Eating healthy is hard. A fact not made easier by the hustle of busy life in New York's tech world. But, what if you had a team of personal trainers, models, nutritionalists and chefs dedicated to making sure you ate better?
That’s the premise of Ripe, a meal delivery service and corporate wellness startup based in New York City. The company, who’s four cofounders all have roots in the fitness and fashion industries, aims to make it simple for tech workers to eat meals that contain organic, clean and natural ingredients.
The basic idea is that many companies provide their employees meals, and that employees who eat a healthy diet are happier and more productive than those shoving Big Mac’s down their gullets. Ripe makes it easy for companies to source those meals.
Every day, Ripe pairs a chef with nutritionalists, personal trainers and health coaches to make menu items balanced, clean and healthy. Let them know about any employee dietary restrictions, and they'll work around it. Then, the whole thing will be delivered to the office by one of their brand ambassadors.
Ok, but surely the food prepared by models and personal trainers is nothing but wheatgrass and cans of tuna, right? Not exactly.
“We’re not trying to force health down people’s throats,” Ben Huffman, CEO and co-founder at Ripe said. “We’re not telling people they have to only eat organic foods or eat food that tastes bad, or only eat salads."
Ripe takes meals you’d otherwise eat and twists them to make them healthy. It’s unlikely to appeal to the most ardent junk food aficionado, but anyone who enjoys steak and potatoes can get onboard and enjoy their menu items.
“People really love our grass fed steaks and wild caught snapper," Huffman said.
The company is young, having launched just two years ago, but plans on expanding to new markets in the near future. As they continue to grow, Ripe also plans on expanding to offer full wellness packages to companies as well.
We may never look like the smiling, fresh faced co-founders at Ripe, but at least now we can eat like them.
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