In 2019, I presented my prototypical startup company to a panel of investors. Country Kitchen is a company that offers a more convenient way to prepare food for those who enjoy backpacking. We carry a vegetarian freeze-dried meal kit. Each Kit containing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and each meal labeling every ingredient. Each ingredient is non-processed, making our product a wholesome one.
What sets Country Kitchen apart is our high-protein vegetarian diet. Our competitors such as Mountain House and Packit Gourmet offer vegetarian options as well. However, the only vegetarian dishes they carry are sweetened meals usually eaten as breakfast or dessert. It was difficult to find vegetarian freeze-dried meals that accompanied a savory main course.
As a backpacker myself, I always found that the most frustrating part about planning a long trip was preparing the food. If you think about it, it’s a lot to plan.
What do you like to eat when you go on long trips? Are the things you enjoy to eat easy to carry on your back for days? Are you able to manage the weight of your backpack lugging on your shoulders while climbing up a mountain? According to REI, the average backpack worn on your shoulders is approximately 20% of you’re weight. If you are 150 pounds, you only have 30 pounds to work around with.
Managing his weight is a difficult task keeping in mind that you need to make room for a sleeping bag, a tent, some cookware, and water.
I brought this idea of mine to a startup competition hosted at Cal Poly Pomona called iStartup Academy. I am proud to achieve and accept 1st place. And I am grateful for everything I learned on the way.
Unfortunately, due to the timing of my studies, and other projects I have set on my plate, I decided to put my business plans on a pause and hope to return when the time is right. I will never forget how creating this company has allowed me to grow. It gave me the ability to look at a company from a different perspective. Through training, I am a Food Science and Technologist. I studied to research food, to understand the chemistry behind it all.
Building this company gave me a completely different set of skills that complement the skills I already had.
I learned what creating a pitch deck was and how to pitch to investors. I learned how to create a business plan and to identify my target market. This was an experience that I would never have encountered if I only stuck to just my academic studies. I am so proud of myself for venturing out of my comfort zone and for exploring the entrepreneurial side that I have always been curious about.
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