Eat Beet Box

Recently, there's been a huge movement towards sourcing local or eating organic...but for as many places that claim to do so some restaurants and food companies still seem to be cranking out products with over dozens of ingredients, and sometimes they are ingredients I can't even pronounce, because, well it isn't food. But with that said the culinary world is doing big things, and overly complicated food is not equivalent to bad food, in fact it can be delish.  

 We want to keep it simple…BUT creative

At The Beet Box we are trying to keep it simple. Most of our dishes only have a handful of ingredients, and I promise, they're ACTUALLY all natural. Our recipes are innovative and tantalizing...for all of you guys out there wary of sacrificing taste for health, we are here to show you that both are possible in a single dish. 

 We want to introduce you to new flavors

Dear Beet Boxers,

Only 19 days until we get to serve up you our delectable food.. Nothing can Beet that and our team could not be more excited.  As opening day of Marks Carts approaches, March 30th 2012, our enthusiasm continues to skyrocket. We thank each and every one of you for being a part of this magnificent journey. 

With this blog, we hope to foster a new marketplace of communication in order to cultivate a solid Beet Box network.

With this relationship, we want to create an ecosystem of Collaboration, Courage and Confidence where we hope that you will openly share your feelings with us, as we do with you.

Let us start with introductions…

We’re goofy, funky kids just trying to see where our passion can take us. We represent a team of community members who stand for health, activism, and, most importantly, delicious food.

We hope that you, too, will become a part of our community and share with us your feelings, struggles, and realizations.

No limitations, no rules, no lies.

Lets Play…

Meet the Beets!!

Rules are simple and easy:

Name

Nickname

Funky Fact!

Game Time!

Meet Daniel Morse:

Nickname: D-Money

Favorite Kids Show: Dexters Lab

Meet Kay Feker:

Nickname: KFekz

Favorite Karaoke Song: Oh What a Night-- Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons

Meet Alex Perlman:

Nickname: Perlman-Ator

Dream Reality Star Celeb: Real World- Road Rules Challenger

Meet Kendra Hall:

Nickname: K-Dawg

Guilty Pleasure: Mario- The Original with the Duck Hunt

Meet Julian Applebaum:

Nickname: J-Baum

Hidden Talent: Unicycles blindfolded

Wow--

 It seems like just yesterday that the five of us were running through the streets of Ann Arbor filming our kickstarter video.. We re-watched the video constantly, reminiscing about our times giggling with the farmers market shopkeepers and deciding if it would be a good idea to bite into the raw beets we had just bought from them... We promise not to serve ours that raw :) !!

In the mere 10 days since our video was launched we have accomplished the following:

Selected for 'staff pick'

Selected for 'Popular this week'

77% to our goal of $10,000

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY:

4. We have just been backed by our ONE HUNDREDTH BACKER!

These accomplishments were made possible by all of you, for your continued support, advice, and mentorship.

On behalf of the entire Beet Box team, we thank each and every one of you for helping us see our dream come to life. It is utterly amazing.

 To each of you, we cannot wait to share a meal at the cart this summer, and have you taste what the Beet Box is all about.

The fight is not over yet! We are excited to see where the next 35 days can take us and we need your continued love and support :)

Take care, all and Thank you!

And remember:

Welcome to the Beet Box blog!

In this inaugural post we’d like to welcome you to The Beet Box Family.

Throughout our entrepreneurial process we’ve learned a lot about health empowerment and the power of following your dreams. We hope that with this “Strong-Thought” blog you will join us on our journey and maybe find a little inspiration too! Here you’ll find the ideas, stories and wisdom that have motivated us to change the world with food.

Thank you for joining us and we look forward to chowing down with you at The Beet Box!

  MUCH LOVE!

Our Kickstarter campaign video in all its glory! We hope you enjoy.

Upon a visit to Weight Watchers, below is my observation of their business strategy, and my revelation on the role the Beet Box can serve to empower a strong body and community...

WEIGHT WATCHERS:

Approach to losing wieght: Weight watchers does an incredible job. Basically a bunch of customers get in a room together and hold a discussion on how to be healthy. The main driving factor in weight watchers success is these groups are a SUPPORTIVE NETWORK of people to go through the loosing weight process with together. The conversations are deep, sometimes people cry. People who do weight watchers online lose less weight than those who do the group discussions ... which goes to show that the network of support plays a powerful role.

The company philosophy is that you can't say that "You can't do something" once you walk through the doors. 

Who: They target primarily women, and say that this is "time for yourself" cause so often people don't take a half hour of their day for themeselves.

Rewards: *Incrementally rewarded = easy to stay motivated

People receive stickers for each pound they lose

They give people medals for participating in 5ks

At the end of a session, women bring in an amount of food that is equal to their weight they lost (if you lost 45 ,bring 45 pounds of food), and then they donate it to a food bank!

Translate calories into points - eat whatever you want but only if it is under 15 points

Track what you eat online, you can hold yourself accountable

Food: Yes, they have snacky stuff that is healthy, and recipes but no meals. Jenny Craig, on the other hand, bases their business around giving you frozen meals for the entire week. I asked the lady at the desk if WW people would be interested in shopping at the food cart, she gave me a big YES.

What should we make of it: The weight watcher system works. People lose weight, people feel good about themselves. It would be ignorant for us to try and compete against a company helping people loseweight, especially to a company thats been around and thriving since 1963. I think we all already agree on this.

And that got me thinking ... what makes us unique. And it is this: WE ARE THE FIRST HEALTH  BUSINESS TO CATER TO THE AVERAGE EVERYDAY AMERICAN. Groups have gone hogwash on losing weight, groups have gone ninja turtle on beefing up to be huge ... but no one has catered to the everyday person who is striving to be healthy.  

Obesity in the U.S. has reached epidemic levels. Today, more than a third of adults are obese due to an increased caloric consumption and an economy that is forcing many consumers to choose cheap convenient meal options that contain very little nutritional value1. Yet as consumers embrace this grab-and-go lifestyle, they are becoming more health conscious. Trends show an increase in consumer preference for organic and locally grown products. Since 2009, there has been a 7% rise in shoppers whose diet consists of at least one-quarter organic food2. Surveys repeatedly show that many U.S. consumers prefer locally grown products; almost three-quarters (72%) of consumers say they buy locally. Reasons include freshness, to support the local economy, taste, and environmental impact at (82%), (75%), (58%) and (35%), respectfully3. Consumers want food that is convenient, healthy and socially responsible, however, with the current market situation there is a perception that healthy food is expensive.  This leaves consumers feeling as though they are faced with a decision that forces them to sacrifice either their bank accounts or their health needs, acting as an industry incongruence that patrons begrudgingly accept.  This perceived tradeoff creates a huge opportunity for this food truck to bridge the gap and cater to the true interests of patrons.

A food cart may be the best way to serve this need. Within three minutes, customers can approach a cart, order, and have a meal in their hands. This is a high value proposition for business people on their lunch break or beach goers trying to make the most of their time. Additionally, the food trucks have structural cost advantages that are “driving restaurant owners nuts … low investment, no rent, no air conditioning, no utilities hookups, no real estate taxes, no dining rooms or wait staff.”4 Social media serves as a cheap and effective outlet for food trucks to market to customers. The model is so effective that some restaurant franchises, such as Duncan Doughnuts, are considering launching food trucks as part of their expansion strategy5,6. The food truck movement is picking up steam: in January 2010, the Southern California Mobile Food Venders Association was founded to foster the growth of the Gourmet Food Truck industry and in 2011, food trucks were ranked the number 1 hot trend by The National Restaurant Association7,8. Further more, mobile food industry revenue is expected to grow by 3.7% per year for the next five years to $1.7 billion9.

Check out this obesity ad ...

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/georgia-s-controversial-anti-obesity-ads/2183519004/Comcast/popular/?cid=hero_sf

If you ask me, all i think it does is make people feel crappy about themselves. No positivity, no one believing in you, no one showing how healthiness can be fun.

We have so much power to create health and well being from positive interactions, energy and support - not from scaring people into shame.