10. Revolution Foods
For transforming school meals across America.
Two self-proclaimed ‘moms on a mission’, Kristin and Kirsten met whilst studying for their MBAs and bonded over a shared belief that all students deserve equal access to healthy meals, regardless of socioeconomic status. The link between nutritious food and concentration was well-proven and they felt kids deserved access to food which would help set them up for success. They were determined to work with schools and did not let existing constraints hamper their vision, instead in 2006 Revolution Foods was born.
They started with a constraint of approximately $3 per meal and a vision of fresh, nutritious food free of artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. From this, Revolution Foods began reimagining the way in which school meals were made. They used a limited range of high quality ingredients and basic recipes to create new meals each day. They innovated the traditional distribution process to enable the meals to be delivered daily and eradicate the need for artificial preservatives.
"We looked at anything that seems like a challenge and said how can we come up with an innovative solution?"
- Kirsten Tobey, Co-founder.
Appreciating the importance of empty plates, Revolution Foods have involved kids throughout the creation process. Asking them for ideas or their favourite foods, inviting them to tastings and even letting them name the dishes. They are not scared to overcommit; where cauliflower florets were greeted with diners’ distain they sent in Revolution Foods representatives to sell-in the benefits.
Revolution Foods’ over commitment to kids’ nutritional needs captured the imaginations of school administrators and investors alike. They now deliver approximately 1.5 million meals per week across 27 cities. More recently they have translated their expertise to store-bought ready meals called “Jet Packs” (which are similarly challenging the reign of Kraft’s ubiquitous Lunchables line) and are exploring further new products. With numerous family eating occasions in need of improvement, the future looks very promising for this challenger brand.
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