Meet Gabriella A Local Farmer

Today you’ll meet Gabriella who is a co-owner of “Fresh Is What We Have” with her best friend Mandey. Two years ago, Gabriella was able to re-connect with Mandey after several years had passed. The two girls had grown up together ever since elementary school where they met. Both girls always talked about them going into business together, especially after they ran a successful lemonade stand together for a couple of summers.

During Mandey’s junior high school year, her and her parents had to move from California to Idaho, because of her dad’s job adding another location there. The girls were able to keep in touch until both went off to college. Mandey went to college in New York City and Gabriella went to college in North Carolina. Both girls tried to live in those same states after college, but both came to the same conclusion, those states weren’t for them. So, Mandey moved back to Idaho to start her new life there. Gabriella decided to take the plunge and move to New York City. After college they kind of lost touch with each other and when their careers took over.

Several years after graduating college Mandey met her now husband Kevin and they have two kids, Nathan is seven and Melissa is five. Mandey’s career went the way of working in the job market for different companies. But never satisfied, she always knew that she wanted to be in business for herself. Many times, Mandey and Kevin would talk about her quitting her job and starting one of her own. She didn’t feel comfortable with quitting her job and losing that income until the business started to take off. Even though her husband has a really good job where finances wouldn’t be a problem.

Gabriella’s career went the way of working in the corporate lifestyle and trying to keep moving up and staying on top of her game while doing it. Success was happening for her, she had been working for a great company for the last 10 years. Unfortunately, the company had a couple big accounts that needed to downside within their own companies. Which meant Gabriella and her job needed to be downside and she was laid off. Gabriella wasn’t sad about it at all, her company gave her a very nice severance package, she has stock with the company and over the years was able to put away a good amount of funds. While enjoying her time off from working, she decided to try and re-connect with Mandey after many years. Within a few weeks of trying different avenues, she was able to get ahold of her and they talked for hours one evening. Gabriella, explained how she was recently laid off from work and wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next. Mandey, jumped in and mentioned, “well then come out to Idaho, it will be fun.” Gabriella, agreed and thought it would be a fun time to visit Mandey for a few months. Gabriella, got a friend of hers to take over her lease of the New York City apartment for a couple of months.

A month after Gabriella went out to Idaho to visit with Mandey, both started seriously talking about starting up a business together out there. Mandey decided to bring her husband on board and create a partnership between the three of them. Also, Kevin has a lot of experience in this field since this is what he does for a living at his job. Gabriella, Mandeyy and her husband all agreed on that Gabriella would put up half the money upfront and Mandey & Kevin would put up the other half. Kevin would be more like a silent partner just giving legal advice when asked, because his job requires him to be out of town several times a month.

It has been a busy 8 to 12 months for Gabriella and Mandey since the ground-breaking start of their new business together. Their calling it “Fresh Is What We Have” it’s a company that caters to businesses and the public at a huge weekly farmers market in their city. The two women decided to concentrate mostly on one type of food to sell at the farmers market which is all different kinds of seasonal fruit. Their moto is “Farm to Table” is the concept that everything they sell has come directly from a farm and hasn’t been processed. They buy their fresh fruits directly from the farmers at wholesale prices and then sell them at the farmers market.

In the last 8 to 12 months, Mandey quite her job & Gabriella gave up her lease apartment in New York City and now lives in Idaho in Mandey & Kevin’s guest house. She loves it because it’s a standalone place with all the amenities and she feels like she can really call it home for herself. Mandey & Kevin was mostly using it as guest/storage place. Their two kids Nathan & Melissa are getting older now and can help at the farmers market more.

Also, in these past months Kevin helped them to get a promotional strategy together. Helping them have a website presence, social media presence and items that could be passed out to customers. But also, to try and get new customers/businesses to buy from them at the farmers market.

Things are going well for Gabriella & Mandey with their new business adventure. Well enough that Mandey wants to pitch the idea to Gabriella and Kevin of possibility of selling another line of food items. You see, Mandey came across a farmer name Paul who sells mostly to stores but might be willing to sell to them.

Please Note:

All names & events are fictitious and were created to use solely for this blog post. Find out how Gabriella, Mandey & Paul expanded on what was already working for the women and their business. Also, how Paul and his family business started out from his parents pick-up truck.
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