Organic Kids L.A., launched by Lisa Rotondi, is the leading lunchbox delivery program in LA which delivers hot lunches to children in schools and gets them excited about nutrition through kid parties, cooking camps and children’s culinary lessons. Through Organic Kids L.A., parents can be assured that their kids are being fed organic fresh fruits and vegetables among other sustainable, healthy foods.
HBM: Tell us about your business and how it works?
Rotondi: “Organic Kids L.A. is a school lunch company servicing private preschool, elementary, middle and high schools throughout Los Angeles. We serve organic and non-GMO foods, such as grass-fed beef and free-roaming chickens with no GMO in their feed. Our food is made mostly from scratch, from our sauces and doughs, to our freshly baked cookies and sweet treats of the day. Parents log onto our website and view the menu for the month, from their they select which days they would like meals delivered as well as which meal from each day’s specific menu. Parents prepay for the meals and the food is delivered daily, directly to the schools, in reusable containers.”
HBM: Let’s backtrack, what were you doing before launching Organic Kids L.A. and what inspired you to start the company?
Rotondi: “Prior to launching Organic Kids L.A., I was an actress for over 20 years! I worked regularly but after having my son, I wasn’t as interested in traveling and hustling in the industry. I was looking for something more creatively rewarding. It started small with making baby food in my kitchen and selling it at the farmer’s market and eventually grew from there to what Organic Kids L.A. is today.”
HBM: I know you started your business from your own kitchen, what were the biggest challenges you faced in the beginning?
Rotondi: “The biggest challenge in working from home is the pull between home life and getting work done. I was also going to a shared commercial kitchen in Pasadena to make the actual food so there was a lot of time spent on travel to and from the kitchen, my home and various farmer’s markets and home deliveries. In the beginning, there is very little reward for your work but I feel the reason we have made it thus far to where we are is that I was hell bent on making the business succeed. I knew there was something different in what we were doing and slowly it morphed and became what it is now.”
HBM: What are three pieces of advice you would give someone launching a business at home?
Rotondi:
- Feel comfortable in your space (your home).
- Be passionate about what you are creating.
- Have some fire behind you – don’t just start something because you need something to fill your days. Have a real reason behind starting a business because it’s way harder than it looks.
HBM: When did you realize it was time to take your business out of your home?
Rotondi: “When I could no longer deal with the drive out to our shared commercial kitchen where there was no office. I went and found a friend who had a restaurant that did not serve breakfast or lunch so we set up shop there and I did all my work out of that space for a good year.”
HBM: What, if anything, do you miss about working from home?
Rotondi: “Honestly, I still have a home office so I don’t have to miss it too much. But waking up and leaving for our kitchen and office has its rewards but the downside is that I have to get in the car and drive there.”
HBM: Where do you see your business in three years?
Rotondi: “I hope to expand the business outside of Los Angeles. I would love to be able to provide healthy lunches for children all over and think it’s possible within the next three years. I would also love to have the program available in public schools.”
