that too. His infectious positivity and mile- wide smile grabs you the moment you meet.
Taz is the founder of Swolefoods, delivering wholesome, nutritious meals to kiwis focused on their health and wellness. He’s always been into fitness himself, representing his birth country India in squash, and becoming a personal trainer after the family moved here.
In 2013 however, his life changed forever with both his parents passing away within three months of each other. A few years later, double spinal surgery in Germany on a degenerative disc disease left him at rock bottom - both physically and mentally.
Something had to give. He remembered his parents unconditional love and selfless willingness to help others. Then and there, Taz decided to honour these traits. It began with opening a small community gym in South Auckland. Soon, regulars were asking about nutrition, so he started making healthy, portioned meals for them.
This attracted the attention of a food manufacturer who, “felt the love of the gym and, though I didn’t have a business plan, decided to back me,” Taz says. “He provided 300 meals to sell in three months. I sold them in 18 days.”
These days, together with wife Ksenia - “my backbone” - and a small, passionate team, Taz sells over 50,000 all-natural, high-protein, frozen meals and smoothie mixes a month to a wide range of people with different nutrition needs - from building lean muscle mass to toning and weight loss.
Additionally, Swolefoods will be fueling the Blues rugby team for the next three years as an official partner. “We’re so proud to be providing our nutritionist approved meals to some of the best athletes in the world,” says Taz. But success is defined in other ways too. “A daughter signed her pre-diabetic mother up for our meals. A few months later she’s no longer in the risk zone. That’s just awesome,” he says.
So, what does Swole mean? “It’s slang for ‘physically fit’ - if you're swole you'll look good in anything," Taz says, “and I love looking good in 3 Wise Men clothes - especially their colourful checked shirts. I’m in and out of the office, kitchen and meetings, so I need gear that’s versatile but also makes me feel good.”
Ok, Taz, last question - any cheat days? “Chocolate is my weakness, but as the saying goes, everything in moderation,” he laughs. “You’ve got to keep things real!” That’s you to a tee Taz.
Shop Taran Machra's Top Picks:
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