Daily Inspiration: Meet Sarah Kupec

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Kupec.

Hi Sarah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Moose Meals started during Covid. With the shelves in the grocery stores becoming bare, I started to look into ways to preserve food long-term for my family. Shortly after I bought my first machine, my husband and I were both laid off from our jobs. Looking for ways to help provide for our family, I realized the answer was already at my fingertips. Why not sell freeze-dried snacks and meals? We started slow. Only selling to friends and family. But, in the last year we have grown so much. We are now at events around Colorado, in MECO Coffee Collective and Lucky’s Market in Fort Collins. We also have a few other locations in the works.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Owning your own business is never as smooth as it seems from the outside. The biggest struggles have been trying to educate people on what freeze drying is, growing pains, and machine breakdowns. Growing pains are a good and bad problem that every business has, as well as when equipment breaks down. When I started this venture, I had already for seen and planned as best as I could for these. But, one problem I didn’t foresee is the amount of people that didn’t understand exactly what my product was. When you say to someone this is a freeze-dried apple, they tend to think dehydrated, and with that they think, “Oh, I have one at home I can make these on my own.” Dehydrating and freeze drying are not the same. Dehydrating heats the food up and dries it out. Freeze drying is exactly what it sounds like. It freezes the food and then dries it out. Thus retaining almost all of the nutrients of the food. Also, freeze drying if packaged and stored correctly, can last about 25 years. Think MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) or astronaut food.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
While freeze drying is becoming more prevalent; and we are known mostly for our fruits, veggies, and candy; we are set apart by our Pork Green Chili. We use Hatch green chilis and as most Coloradoans know green chili is great on anything. It is perfect for camping, backpacking, or hiking. Who wouldn’t love a bowl of warm green chili while sitting on top of a mountain? I have had people buy it to keep in their long-term food storage but they always end up eating it and coming back for more. That right there is defiantly a proud moment.

What matters most to you? Why?
Plain and simple, my family matters most to me. Without them, Moose Meals would not be around. If I hadn’t wanted to stay home and raise our son, or if my husband hadn’t supported me and let me take the risk, I wouldn’t be achieving my dreams. Without my brother and brother-in-law, I would still be digging through paperwork and trying to get the right licensing to even open the business. Without my parents teaching my brothers and I to work hard and fight for what you wanted, I never would have tried. Finally, without my first and most loyal customers, we wouldn’t be here and growing the way we are.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://moose-meals.constantcontactsites.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moosemeals20/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moosemeals