Katie Smith wants residents of Kelowna to think outside of the box when it comes to meal kits.
The health and fitness professional-turned entrepreneur launched an Urban Jars program out of her Kelowna home about three weeks ago.
Urban Jars is a portioned meal prep program that delivers meatless snacks and meals to customers, with ingredients layered in reusable mason jars. The program was developed by Natalie Gaunt in Ontario in 2015.
Smith explained that she is originally from the same area in Ontario as Gaunt and heard about Urban Jars through old friends. While on maternity leave, Smith contacted Gaunt to see if she was interested in franchising.
Over the last year, the two women worked together sorting out the legal details to make Smith the first Urban Jars franchisee.
Now up and running out of a legal suite that her and her husband turned into a commercial kitchen, Smith said she sends a new menu out to customers every week via a text message.
She said a website is in the works, but she likes using text messages because she gets to have one-on-one interactions with customers.
Customers then customize their order, text it to Smith, and her mother-in-law makes the weekly deliveries.
Smith said the menus include breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e all nutrient-dense, meatless, no-sugar-added, no-salt-added meals,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淎nd they害羞草研究所檙e protein plant-based, so they害羞草研究所檙e filling.害羞草研究所�
Examples of breakfast meals include parfaits, egg jars and overnight oats. Lunch meals are salads, and snacks are savoury or naturally sweet 害羞草研究所渂ites.害羞草研究所� Dinner meals are referred to as skillet jars.
害羞草研究所淏asically you dump it in a skillet and heat it up to cook the veggies through and you can add meat to it if you want,害羞草研究所� Smith said.
Meals include jars for kids, too.
害羞草研究所淔or people like myself who have kids who might be picky eaters or are busy and they don害羞草研究所檛 have time to make the meals, there are kids jars, so they害羞草研究所檙e quick and easy,害羞草研究所� she said, adding that she has two young daughters.
Smith said Urban Jars is unique compared to other meal kit delivery services because the ingredients are vegetarian, the items are relatively inexpensive, ranging from $4 to $17, and it害羞草研究所檚 eco-friendly.
害羞草研究所淵ou get the jars, but you don害羞草研究所檛 keep the jar part of it. It害羞草研究所檚 recycled,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淥nce you害羞草研究所檝e eaten your meals and if you order again next week, then we trade. You take the new jars, I take the old ones.害羞草研究所�
For more information about Urban Jars Kelowna, contact Smith on or , or by phone at 250-864-5348.
READ MORE: Vancouver-based meal kit service coming to the Okanagan
karissa.gall@blackpress.ca
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