👉 Independent reporting on the MENA tech and startup ecosystem. Stories like this exist because subscribers fund them. Subscribe now.
Bahrain-founded meal subscription platform Calo is shutting down its UK operations, ending a British expansion that lasted 14 months and saw the company acquire two established London meal delivery brands before pulling back to its six GCC markets.
New orders will cease at the end of May, deliveries will continue through June and all outstanding customer credits will be refunded.
Calo launched in the UK in April 2025 by absorbing the operations and customers of Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen, two of London's best-known health-focused meal delivery services.
At the time, Calo UK general manager Caspar Rose, the former CEO of Fresh Fitness Food, called the company "the Nike of food" and Calo described the UK as "the logical first market outside of MENA" with ambitions to expand across Europe and the US.
The company also hired Caroline Hazlehurst, the first general manager of Deliveroo UK and Ireland, as COO. Hazlehurst left in March 2026, according to LinkedIn.
The retreat comes despite significant recent capitalisation. Calo raised $25 million in a Series B in December 2024 led by Nuwa Capital and extended it by $39 million in July 2025 led by AlJazira Capital, bringing total Series B funding to $64 million.
At the time of the extension, Calo was valued at $250 million with annualised revenue exceeding $100 million, and has been signalling a Saudi IPO by 2027.
Founded in Bahrain in 2019 by Ahmed Al Rawi and Moayed Almoayed, Calo operates across Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.
Rose said in a LinkedIn post that Calo had served more than 50,000 UK customers across the Fresh Fitness Food, Detox Kitchen and Calo brands, and won best healthy meal delivery service from Good Housekeeping and Men's Fitness.
His role is now shifting to lead AI globally at Calo. The company said it is "refocusing on its core GCC markets and expansion into new verticals, where it continues to see strong demand and momentum across the region."
👉 Independent reporting on the MENA tech and startup ecosystem. Stories like this exist because subscribers fund them. Subscribe now.
