Meet Nicole Kempker of Neat Eats in Gainesville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Kempker.

Nicole, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I first started with the idea of my company back in 2008 when I was pregnant with my twins. I knew I wanted to get out of the 8-5 style job and work for myself in order to have flexible hours. For 4 years I was doing mostly catering as well as had my dessert line in a local grocery store. With so many of my customers continually mentioning that they’d love to be able to have my food available to bring home and enjoy with their family, I decided to open my retail store that provides oven-ready entrees, side dishes, soups, dips & desserts to be able to be picked up and heated/served in the comfort of your own home. We’ve now been successfully open for 5 years!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think anyone opening a new business don’t have struggles/challenges along the way. 5 years ago, when I opened, the concept of pre-made meal services was really new. The average household was not purchasing their meals outside of fast food or take out from restaurants, or preparing themselves. So, getting the concept out there to our area was definitely a struggle, but with marketing and lots of word of mouth and great reviews, more and more people came to give us a try. Luckily for us, once someone comes to try us out, they almost always come back as repeat customers. With that being said, another struggle has been growing pains. We will not let the quality of our product slip as we grow and produce more product each week.

Neat Eats – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We offer scratch made casseroles, entrees, side dishes, soups, and desserts that are all oven ready to be picked up and taken home to heat and enjoy. We also offer Paleo options each week as well as gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and nut free. Our dishes are made without preservatives, and with fresh seasonal ingredients. Food you can feel good about serving to your family.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I had an interview on a local radio station a year or so back. My twin daughters listened to it and when they went to school the following day they told everyone I was famous. Ha! But seriously, seeing them being proud of what I do is definitely the best. Teaching them to be strong, independent women that can do anything they set their mind to with lots of hard work and determination.