Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kevin Grider. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kevin , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?

For me, this is the easiest question to answer from the dropdown. I have been blessed with lots of help along the way, from borrowing fork trucks, to driving a ton (literally one ton) of Bacon Jam up to Chicago on occasion. However none have held the line for me like my Aunt Becky. And while she has been gone for some time now, there is no other reason as to why I am here, doing what I have been doing. She was my favorite person as a kid, many times, I chose to hang out with Aunt Becky over kids my own age. Always delivering monumental quips that I remember to this day…. she represents the driving force, behind my persistence. We used to cook all the time, ( she was on a special macrobiotic diet) and cooking was a lot of fun with her. Before passing, Becky made me promise to become a Chef. I don’t know what career I would have otherwise chose.

Kevin , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Kevin, I’ve had a culinary job since I was 15 years old. I went to school for Culinary Arts, Hospitality Admin, and Restaurant Management in Muncie, Indiana. After college I spent a few years working at the Marriott, and at the same time I was the Sous chef for a private country club. Juggling two full time jobs was tough, luckily I had a little bit of perseverance. After a handful of years of not sleeping, I decided to take a position in a small town, opening a casual fine dining restaurant in the hometown of James Dean. It went so well, we had a 2 hour wait (sometimes more) from the moment we opened onward. After multiple news interviews, and some publications went out, I began to get approached from other restaurant owners wanting help. That is when I started Midwest Fresh, originally I was just going to do restaurant consulting. That grew into offering my own line of foodservice products in gallons, mainly to the restaurants I was consulting for. It didn’t take long for me to need a distributor, and after going to the first food show, things were going well. I received a lot of feedback from folks wanting to buy smaller jars… and the retail line was born. those first two years I drove over 180k miles, knocking on doors, and giving away free samples. I was so happy to turn over my first 32 accounts to the distributor. Now we are in over 2,000 locations, a store in every state. Last October we launched in 900+ Walmart’s in some of the most densely populated suburban areas in the country. Part of what I do stems from how I would want to be treated, I was lucky enough to have some good influence when I was young… I know my Aunt Becky is looking out for me still.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

After spending tons of money and time setting up my products on different online platforms and distribution channels, I received an email of a lifetime. The buyer from Walmart wanted to know if I was interested in selling to them!? After a quick conversation the meeting was set and I was on the road to Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. The drive was unlike any other drive. There was a feel to it, I was headed to the home office of the largest retail chain in the country. Leading up to arriving in Arkansas I was trying to think of anything that would matter. I even stopped and bought a new pair of shoes to wear because I didn’t realize that my current pair was way past their prime haha… The Broker I chose, definitely helped during the interview process. Upon the buyer entering the room, I heard her say that she was a vegetarian and that she was gonna try my Bacon Jam, but wanted me to know that it was not her kind of food. (that was about the highest my blood pressure got). Fifteen exhilarating minutes later and we were walking back out to the truck, Signed paperwork in hand. I needed to get home to fill out the new vendor information. – I made it into Walmart. A year later and our quarterly sales are up. sales were up 30% through covid and we have been awarded yet more locations. cresting 1,000 brick and mortar Walmarts come this October.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Its easy to say a company like Walmart has been amazing, however the most amazing thing is all of the small single location general stores, mercantile, hardware stores, specialty grilling/cook stores co-ops, and every kind of store in between. I strive to offer the best customer service, the best possible quality product, and to get it to my customers as fast as I possibly can. Efficiency has helped boost my reputation, The reviews we get on Etsy and Faire are top notch, and humbling. Knowing that my products mean something to the folks out there selling them is the most special feeling a business owner can ask for.

Contact Info:

• Website: mwfresh.com
• Instagram: mw.fresh
• Facebook: midwestfresh
• Youtube: midwest fresh

Image Credits
just me in the two photos