Ember & Oak Meals: Healthy, Affordable & Easy

I was so happy to learn about this new business earlier this year. Ember & Oak is a two-woman team from New Brunswick that creates simple, hearty, healthy and affordable meal kits. And as of today, they are available as add-ons in our online shop!

I got to try the Hearty Vegetable Stew (I chose it because... well, veggies), and it made 6 filling and delicious bowls full, getting me through a produce box week! I like that you can add variety by adding vegetables that you already have at home, which make them a perfect addition to our biweekly produce boxes. 

Springtime seems like an idea time to add this product to our store because as a dehydrated product it is GREAT for travelling and camping. Since this company is so new, I wanted to take the chance to get to know the women running it, and introduce them to you. So without further ado, here's Julie & Alex.

 

Where did the idea for your business come from?

Alex has always been passionate about healthy eating and spends a lot of free time researching nutrition and food accessibility. There are so many layers to why and how people eat, and she really wanted to create something that made healthy eating accessible. People get stuck in their eating patterns out of convenience because they don't have to think about how to cook something they already know, so even if they desperately want to eat differently, they often feel stuck and don’t know how to make the change. People are also so busy that it is tough to find time to cook from scratch. That is why meal kit services have taken off in recent years, but most meal kit services out there today are expensive, hard to transport, and still require a lot of prep.

Our meal kits are different! They are:

Convenient without sacrificing whole food ingredients. 

Affordable because healthy eating often gets labeled as 'too expensive', even though it can be very simple and one of the least expensive ways to eat.  

Accessible by making them from naturally dry and shelf stable ingredients like beans, grains, and spices, they are easy to ship anywhere and convenient for people to keep in stock for when they need to grab something easy to make with minimal prep work required. 

What is the greatest compliment you’ve received about your product?

We've had many people tell us that they wish something like this existed when they first started eating plant based because it would have made things a lot easier to switch and incorporate more healthy, whole foods without relying on a lot of highly processed faux meat and prepared alternatives. But, some of the best compliments we have received were from people who are not plant-based, but who really enjoy our products and know that they are getting something healthier and nutritious by switching more of their meals to be plant-based.

How do you view these meal kits making a difference for people in our community?

Our meal kits are made for those busy nights when you’re exhausted and don’t know what to cook. When the urge strikes to just grab takeout, we’re there to help you. 

They’re for the people who want to incorporate more whole foods into their diet but don’t know where to start. 

The people who don’t have the time to prep and chop for an hour, but want to help their kids learn to love veggies. 

We keep the add-in ingredients to a minimum and always optional, no panic about forgetting to grab 10 extra ingredients. And because of the nature of our simple ingredients, our meal kits are ultra affordable. Julie can easily feed her family of 5 (with 2 teenagers) with one of our $12.99 meal kits! 

How did you start working together as a team?

We might seem like a bit of an odd team based on our age difference. During high school and college, Alex actually worked for Julie at a business Julie co-owns with her husband. When Alex started working on business plans for Ember and Oak, she reached out to Julie for input on her plan. Alex was already feeling a bit overwhelmed with the thought of starting a business and Julie fell in love with the business concept, so they decided their skills could complement one another well and help the business to grow more rapidly.

What do you enjoy about working with each other?

Alex loves that she gets to be the creative person, making new recipes and working on creative designs for packaging and marketing, while Julie handles all of the “boring” business-y stuff like bookkeeping and paperwork 😂  We also love being able to bounce ideas off of one another. It is much less daunting to have a business partner in your corner than to tackle everything as a solopreneur.

Where’s your favourite place in New Brunswick?

Alex: Fundy National Park, I grew up camping there every summer.

Julie: It is a boring answer, but I have to say my favourite place in NB is my home. We have a lovely property in Hampton, NB surrounded by the forest but within walking distance of the main part of town. My favourite place is always going to be wherever my family is, especially now that my Mom is living with us and that’s where my dogs and bunnies are, etc. But, if I have to pick another place, it would be Belleisle Bay. I have always wanted to buy property right along on the river out there…still a dream but maybe someday!