St. Louis-based rootberry, a fast-growing startup that makes and sells prepared, plant-based food products, is expanding nationwide.
Rootberry has launched nationwide direct-to-consumer delivery of its foods, a move the startup expects to boost sales and expand its geographic reach. The nationwide launch expands rootberry’s delivery model from the St. Louis region to the 48 contiguous U.S. states, helping the startup reach a new set of customers, said co-founder and President Marc Connor.
“That moves the business forward and moves the mission forward. It will make us stronger and smarter,” Connor said.
Founded in July 2021, rootberry sells plant-based meals, salads, snacks and desserts. It launched initially with direct-to-consumer home and office delivery in St. Louis and has expanded to make its products available in retail locations, universities, hospitals and corporate offices in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Georgia. Connor co-founded rootberry with J.T. Norville, who is co-founder and managing partner of hotel management group Midas Hospitality. Connor said the startup’s launch stems from struggling to find quick and easy meals when adopting a plant-based diet.
Rootberry’s menu items include tikka masala, fettuccine Alfredo, blueberry oat bars and chocolate chip cookies. Its items are priced between $8.99 and $14.99. Under its nationwide delivery, rootberry said customers will choose at least eight of its food items to be delivered to their home or office. Connor said a subscription isn't required for delivery, though the company is offering a 5% discount for a weekly subscription.
"We see subscription as a convenience for people that want it, not a mandate for our customers,” he said.
Connor said the decision to expand delivery comes as rootberry has worked to determine how far its meals can travel and how best to deliver them to ensure freshness. That’s required some changes from how it's delivered locally, which has included making the delivery itself and bringing the meals in bags. The nationwide expansion will require delivering the meals in boxes and through a third-party service, Connor said. He said he expects the nationwide rollout to boost its delivery sales by 10 to 12 times its St. Louis delivery figures.
“I think we can maybe even beat that, but that’s what the business plans are based on,” Connor said.
Rootberry’s delivery expansion comes as its overall sales have increased since its launch. Connor said rootberry expects to more than double sales this year and that its sales quadrupled in 2022 compared with 2021, but he did not disclose specific sales figures. Connor said he’s pleased with how the business has performed in its first two years. Year one was focused on proof of concept, he said, and the past year focused on how best to grow the company, with an emphasis on learning how best to fine-tune operations, even if plans change from the original strategic vision.
“All of those things can change and it doesn’t mean being ambivalent or indecisive, but it also means being open to the possibility that there’s a better way than what you originally imagined. That has definitely been a key part of the last year,” he said.
Rootberry has eight full-time employees, as well as 10-plus contractors involved in the production of its food items. Its headquarters are at the former Weber Grill location at the Saint Louis Galleria in Richmond Heights.
