MommyMeals has rebranded and found a more viable path forward with a new business-to-business focus.
The Kansas City-based startup started with the niche of providing an avenue for friends and family members to send healthy slow-cooker meal kits with pre-chopped ingredients to new parents.
“The biggest challenge that we faced was operating off of a low budget and trying to get our message out to every consumer possible,” Founder Mitch Case told the Kansas City Business Journal. “It was incredibly tough and draining to continue to think of these different ideas to stay top of mind. … We did not see it as a viable path to reach the goals that we had.”
The biggest sign to pivot arose from looking at MommyMeals’ customer base over a two-year period. Of the kits sold, 70% to 80% of them were bought by businesses and sales professionals wanting to send meals to clients or employees.
“We recognized we need to make a shift, because this is what people are actually asking for and wanting,” he said. “Let’s be honest, you can find a direct-to-consumer meal kit anywhere. It’s all over the place now. … One of the biggest things that separates us from other meal kit services out there is that we really focus hard on the B2B approach.”
Some of the companies that have used the service include H&R Block, True Captive, HCA Midwest Health and CBIZ.
In April 2020, MommyMeals rebranded to More Than a Meal. It temporarily paused operations due to the pandemic but restarted its meal kits around June last year.
Last month, it launched an employee benefits package, which allows companies to send meals regularly to employees. Case views it as a way to create a reoccurring revenue stream while providing perks to a customer’s employees.
“It helps create that culture of we care not only about you but about your family and want you to have that moment at home to recharge and refresh,” Case said.
He hopes the convenient meals spur families to sit at the dinner table together, even if it’s for 20 minutes. That family time, he said, can reduce stress, promote happiness and help employees be more productive at work.
Another new offering is an engagement package for businesses wanting to show appreciation to clients or employees. Businesses can include a branded personal note with the kit and a personalized video for the appropriate occasion.
Case said the consumer side still is available, but the startup’s main focus now is B2B. More Than a Meal promotes its services for a variety of occasions, from positive to negative life events, such as recovering from surgery.
With the pandemic spurring remote and hybrid work, Case said More Than a Meal is positioned to “provide that sense of connection when oftentimes we feel disconnected from our teams or from different employees.”
“I’m very encouraged not only from seeing the momentum that we’ve gotten, but even from several different local entrepreneurs that have built and sold businesses that are extremely interested in what we’re doing,” Case said. “People who have been through this see the value of what we’re building.”
