The Tiny Kitchen's Marketplace Initiative

People need healthy meals in their lives. Many do not have access to the tools, resources, or time to shop and prepare fresh ingredients (chopping, blending, sautéing for example).

Social distancing, shutdowns, and homeschooling due to COVID-19 creates a vacuum where meal relief is now a priority. Yet to meet these needs in Arizona, there are no Black-Owned grocers, commercial food gardens, or restaurants who specialize in healthy meal preps. 

The Tiny Kitchen has an advantage. Working in marketplaces and farmers markets around Phoenix metropolitan area positions us to receive consistent and detailed feedback. Our customers may range in age, marital, health, and socio-economic status but they all uniformly share the same problem of inconvenience in healthy meal preparation.

The Tiny Kitchen's solution is to provide a marketplace that conveniently serves as a one stop shop. We will offer retail products and meal preps for pick-up and contactless delivery, but no dining services.

Our marketplace will provide the following solutions:

• Create an opportunity for the State of Arizona to offer a Black-Owned commercial food garden, grocer, and restaurant specializing in healthy meal preps - all in one business. 
• Offer nutrient dense food products year round from our own commercial food garden. This is facilitated by the use of water conserving aeroponic tower gardens.

• We intend to serve Health Conscious (meat), Vegan, Plant-Based, Gluten-Free, and Keto-friendly lifestyles with safer pre-packaged meal preps for COVID-19. Meal preps consist of one protein or protein substitution (Quinoa or Tofu for example), a vegetable, and a starch or gluten-free/keto alternative. Pre-packaged meals can also be salads, soups, breakfasts, or specialty items like a loaded baked potato or tamales. 

• As a grocer, we will conveniently supply a number of curated food products in a centralized space.

• Further, we support other local businesses and farmers. Our residency at several Arizona farmers markets allows us to know artisans, farmers, and food producers. We intend to support their businesses in our marketplace.

Why Crowdfunding?

We seek funding because our business has been hit hard by COVID-19.

Initially, we began as vendors exclusively for farmers markets . Our accelerated growth was unprecedented. We were ready to expand when Gov. Ducey ordered the shutdown of public places because of COVID-19.  Due to farmers market closures, we suffered a 100% loss of revenue.

With faith, our team perservered and began working on a new business model - meal prep delivery services. Restaurant closures created a vacuum.  Pre-packaged meals or meal preps unexpectedly became the hottest food service on the market. 

When Arizona's economy re-opened in May, we suffered a 75% reduction in customers at the farmers markets.  We weathered the storm with contactless delivery services and shipping.

On June 29, 2020, Gov. Ducey ordered a second shutdown due to the spread of Coronavirus.  

This time, The Tiny Kitchen's business model and infrastructure is much more prepared. As the number of infected people continues to rise, we believe in our mission of increasing access to healthy meals now more than ever.

"I talked to my parents a couple nights ago and they received the package from Tiny Kitchen. They were raving about all the (vegan) breads and jams! Thank you for sending extras. That was really sweet and very much appreciated. They are happy to have some treats over the holiday." - Shannon A.  (July 03, 2020)

We must expand.

Our meal prep services has quickly outgrown our shared commissary space. To keep up with the potential demand of daily orders, we must expand.

We need our own commercial kitchen equipped with a walk in refrigerator, freezer, and space to sell our retail products. We need a centralized hub where our customers can come to us and our delivery trucks can replenish multiple times throughout the day.

• Monies will be applied for consultations from our subject matter experts: Owners of our commissary, BLT Kitchens (Aioli Gourmet Burgers), Owners of Steadfast Farms and True Gardens, Cloud Kitchens, Maricopa County Environmental Services Department, The City Halls of Phoenix, Chandler, and Carefree, Restaurant Associations, and Realtors. 
• Monies will procure appropriate legal, accounting, and tax representation. 

• Monies will be applied toward all plan reviews, business licenses, building permits, fees, and insurances.
• Monies will be applied to the marketplace's lease and any contractors required to develop the property according to design and code.

We appreciate your support.  To acknowledge your generosity, we offer several incentives and rewards.  You could be named as a contributor to our iCare package program or bi-weekly donations delivered to food banks and/or those quarantining with COVID-19. 

iCare packages are easy to consume products and meal preps rich in Vitamin C, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and omega-3 fatty acids to support the immune system.

Professionally, I am experienced in food and hosptality, entrepreneurship, research, customer service, and project management. All my skills acquired over twenty years proves useful to lead the establishment of a marketplace.

I am also blessed to have a loyal client base and team through COVID-19. To deliver, often under stress from social distancing restrictions, my team has become seasoned in sales, account management, food production, food safety, and transport. Together, we serve the communities of North Central, Central, and Downtown Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Desert Ridge, Carefree, and Ahwatukee.