When will we reach the tipping point of a global transition to veganism? This is the question Mark Perlmutter, Founder and CEO of the new startup VegReady.com, has been asking himself throughout his nearly 40 years as a vegan.
“I can see clearly that now is the time,” said Perlmutter. “VegReady has been designed for this very moment.”
His vegan meal subscription company was born from this idea: more and more people are becoming aware that a vegan diet can dramatically benefit their health and the fate of our planet, but making or maintaining the switch feels too difficult. To someone starting out, a vegan diet can seem inconvenient, expensive, and bland.
Perlmutter has positioned VegReady to address this in a number of ways. For maximum convenience, the meal delivery is a subscription service. The food comes pre-cooked and ready to eat. Unlike other meal delivery services that have frozen foods that require refrigeration, VegReady meals have a 12-month shelf life without refrigeration. This means subscribers don’t have to fuss with delivery schedule coordination or food waste. And once they’ve received the meals, they can be stored in the cabinet or even in a desk at work – making it as easy as possible to eat plant-based foods.
“Texture is everything,” said Perlmutter, referring to his strict focus on making the meals tasty and delicious. “Freezing wasn’t an option because it turns everything to mush. So we found a technology that allowed us to preserve the food while maintaining its freshness and incredible flavor.
The startup is sourcing its first set of meals from Peru, which attracted Perlmutter because of their total ban on GMOs. VegReady’s Peruvian cuisine features foods like quinoa, spinach, tomato and mango.
Perlmutter hopes VegReady will be useful not just for established vegans and those transitioning, but especially for anyone who wants to help their family and friends in their transition. Eric Brent, the founder of HappyCow, is on board with this approach as well, “Mark is a long-time friend and I’ve watched as he has created VegReady meals. Finally, all vegans have a great tool to help their friends and family eat more plant-based.”
The VegReady mission for the future is to roll out over 200 different meals that can be personalized to a person’s DNA and microbiome. “The future of food is going to be very personalized, so we’re setting VegReady up to be a major player in that space.”
“Whata great idea – healthy plant-based meals in a box! Now, there is a prescriptionI will love to write! This is the real medicine that Hippocrates told us to eatso long ago – and this ancient food-based “therapy” is the key todisease-prevention and healing for our busy 21st century lives!” – Dr. Michael Klaper, Celebrity Vegan Doctor & Author
The Peruvian Cuisine meals are now available for order through their website: www.VegReady.com
MarkPerlmutter, Founder & CEO of VegReady.com
