Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Manchee.
Hi Lisa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
A little over eight years ago, I began learning more about a plant-based diet and lifestyle. As I continued to learn more, I began to pause and consider the foods I was bringing into our home to ultimately fill my own body and those of my two young children and husband. As I began exploring which foods would be the most beneficial to our overall health, I learned that these same foods are more beneficial for the planet and are the only way for the truly humane treatment of animals. With this newfound information, the more fun it became to experiment with a new variety of whole foods, recipes influenced from around the world, transforming my favorite meals into something new, and finding new pre-packaged items being created using only plants!
I also began incorporating fitness routines and getting my family outdoors to explore so many parks and attractions around the Dallas area, including the ever-growing plant-based dining options in Dallas. During this journey, I was able to acquire my current business, Plant-Based Grocery. This venture allows me to take the fun process of finding new and unique plant-based foods and make it the heart of my activism for a plant-based lifestyle. As an added bonus, my husband, two kids and boxers get to be active participants by helping me taste tests and occasionally model our treats! Over the years, I’ve seen the vegan community grow around Dallas and, because of that, have met some wonderful people and created many new friendships. My personal plant-based journey has been an adventure and I’m constantly learning more. My current hope is to continue to share plant-based food with those who are already committed to the lifestyle, those looking to make a change, or just curious.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey towards better health hasn’t been completely smooth, but that is part of the learning process! The majority of my life, I’d become accustomed to eating the Standard American Diet with little to no exercise. Incorporating new habits is always hard. However, as I keep learning, the more I am encouraged to explore new ways to incorporate fitness and more importantly, continue to try new plant-based foods! It’s been an amazing help that so many new plant-based products and resources have become available. My business, Plant-Based Grocery, also has been an awesome avenue to keep my food choices fun, unique, and healthy! I did have the benefit of beginning this journey while my children were very young and now, almost eight years later, they are more than willing to try an assortment of foods and routinely eat their fair share of vegetables! As I’m now over 40, I will say that it’s never too late to start making any attempts to try new foods. I am in the best health I have ever been in because of the choices I’ve made to actively learn more about plant-based living.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My curiosity of a plant-based lifestyle and a love of food led me to Plant-Based Grocery. That curiosity continues to be what keeps the business and our specially curated products unique! Plant-Based Grocery offers a wide assortment of shelf-stable plant-based food items. You can find everything from cheese, meats, seasonings, cake mix, popcorn, candies, and more! They are all completely vegan and most items are also gluten=free. Many years ago, while I was new to learning about Veganism, it became a fun sort of hobby to discover the newest and tastiest new items to hit the supermarket shelves. It had to be fun, or it would have been frustrating to find the hidden gems!
Over time, I discovered many small businesses (local to North Texas and beyond) creating amazing plant-based foods that are unique but that also offer the comforting flavors so many of us grew up with or even grew accustomed to in our adult years. The stars aligned when my love of finding (and tasting) all these new vegan foods turned into a business. A friend offered me ownership of Plant-Based Grocery, which was a small Dallas-based pop-up store with a minimal online presence. I jumped at the chance to have my own small business that aligned with my values, was a way to share my amazing foodie finds with the Dallas community and beyond, while also supporting other amazing small businesses. Since acquiring Plant-Based Grocery in 2018, I’ve been able to seek out and share foods that are not only delicious but better for the planet, the animals, and our health. I redesigned and relaunched the website to become robust online store and resource for new vegans and folks curious about plant-based eating. I also continue to promote the business and a plant-based lifestyle through the Plant-Based Grocery social channels, primarily Facebook and Instagram.
In addition to the online store being able to reach people across the US, I’ve been able to host pop-ups throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Being present within the community has been a wonderful perk – I get to meet our customers, new and old, and discuss personal stories behind their plant-based journey. Additionally, being a resource for newcomers and those curious about being plant-based is part of my passion for showcasing how easy and delicious including more plant based foods can be! I have also been able to support other local businesses around the Dallas area as well who are also creating amazing plant-based food! While we have paused our pop-ups due to the pandemic, Plant-Based Grocery expanded our services to offer local delivery options for those in Dallas. I’ve also committed to growing our social media presence in order to keep supporting those needing plant-based resources and finding ways to promote other vegan small businesses. Despite a crazy year, I am still having fun finding the best plant-based versions of traditional flavors and also discovering unique, specialty items!
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love that our city offers such a variety of everything – culture, activities, food, entertainment, and beyond. There are amazing opportunities to be in nature and also enjoy city life. The entire Dallas-Fort Worth area has an amazing (and growing) vegan food scene and it’s so much fun to try new places all the time. It can be a challenge to find all the hidden gems that the city offers, but they are there if you seek them out. And there’s always room for another vegan-friendly restaurant!
Contact Info:
- Email: info@plantbasedgrocery.com
- Website: plantbasedgrocery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plantbasedgrocery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plantbasedgrocery
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/plantbsdgrocery
