New Roots Meals & Green Beautiful Cafe, Oliva Lenox & Madeline Rossi
Olivia and Madeline both spent their entire careers working in the food service sector. They encountered each other in Portland, Oregon even though they both hailed from New England. Both had different food truck companies. They met at a food truck pod, a place where numerous food trucks are parked in the same lot. Eventually, they tied the knot in Oregon and moved back to New England in February 2020 to be nearer to their families, which marked the founding of New Roots Meals!
They moved to Manchester NH, left the businesses behind, with the idea that providing plant-based meal preparation with delivery services would be a great way to meet the increasing demand from the local community for vegan meals. With low operational costs, they began renting a local commercial kitchen on Sundays and delivering 100% vegan meals to people's homes every Monday. The food options are switched out every two weeks pulling from over 1000 recipes that Madeline has created.
Madeline indicated that “It's fun and creative, but it's all hands-free.” The food is delivered directly to a customer’s doorstep (within 30 miles). However, they were missing the opportunity to meet, speak, and develop relationships with their customers. As there was a demand for their food, they decided to purchase a food truck to establish this connection.
In the beginning, they used the food truck for special events, but then they got a lease at “The Factory" on Willow St. in Manchester and opened daily. This was when they began selling more coffee and tea. They were introduced to local coffee roasters (e.g., A&E Roasters) and developed a love for serving coffee as well.
During the winter season, they kept the truck open and, as Olivia said, "It was very cold! It was amazing how much people supported us. It didn't matter whether it was rainy or snowy, they would still come up to the window and order and we'd say, please wait in your car and we'll bring it out to you." With more and more regulars frequenting their food truck, they decided to look for a more permanent space. At the same time, New Roots was growing out of the local commercial kitchen they were renting, and they decided it was time to have their own space.
They are passionate about preparing vegan meals that people love. When they looked into a potential location in Manchester, they were told that a vegan business would not be successful. Their response was “We could never do a business that wasn't vegan because it aligns so much with our values. We felt it'll work, or it won't. Someone had proposed adding eggs to the menu, but we just couldn't do that.”
Going forward, they intend to host events for special occasions at Green Beautiful where people can purchase tickets beforehand. One such recent private event included a four-course meal curated by a chef and accompanied by mocktail pairings. They are planning more events that brings the community that they love to serve together. Additionally, they are also doing some catering and view that as a potential area for expansion.
They concluded that they should lease a facility with a commercial kitchen for New Roots for preparing the meals. They were referred to SCORE, requested a mentor, and met Dick Ver Eecke. Dick reviewed their financials and developed a plan for them. They found a suitable location and then needed advice when it came to negotiating the intimidating commercial lease. Paul Gosselin, another SCORE mentor, was indispensable in helping them with the agreement. In June 2022, another part of the business was established, and is named Green Beautiful Cafe. Green Beautiful creates a secure environment where one can relax and renew while enjoying healthy vegan meals.
Order your next healthy meal from New Roots Meals, http://www.newrootsmeals.com/, or stop in for a coffee, a bite to eat, and chat with great company at Green Beautiful Cafe, http://www.greenbeautifulcafe.com/, located at 168 Wilson St, Manchester NH. Green Beautiful is open 6 days a week for breakfast and lunch.
For more information on New Roots contact hello@newrootsmeals.com or for information about the cafe, events, and catering options contact Green Beautiful at greenbeautifulcafe@gmail.com.
30 years in corporate finance with IBM. Certified Financial Planner after retirement from IBM...
