November 2002 >> Source: Veg Family
Interviews Rachel and Andy Berliner:
Founders of Amy's Kitchen
Are there any plans to put vegan cheese in some of
your products? For example the pocket sandwiches, toaster
pops, snacks, and pizzas?
Not yet. We've been experimenting with a vegan cheese that melts well, however
it's made with ingredients that are not organic. In order for us to put a vegan
cheese in our products it has to be natural, organic, and free of GMOs.
Several of your products would be vegan if it weren't
for the addition of honey. Do you have any plans to modify
those products so that they're entirely vegan?
We're working on it. We have 34 non-dairy products in our line currently; 30
of them are vegan. The four products that are not vegan are the All American
Burger, the Non-Dairy Vegetable Pot Pie, the Vegetable Pie in a Pocket Sandwich,
and the Veggie Loaf. We should be able to make the Pot Pies vegan, but we're
still experimenting.
It's mentioned on the website that you'd like to see
Amy's Kitchen products served in schools. That would be great!
How close are you to making that a reality?
Amy's meals are currently served in some elementary schools in California.
The challenge for us is the price point. Non-vegan foods are far more inexpensive
for schools to buy. Since schools get government funding for their lunch programs
they naturally want to buy the more inexpensive meat and dairy items.
In Palo Alto, they've been experimenting with two price points:
they have a lower price for the meat and dairy meals, and a
higher price for the healthier, more natural, organic meals.
This way parents have a choice; if they want to spend more
for their kids to get healthier food, they can. So far, this
is working nicely.
Are your meals served on airlines? If so, which ones?
And what do they serve?
Continental Airlines serves several of our vegan meals. You can get our Bean
and Rice Burrito, Black Bean Enchilada, Shepard's Pie, and a vegan version
of our Veggie Loaf on a flight. We're still working on getting our products
onto other airlines. If you'd like to get Amy's meals when you travel, write
to the airline and request that they start serving Amy's products on their
flights.
What have been the biggest challenges in running Amy's
Kitchen?
In the early years we had a lot to learn. We didn't have many professionals
from the industry working with us so we had to learn how to do a lot of things
ourselves. But we're past that challenge now. Currently, I'd say our biggest
challenge is to keep the company feeling like a family run business even though
we're getting bigger and bigger. We now have over 700 employees. Luckily, the
people who work for us care about our customers as much as we do. They take
pride in their work and make the best products they possibly can.
Another challenge we face is trying to keep the price down
while still providing foods that are of high quality: natural,
organic, and free of GMOs. We don't advertise as much as other
companies do because we believe in putting our money directly
into our products.
What would you most like the public to know about
you and the company?
We want them to know that we're a family business, that we're trying to provide
food that is as natural as possible. We want people to have organic foods available
to them. We put a lot of care into the creation of our foods and we really
do care about the people we're serving.
More and more, you'll see natural foods companies being bought-out by bigger
companies such as Kraft or General Mills. We're trying to stay a private company.
Our motivation isn't financial… we're service oriented. We want to make
people's lives easier.
What is the most popular vegan product you make?
In sheer numbers, that would be the Bean and Rice Burrito. In financial terms,
the Roasted Vegetable Pizza and the Black Bean Enchilada since their price
point is higher. Our lentil soup is the most popular vegan soup we produce.
What is the most rewarding aspect of running Amy's
Kitchen?
The fact that we're pleasing a lot of consumers. Our products appeal to omnivores,
vegetarians, and vegans. It's gratifying to know that many people who aren't
even vegetarian will choose to eat our meals instead of one that has meat in
it. We're also proud to be able to provide employment for so many great people.
What new products and innovations do we have to
look forward to in the coming years at Amy's Kitchen?
More vegan items, definitely. We'll be announcing some new products soon.
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