Background

As Haas School of Business (UC-Berkeley) students, Revolution Foods co-founders, Kristen Richmond and Kirsten Tobey shared a vision and a passion for education, great food and a commitment to make a difference. They took their desire to create a social enterprise that served Bay Area schools with fresh and wholesome foods to Whole Foods, who happily shared their network of vendor partnerships to help the new entrepreneurs. Along the way, they met and hired Executive Chef, Amy Klein – who began her career as the Director of Operations for Teach for America before pursuing a career in the culinary arts. The foundation and key partnerships for building their social venture was in place.

In 2006 — the revolution for changing and educating schools, children and families about healthy eating began. Through a pilot initiative and with the help of Whole Foods, Revolution Foods served 6 schools in Oakland and by year-end they were serving 1,000 lunches per day. In 2007 — Revolution foods took their food services program offerings to Los Angeles where they served 500 per day and in 2008 — 5,000 lunches per day. By 2009, they had moved into new markets that included other areas of Northern and Southern California, as well as Washington, DC, and Denver.

At Revolution Foods — the core values and business practices are a reflection of the co-founders’ commitment to make a difference in the local community, have a positive social and environmental impact, and create career opportunities. This is the perfect recipe for success in meeting the mission and vision of Inner City Advisors.

Business Challenge

Revolution Foods co-founders met ICA, in 2006, at an event hosted by the Bay Area Equity Fund (now DBL Investors). At first blush, it appeared that Revolution Foods had everything in place. They had a solid collection of experts serving as their Board of Directors, Advisory Board, as well as investors and partners. Through a series of discussions, ICA discovered an opportunity to cleverly position themselves to focus on what Revolution Foods needed to take them to the next level…a well organized business system.

How ICA Helped

In short order, ICA Advisors became a value-add resource for Revolution Foods. They began by helping Revolution Foods customize their order interface system and create the foundation for a new ERP system. The ICA Advisors also helped in the areas of Governance, Finance, Human Resources, Operations, and the sharing of best practices — all of which have been instrumental in helping Revolution Foods to better organize and manage their rapid growth.

Results

When Revolution Foods started they had one truck, six employees and a revolutionary idea that has helped to transform not only the lives and well-being of thousands of children and families in the Bay Area, but across the nation. Today, they stand 240 employees strong and deliver over 40,000 nutritious lunches daily. Revolution Foods’ amazing journey has inspired a growing movement for healthy and fresh foods, healthy lifestyles and families, and strong communities. Most importantly, they are demonstrating through their business practices and core values, their commitment to healthy economic development in the communities they serve.