Meal Delivery Subscription for Kids: Yumble is solving problems for busy moms, dads, and picky palates. Welcome to the clean plate club!
Momming is already a fulltime job, so “momtrepreneurs” like Joanna Parker, Founder and CEO of Yumble, are definitely working overtime. An idea born from her own family’s struggle is developing into a thriving young business. Yumble offers a subscription meal kit that is delivered fully-prepared and specifically catered to the kids in busy twenty-first century households.
“I have three young children and I found it really challenging, stressful, and extremely time consuming to get healthy meals on the table every single day,” said Joanna. She was sure she wasn’t alone but turned to the deeply-opinionated communities of the Facebook “mommy groups” to find out if her idea had legs. She posted anonymously in a group outside of her neighborhood and asked if anyone would like her to cook a week’s worth of healthy, kid-friendly meals that she would personally deliver.
She posted her offer just before leaving for a family trip to Vermont. “I was driving and my phone was dinging like crazy. My husband asked me to pull over and address these people who thought they were getting meals in a few days,” Joanna said. Little did she know her first sacrifice as a momtrepreneur would be to forgo the family trip.
“They didn’t know my name. They didn’t even know what I was serving. It was at that moment that the light bulb went on. Parents really need this help,” Joanna said. She turned the car around, began creating a menu, and got to cooking.
Joanna had worked in Macy’s corporate offices before transitioning to being a full-time mom. Her serial entrepreneur husband (and CFO) David Parker has always encouraged her to build something out of her interests. “I’ve always been passionate about healthy eating habits and kids,” Joanna said. That passion and unfailing support system are Yumble’s secret ingredients. “I definitely couldn’t have fully executed this vision without my husband’s help,” she said.
From the start, Joanna wanted Yumble to be more than just another food delivery service. She was thinking bigger. She wanted to offer something that would encourage families and help them flourish. In this light, in addition to great, healthy meals, Yumble is now delivering fun utensils and conversation starters for a full mealtime experience. Her goal is to help create an atmosphere that stimulates mealtime interaction to strengthen families and promote healthy child development.
Since one of the biggest challenges is pleasing picky kids, it was important to include them in the cooking process too. Most of Yumble’s recipes were created right in Joanna’s kitchen with her own kids as test subjects. Whether it’s excitement or apprehension, “seeing their initial reaction is very helpful,” Joanna said.
Like every startup Yumble has had its long hours and tough times. Joanna and her husband joke that they are so busy they need Yumble more now than they ever did before. She also holds onto a quote that carried her through the long grind: “The difference between successful entrepreneurs and unsuccessful ones is that the successful ones don’t quit.”
Yumble is a mission-driven company with the objective of helping to bring back quality family time. With work, school, sports, piano practice, cub scouts, drama club, yoga…and everything in between, families should eat this up! Ultimately, Joanna wants healthy meals to be accessible to children across the country. After launching in 2017 and appearing on Shark Tank in 2018, Yumble is off to a sizzling start. They plan to be available in all 50 states by 2020.
