Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerry & Stacy Hightower.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Our journey began as we searched for a way to eat healthy food while training for Ironman Texas in 2014.
While we love to cook, it was difficult to find the time to spend in the kitchen preparing a nutritious meal after spending all day working (we both had full-time positions) and then training several hours each evening after work.
After trying dishes from several companies that offered “healthy” meals, we realized that not only did those meals not taste very good, but they weren’t really very healthy either – most were very high in sodium and contained tons of preservatives and highly-processed items, some were frozen (or “previously frozen”), and they were all very expensive.
We knew we could do a much better job of preparing meals that were actually healthy and that tasted good without “breaking the bank” so we began meal prepping lunches and dinners each weekend. After only a couple of weeks, several of our personal friends had asked us to prepare some meals for them also, and soon we were receiving requests from their friends as well.
The rest, as they say, is history… within a couple of months, we had dozens of customers and we had expanded our offerings to include breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. We have prepared well over 150,000 plates over the last five years and now serve several hundred customers each week.
Our “little meal prep company” has now grown to the point that Jerry left his position as an Operations Manager for a large distribution company and works full-time managing the day-to-day activities of the business. Stacy still balances her position as a certified pharmacy technician and compliance officer at a large compounding pharmacy with her role in our company marketing, developing menu ideas, and preparing all of the protein balls and energy bites (some of our Specialty menu items) each week.
We have continued to grow our business through word of mouth and social media, and by partnering with several gyms, CrossFit boxes, Pilates studios, health & wellness centers, and triathlon groups. We have also recently begun offering catering services, and have been overwhelmed with the positive response and requests from our existing customers as well as new customers.
Because eating the same dish every day can be boring, we change our menu each week so there are always new dishes to try while some of our most popular dishes are always available. We also offer several “Build Your Own” options that allow our customers to select exactly what they want on a dish.
We recognize that healthy eating is part of a healthy lifestyle and we strive to help our customers enjoy that lifestyle without the high cost that so many of our competitors seem to expect people to pay. We do not have any minimum purchase requirements, and we allow you to “mix & match” your order to suit your tastes. For only $18 per day, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner that together provide a tasty and nutritious daily meal regimen.
We are happy to prepare meals for customers with special dietary needs, and we also offer free nutritional planning to help our customers attain specific nutritional and weight goals.
Our mission is to prepare a variety of dishes each week that provide our customers with a convenient and inexpensive way to eat simple, healthy, and delicious meals that burst with flavor!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
One of the largest challenges we face is ensuring that we have the capacity to fulfill all of the orders that we receive each week. While there have been times when we have worked through the night cooking and plating dishes we are blessed with a great team of chefs and prep cooks who are able to create thousands of plates each week, and we have never missed a deadline!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Foodies In Texas story. Tell us more about the business.
As a family-owned and operated healthy meal prep company, Foodies In Texas is unique in that we change our menu each week, offering a wide variety of fully-prepared meals that are simple, healthy, and delicious, and all at an unbeatable price! Unlike most of our competitors, we do not have any type of contract, subscription, or minimum order requirements – we allow our customers to order exactly what they want in the quantities they choose.
We work with many customers who have specific dietary requirements in order to prepare tasty dishes that meet their nutritional needs, and we happily modify our dishes in order to satisfy individual tastes.
We were especially proud when Foodies In Texas was voted as one of the Top 3 – Healthy Menu companies in Denton County for 2019!
We are most proud of the fact that we have created a community of people who enjoy the convenience and health benefits of eating our inexpensive meals – there is nothing better than receiving a message from a customer telling us how much weight they have lost, or they’ve been taken off of a medication, or simply how much they enjoyed one of our meals!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We have been blessed in that we were able to grow our business without having to depend on the income from the business at the start. This early financial freedom allowed us to acquire the equipment and staff that we needed at a slower pace where we could learn what parts of our business model worked and what didn’t, all without accruing the large amounts of debt that so many food-related companies find themselves in.
Pricing:
- Breakfasts – $4
- Lunches – $6
- Dinners – $8
Contact Info:
- Address: Foodies In Texas
101 N. Hwy. 377
Aubrey, TX 76227 - Website: http://www.FoodiesInTexas.com
- Phone: 940-300-2845
- Email: sales@foodiesintexas.com
- Instagram: @foodiesintexasmealprep
- Facebook: @FoodiesInTexas
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