Today we’d like to introduce you to Tia Robinson.
Tia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Keto Kravee was birthed in the midst of me healing and going into a new phase of my life… Literally like the Phoenix out of the fires of life Keto Kravee, which is now named Kravee Meal prep came about. I had recently lost my father and was in a lost state, wondering how I would move forward as well as some other adversities that I was facing. I was at the grocery store one day and I seemingly have a “friendly” face, or I guess welcoming energy because someone always talks to me! I met a lady in line and at this time I’ll say it was intentional for me to meet her, she was talking to me about her weight-loss journey and she mentioned doing a diet called Keto. She showed me pictures of before and her now… I was really impressed by her progress. She informed me that due to her watching her carbohydrate intake with the Keto diet that she had slowly weaned off of her High Blood Pressure as well as Diabetes meds.
After her conversation it had my wheels spinning, I am a thinker and researcher so when I got home, I started to research what Keto was specifically. My father suffered from the effects of Diabetes and ultimately passed from Cancer, but I was wondering, what if he had known about reducing his carbs and doing this Keto diet, would it have made a difference? What can I do to assist others? In the black community where are historically predisposed to high blood pressure and diabetes due to the food that we inherently enjoy. As my wheels were spinning, I started to think what if I could create meals that were just as tasty but with the Keto twist? I called my Mommy who is also a Mean Machine in the kitchen, who also owned a restaurant while I was growing up. I was excited to tell her about my idea to start a meal prep business geared towards helping others eat healthier but stay committed because I would make fun healthy dishes, they would love to eat…. And BAM Keto Kravee was birthed!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not smooth! I have another staple business in Houston called Tastee Tee’s which is a sugary delight of custom desserts, so switching gears to cooking was a daunting task. How do I price, where do I buy food in bulk to make a profit, how do I properly count the macros in bulk, making recipes, buying supplies, marketing… I already had a following with one business but this was polar opposite of what I was doing. It was definitely trial and error and again researching the other meal prep-based companies in Houston… Watching what they were doing and creating a model. I remember the 1st week that I had orders I wasn’t expecting such a HUGE interest, I was literally crying like how I am going to do this. However, my Mommy was like you got this and I could feel my Daddy’s presence… It was chilling but that is what pushed me that day.
Kravee Meal Prep formerly known as “Keto Kravee” – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
So, I initially specialized in Keto meals! Keto meal prep, snacks, desserts you name it! So most people know my business as Keto Kravee, but with growth and partnership with about four gyms in Houston I was able to branch out and now I offer Keto (low carb, low sodium, higher fat intake to stay in ketosis the program is set to stay at 25 Net grams of carbs or less), Traditional Weightloss (this program is lower carb but not Keto with lean meats, healthier starch options, green veggies, low sodium), Pescatarian (Our Fish/Seafood program), and some Vegan (Non Dairy/Meat Alternative option) as well as Keto/Low Carb desserts on occasion! I am proud that I was able to branch out and re-brand! I am now able to reach more customers by broadening my culinary scope… We’re not just Keto anymore! I think what sets me apart is my passion for cooking and the health of others. I genuinely want people to be healthy. I do group zoom calls to assist those who have questions about Keto or those who want to start Keto but don’t know how! I do a #SheCooks Monday every week to showcase a healthier version of a meal that a customer submitted to see my spin on it… It’s always super low carb but delicious of course… I also change my menu EVERY week, we have two different meal options a Sunday & Wednesday menu. I know personally dieting is hard because I can’t and won’t eat the same things every day… That pushes me to want to cheat. I think with variety and options it’s easier to stay on course…. Like I always say we have whatever you KRAVEE!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over I would have definitely started with Keto and Vegan, learning to cook Vegan meals is very time consuming and take a lot of planning. I’m so busy now that it’s hard for me to take the time to create Vegan meals on a weekly basis. I also wish that I had MORE HELP, I started out just a one Woman show… Cooking and delivering. I was burning myself out, but I luckily have an amazing STAR-STUDDED team… So a big Kudos to Ariel, Kelsey, Psharna, Nyasha, and Sarah without them I don’t know what I would do!
Pricing:
- Meals range between $9-12 (per meal)
- We offer delivery depending on the area $20
- (Specialty Meals $14-$15, i.e Lobster Tails or Oxtails)
- We offer Breakfast too ($5-$5.50 per meal)
- We have a 21 meal special (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) $175/week
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kraveemealprep.com
- Email: order@kraveemealprep.com
Image Credit:
We Made It Studios
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