Foodpreneur

Foodpreneur:

Kristi Thomas

About the Foodpreneur:

I am a Mom-Preneur....Balancing the FAM and the BIZ!

About the LuNcHoLOgy Biz:

"LuNcHoLOgy® Lunch Bag: That Educate, Entertain and Inspire" has created more than 1,000 Themed Lunch Bag Sets designed for children of all ages, as well as adult brown-baggers. Made from recycled paper and printed with non-toxic soy-based ink, LuNcHoLOgy® Lunch Bags are biodegradable. Each Themed Set includes 25 one-of-a kind creations where no 2 bags are alike. Original Illustrations and Age Appropriate Fun Facts are printed on one side of each bag, while space is allocated for a child's name, room number and teacher's name on the other.  Topics span the gamut, from foreign languages to grosser-than-gross tidbits and sports trivia. The interesting facts and figures entice children so much, that kids are learning when they don't even realize it!  LuNcHoLOgy®: Building Brains, Bite By Bite!®

Founded:

2002

Marketing Strategies:

Net-Weave,...with Other Entrepreneurs,....DAILY! Connect with Writers and Editors Frequently to remind them to take the LuNcHoLOgy® story out of the Freezer and put us in the Microwave/in print!

In The News:

LuNcHoLOgy® has captured the attention of the national media, has received several Entrepreneurial Awards and has been highlighted in newspapers and magazines all over the globe. Features include Entrepreneur Magazine, Kid Around Town Magazine and the February 2007 - 75th Anniversary Edition of Family Circle Magazine. LuNcHoLOgy® has been featured on NBC's Emmy Nominated, "Mommy, Inc.," CNN's Anderson Cooper 360° and on Business Week TV, just to tout a few.

Kristi knew LuNcHoLOgy was a hit when:

When The Bag Was In and Out of the Can!

Each morning, I spent a few moments adding a special touch to my daughter Madison's school snack and lunch bags to ease her separation anxiety and homesickness. Some days, it was a love note or word of encouragement, other days it was a brainteaser, joke or fun fact. Whatever the theme, I always took the time to hand-print it, along with some cool artwork, on her otherwise ordinary brown lunch bag. Not only did the lunch bags give Madison a, "Dose of Home" in the middle of the day when she needed it most, but the decorative bags quickly became a hit with her classmates. In fact, kids began asking to keep Madison's used lunch bags when she was done with them or they would wait until she threw them away and retrieve them right out of the trash can! Children, teachers and parents began requesting their own sets. I experienced a "Light Bulb Moment," filed my first patent, outlined a business plan and dove into the family's nest egg, and launched LuNcHoLOgy®.

5 years and 1,500 retail stores later, LuNcHoLOgy® is now run by myself and my now 12 year old daughter,..a Mother-Daughter Duo, if you will. Leveraging our company's Brand Identity, we are turning our, and youngest customer's, attention from the Artwork on the OUTSIDE of our LuNcHoLOgy® Lunch Bags, to what kids pack on the INSIDE of LuNcHoLOgy® Lunch Bags. Together they have created a, "We're Kids and We're Cookin'®" LuNcHoLOgy® LIVE Stage Show that tours throughout the country (15 Cities in 12 Months) alongside Celebrity Chefs from the Food Network. The show delivers Kid Friendly and Heart Healthy Recipe Ideas to Kids in a fun and memorable medium, where the recipes are created by Madison herself, to be published in her "We're Kids and We're Cookin'®" Cook Book in 2008. The "We're Kids and We're Cookin'®" LuNcHoLOgy® LIVE Stage Show provides audiences a glimpse into the LuNcHoLOgy® "We're Kids and We're Cookin'®" DVD Series and up-coming 2008 TV Show.

LuNcHoLOgy® LIVE delivers an important message: "Eat Smart and Feed Your Brain!®" Given the health crisis of our young children, LuNcHoLOgy's® message is one that is more pressing than ever before. Our message is conveyed in a memorable, zany and purposeful medium that kids remember. The LuNcHoLOgy® LIVE Stage Show is chalk full of Fun Food Factoids, Food Science and Nutritional Information delivered via, "Betcha' Didn't Know®" moments that resonate with everyone watching. LuNcHoLOgy® helps kids connect with their Moms and Dads both in school and at home in the kitchen, creating Kid Friendly Heart Healthy Recipes. Our Mantra, Think Before You Eat®!

Words from the Wise:

There have been so many days when Madi and I have been soOoOo tired. I knew that birthing a business alone, might present times when we would be tired and feel like we couldn't possibly take one more step forward. When Madi and I have those days, we just look over our shoulders to see how far we've come. It gives us the energy, to take the next step, to work even harder toward our next Big Break in the TV industry.

Foodpreneur Says:

I first found LuNcHoLOgy while they were presenting at The Fabulous Food Show in Cleveland Ohio this past November 2007.  There eye-popping booth display got me to look and their concept got me interested.  What a brilliant idea!  It is another one of those things that make me say, "why didn't they have that when I was a kid?"  Anything that can make it easier for a child to learn, excite and inspire should be praised.  The Eco-friendly illustrated bags are readily available at retail stores in the North/Mid-West as well as California.  Not available near you?  Don't worry, they have a wonderfully designed e-commerce site that you can purchase them from anytime.  Parents, add these to your grocery list.

Contacting LuNcHoLOgy:

LuNcHoLOgy
540 South Main Street
Suite 813
Akron, OH 44311 US
(888) 485-8624
Website:  LuNcHoLOgy