Editor’s note: The following is part of Startland News’ ongoing coverage of the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Kansas City’s entrepreneur community, as well as how innovation is helping to drive a new normal in the ecosystem. Click here to follow related stories as they develop.
A regional physical footprint with new national reach is helping a Kansas City-based meal prepping company with Paleo origins evolve amid a consumer landscape simmering with COVID-19-infused uncertainty.
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Elevator pitch: Eat to Evolve is a nation-wide healthy pre-made meal company dedicated to offering clients whole body solutions to achieve their health goals. Co-owners Chef Caleb Summers and Dr. Jason Fechter created an expeditious health food company, with an on-staff doctor and numerous trained culinary chefs.
[/pullquote]Jason Fechter hopes it’s enough to deliver Eat to Evolve to the other side of the pandemic, he said, which so far has seen decreased demand from potential customers stuck at home.
“This year was actually off to a really good start. It was one of our best years that we’ve ever had. Then [recently] our bottom just kind of fell out,” said Fechter, co-owner of the nationwide pre-made meal company that focuses on Paleo, Keto, Evolve 30 and Primal foods. “I think a lot of people just really started to buckle down and do more cooking and food prepping in their home which I certainly get — the unknown is scary.”
Headquartered in the Fairfax Industrial District of Kansas City, Evolve operates brick-and-mortar Evolve Juicery & Kitchen locations in Kansas and Missouri, as well as Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas and Oklahoma, he said, adding the firm initiated national delivery earlier in 2020.
Click here to see Evolve’s physical locations.
While the ability to send packaged meals across the country helps to counter-balance changes in demand at Evolve’s regional storefronts, the company saw its revenue dip by 50 percent in recent weeks.
“it’s scary for all of us,” said Fechter. “Our goal has always been to keep as many of our staff members going as much as we possibly can — knowing that, we also need to do our part and provide for the community the best we can.”
Giving meals to evolve community
A recent campaign pivoted Evolve to a complementary donation model that allows customers to purchase entrees at a reduced price to be given to food bank locations at Restart, City Mission, KC Dream Center and Uplift.
Eat to Evolve
“During this monumental time in our country we understand that many people have lost their jobs and need a helping hand,” the company said on its website. “Here at Evolve, we have a large commercial food manufacturing and packaging company that can help to make lives a little easier. We are partnering with local food banks and shelters to provide healthy and delicious meals.”
Click here to learn more about the giving program or to donate.
A variety of Evolve’s meals — fully cooked and individually packaged in tamper proof containers — are available to send through the donation effort. Individual entrees are priced at $4.85 and can be purchased at any quantity.
“The donated entrees will be of the same quality but highly discounted,” the company said in a press release. “With our community partnerships we are eliminating all additional overhead.”
In its first weeks, customers purchased and donated 435 entrees with some committing to purchasing donations regularly each week, Fechter said.
Evolve over-matched those numbers to donate close to 3,500 pre-made meals — coming close to $35,000 worth of food — to different area organizations, he added.
“Without the community we wouldn’t have been here,” Fechter said. “They’ve supported us like crazy for the past 10 years, and now we’re just trying to do what we can to help.”
Energized for a return to society
Like at many small businesses, Evolve’s leadership has been closely following developments with government stimulus efforts.
“The stimulus package to the business owner is allowing us the cashflow to be able to keep the people employed so they get their regular paychecks,” he said, noting an eagerness for COVID-19-related shutdowns to be lifted — along with the underlying need for them — to help struggling entrepreneurs rebound.
“Unfortunately for a lot of the smaller businesses — the restaurants and the entertainment industry — people are cooped up in their houses and cooking for themselves,” Fechter said. “But a lot of people don’t actually like that — or they’re not very good at it.”
When COVID-19 blows over, consumers will be just as excited to return to normal habits, he predicted.
“So many people are going to be excited to go out and see movies and they’re going to be so excited to go to dinner and have pre-made meals delivered to their home because they’ll know where their cash flow is at again,” he said. “Assuming I can keep my head above water and my feet below me, then we’re going to be ready to rock and roll [once it’s all over].”
Meanwhile, Evolve is poised to positively impact local and nationwide communities during the interim, Fechter said.
“I think we’ll all get through this together in a little time, but that’s OK,” he said. “We all just need to rest and relax and be energized for when we do get to [be back into society].”
