Emily Groden's quest to reinvent the frozen food aisle began in 2017 with a cold email to Nick Kokonas.
Groden had just watched the Chef's Table episode on Netflix featuring Kokonas' three-Michelin-starred restaurant Alinea, and was inspired by the passion the chefs had for their craft.
"I was just so blown way by the beauty of the food and the passion that was clearly oozing out of these chefs. It was a passion I clearly didn't have for my own career at this point," said Groden, a Harvard-trained lawyer who was working in Chicago.
Groden turned off her TV, opened her laptop and Googled Kokonas' name in search of an email address, which she eventually found. She asked Kokonas if the Alinea Group needed a lawyer. And just two weeks later, she was hired as the restaurant's general counsel.
At Alinea, Groden learned the ins and outs of the industry, which only furthered her passion for food. She consumed as much food content as she could, and one night during a drive home happened upon a food podcast that was discussing the frozen breakfast industry, and how the massive space was dominated largely by companies like Eggo Waffles.
Groden, who at the time was expecting her first child, ordered a waffle iron off Amazon and began playing with recipes in search of a tasty, healthier alternative to traditional frozen waffles. In 2019, Evergreen was born.
Groden made her Evergreen waffles with 100% whole grain flour, almond milk instead of dairy, and sweetened with honey instead of refined sugar. She flavored them with real fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices, and included zero artificial flavors.
"My goal was I wanted a waffle that I would feel really good about giving to my own daughter every day of the week," she said. "I wanted something that was really quick and easy, but also good for her and would nourish her and not have these extra ingredients I couldn’t pronounce."
Evergreen first began selling at a market in Bucktown, but Groden got her first big break when Whole Foods began selling the waffles in 28 stores throughout Illinois in March 2020. Today, Evergreen is sold in Whole Foods locations across the Midwest, along with Foxtrot, Sunset Foods and other independent retailers in the Midwest. Its flavors include chocolate chip and matcha, peanut butter and banana, mixed berry and almond, and zucchini and carrots (yes, a waffle made with vegetables).
"As a mom, it's a total win to give your kids vegetables really at any point in the day, but certainly for breakfast," she said.
Groden said Evergreen, whose bags retail for $6.99, has deals with three large retailers that will bring her frozen waffles to areas outside the Midwest for the first time. The startup opened its own manufacturing facility last week in Vernon Hills to keep up with demand, and Groden said sales have tripled since last summer. Groden has bootstrapped the startup to date.
The effects of the pandemic have been a double-edged sword for Evergreen, Groden said, as the startup has been unable to hold demo tables and other in-person tasting events that new food brands typically rely on to drive sales. However, early in the pandemic people were stocking up freezers, and those who are working from home now generally have more time to sit and eat a breakfast —two factors that Groden acknowledged have helped sales.
Evergreen plans to eventually expand beyond frozen waffles and is currently doing R&D on its next product, Groden said.
"There are still so many foods in the frozen aisle that have all these extra ingredients. That was the whole reason I wanted to make my waffles in the first place," she said. "I'd like to to continue down the frozen aisle and clean up product after product."
