Mom Invented

Jilea Hemmings loves to cook, but found she didn’t quite have the time she wanted to cook for her two young sons. She looked to the grocery store for healthy options her boys would like, but didn’t find what she was looking for. She talked to other parents who had this same issue, and she and her husband, Jamie, decided to launch their own food line.

After a year of development and spending about $40,000 from their 401(k)s, Jilea and Jamie launched Greenie Tots, a line of all natural, meatless, prepackaged meals for children ages six months to 12 years old. The $4 to $5 meals are delivered frozen to the customer’s door and can be ready to eat in less than five minutes.

Greenie Tots are currently sold at local South Florida farmer’s markets, online and over the phone, and the husband-and-wife MBAs have been making all the food themselves in a commercial kitchen while still maintaining full-time jobs.

This year, the couple is working on expanding their business by getting Greenie Tots into stores. Jilea let us in on how their first year of business has gone, from testing recipes to getting on TV for the first time…

Mom Invented®: Why did you start this company and when?

Jilea Hemmings: Parents of two boys, my husband and I are both working professionals committed to our careers, but also to feeding our sons quality, all-natural foods. We didn't have the time readily available to spend hours a day in the kitchen, and during our trips to the grocery store noticed the huge void in the children's food market. We asked ourselves, "If we're having this problem trying to find delicious organic meals for kids, how many other parents are, too?" That's when the concept for Greenie Tots was born in April 2008.

What were your initial goals?

Our initial goal was to create a simple solution to the "Eating Healthy vs. Eating Tasty" debate between parents and children. We wanted to provide busy parents with a simple solution to healthy meals that their children would actually eat and enjoy.

Describe yourself and your family. What is your background and how does it relate to your company?

We call ourselves the J Family. We’re Jamie, 30, Jilea, 28, and we have two sons, Jayden, 2, and Jaxon, 9 months. Jamie and I both hold MBA degrees in business management and we both work in the health care industry, Jamie is an insurance agent and I am a pharmaceutical sales representative. Our kids are the most important part of our lives and we want the best for them.

We thought our older son had autism and later found out he has hearing loss, but we did a lot of research and saw how important diet is to children’s performance and success. At that point, we started making different healthy options for our son. We found this process to be quite time consuming and thought, if we are having this issue, how many other parents are, also?

What was your 'aha' moment when it came to starting your business?

The "aha" moment for us was when we spoke to other parents and they told us how much our business was needed. How they feel guilty when they take their kids to fast food restaurants, but they don't always have the time to make healthy options for their kids. The other "aha" moment was when the kids loved the food and asked for seconds. Anyone who has kids knows how picky they can be, and for them to enjoy the food let me know we were on the right track.

What process did you follow to develop a prototype?

We started with kids’ favorites as our base. Then we replicated the recipes in a healthier way. After we came up with a recipe, we tested it on kids of different ages and changed the recipe based on their responses.

Were there any setbacks in product development that had to be overcome?

Yes, originally our meals contained meat, but do to our kitchen license we had to change all our recipes to be meatless.

How did you determine your product's marketability?

We looked at the demographics, need, and competition when we decided to pursue our idea. We are not the first to make healthy food for kids, but we are the first to use a meat substitute, which allows kids who are used to eating meat as well as those who are vegetarian to eat our meals.

What was the biggest learning curve in terms of developing your product?

The biggest learning curve was understanding what it takes to get a product on the shelves. It is not as simple as making a product and presenting to a store. Also, making frozen entrees requires special storage.

What secrets have you learned in terms of publicity and marketing your product?

We learned that you have to get your brand’s name into the marketplace, whether through articles, promotions, blogs, social networking or TV. One secret I have learned is to always try and get more than you paid for in the media. Example: If you pay for an ad, ask for your name to be mentioned on their website. It’s all about getting your name out there as much as possible.

What was the biggest learning curve in terms of marketing your product?

Overcoming the fact of how costly marketing your product can be. In addition to the fees, we often have to give away free samples. It is not unreasonable that someone would want a free sample if they have never heard of you before, but the costs can add up.

How much money have you invested so far?

My husband and I cashed out our 401(k)s and we also use our paychecks from our day jobs to cover expenses. We have invested $40,000 in our business. It can be very scary when you look at it, because we have used our retirement to fund our company. The other side is feeling empowered. We made a sacrifice to help families have a way to feed their children healthy meal options.

This is our first year being open, and we did not expect to turn a profit. Next year we hope to be in the black, now that we are establishing our base of customers and working on some store accounts.

What has been your greatest success or high point with your product or business?

Our greatest success has been getting on TV and being able to display our hard work.

How have you managed to juggle the roles of business owner and mom?

It has been very difficult running a business, still working our full-time jobs and taking care of our kids. Unfortunately, my kids do not get as much undivided attention from us as they used too. On the weekends we don't get to spend time together until the evening. That breaks my heart, but I hope our company will be successful and we can hire help so that we get more time to spend with our kids.

What kind of support system do you have in place personally and professionally?

Personally, we have a great nanny who helps us with our kids and my family helps us with our business any way they can. Professionally, we have a great group of people who have done a lot of work for us, sometimes even for free, like our graphic designer, medical adviser, lawyer and PR company. Without our great team we would not be able to have our business.

Who has been your biggest source of inspiration?

Our children have been my biggest inspiration. I want them to have all that life has to offer and I want them to see what hard work and determination turn into. What keeps me going is that failure is not an option. Mistakes may happen, but failure is not an option. We are role models for our children, and I want them to see it is not always easy, sometimes you may make mistakes, but giving up is not an option.

Greenie Tots has taught me how strong I really am. A lot of people talk a good game, but take no action. When you start your own business and work it you are showing your commitment to faith and yourself that you can make your idea a success.

What advice would you offer other moms developing their ideas?

Research, research, research. Then stick to your guns and work hard on making your idea happen. There is always someone who is going to be pessimistic. There is going to be guilt that you will not have the same free time as before to spend with your family, but we spend on average 40 hours a week working a business that we do not own. If we spent just half of that time on our own ideas, think of where could we be. Don't give up!

Thank you for sharing your story, Jilea! You can learn more about Greenie Tots at GreenieTots.com. If you have a great story to share, we'd love to hear it!

Tagged as: children's product, family business woman entrepreneur, featured mom, food business, kid-inspired, mom entrepreneur, startup business