Nowadays, life moves fast — and for people on the go, it can be challenging to consistently prepare healthy, organic meals on a daily basis. Becky Brauer saw a solution to this issue long before food delivery services like Fresh Prep were commonplace — and it was this ingenuity that allowed her and two friends from high school to launch a successful company in a marketplace that didn’t even exist yet.
In 2014, Becky and two of her friends were attending university together, and over a beer one night they had a chat about the challenges of meal preparation for busy people. It was during this conversation that the idea for Fresh Prep was born.
The food industry was quite different in 2014 — there weren’t many mobile food prep services on the market, and food delivery companies like UberEats and DoorDash had just launched in Silicon Valley. Becky and her co-founders Dhruv Sood and Husein Rahemtulla wanted to create a model where prepared, uncooked food was delivered to customers, and they only had to pay for the ingredients they actually used based off of a meal plan.
Becky and her peers were smart — they knew that most people enjoyed the process of cooking, but they didn’t always have time to shop for good quality ingredients or prepare dishes. The rest, as they say, is history — Fresh Prep now has locations across the Lower Mainland and Victoria, and they plan on entering Nanaimo and Kelowna soon.
What does babes supporting babes mean to you?
I have a philosophy about supporting others. I believe you can only authentically support others if you know and are comfortable with yourself. I recently turned 30, and I feel like I now know who I am and I accept myself wholly. When I was in my 20s, I had a ton of uncertainty, especially as a woman.
During this time, when I was a bit insecure and really just figuring out who I was, I wasn’t sure how to support other people. Since I’ve become comfortable and secure in who I am, I’ve been able to powerfully support other women in a way that is authentic, genuine and generous. It feels great!
If you could fly anywhere in the world tomorrow for 24 hours, where would you go? No jet lag, obvs!
Tokyo has been on my list for so long. I absolutely love Japanese food.
What is your karaoke song?
I love every song off of Ariana Grande’s most recent album. I’d probably attempt Thank U, Next…I like a challenge!
What is the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Quitting my job and starting Fresh Prep. There were a ton of people who were telling me it was a bad idea, and that it was a super risky move.
In 2014, no one really thought that food prep and delivery services had any potential. But I knew if I stayed where I was that I would be miserable, and the idea of having a job I loved was worth the risk. I was 26 — and I knew that if I didn’t take the risk then, I would probably never do it.
What would you consider your “superpower”, aka the thing you can do better than anyone else?
My friends say that I should’ve been a therapist. I’m great at reading people and I can analyze things very quickly.
What new trends are you noticing in your industry?
We’re noticing a ton of people across our industry expanding their menus — and that includes us at Fresh Prep. Consumers are increasingly looking at food delivery and prep services for their overall food needs, not just for ad-hoc, one-time solutions and that requires us to think about our services holistically.
We’re also always looking at the technology of our site and how it best serves the needs of our customers. Embracing innovation can be daunting, but once you start incorporating change into your business, it’s a bit addictive. There are so many ways to constantly analyze and improve business practices through technology. The sky really is the limit.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
I don’t know if I believe in advice. You can get advice from so many people about so many topics, but once you’ve lived something yourself and truly understand it, you innately know what to do better than anyone. I think a lot of advice is well intended but only half-baked.
What characteristics do you most admire in the people you work with?
I’m lucky to be surrounded by people who encompass my two most cherished characteristics: intelligence and a strong work ethic.
Everybody that I work with at Fresh Prep is extremely hardworking, and they put their heart and soul into what they do, both personally and professionally. I feel very fortunate and motivated to be surrounded by such high calibre individuals.
If you could see any live act in the world right now, who would it be and what venue?
If I could’ve seen Queen live, that would have been my bucket list show. I will have to settle for concert footage and my dreams of Freddie Mercury.
What are three things we would find in your fridge at all times?
Amazing items from Fresh Prep, obviously! Typically, I always have Maple Hill free-range eggs, Califia Farms almond milk and fresh berries when they’re in season.
If you could leave your career with one legacy what would you hope it is?
That by embracing technology and innovation, businesses can elevate the purpose, efficiency and responsibility of their companies.
Do you have personal uniform?
A white t-shirt, black skinny jeans, white keds and a sweater. I like to keep things pretty simple.
What public figure do you admire the most?
Serena Williams. Her recent HBO documentary series completely blew me away.
What are you reading right now?
Right now I’m re-reading The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant. I first read it when I was travelling in Costa Rica years ago, and it made me super homesick for the beauty and vastness of British Columbia. I also think that everyone should read Harry Potter….but that could just be because I’m a RavenPuff who loves books.
What is your ideal day off?
I am absolutely obsessed with my dog. My ideal day off is going to a local mountain and hiking with my dog for hours. After we’re done hiking, we’d go to a brewery for some post-sweat food and drinks — and then I’d go to bed early. Getting a good night’s sleep is so luxurious!
What is your signature dinner party meal?
I never cook the same thing twice. I make it an all-day project and always try to do something interesting — after all, it’s what I do for a living, so I take great pride in menu design.
Tell us something amazing about one of your closest industry competitors or neighbours?
I’ve tried every food prep company on the planet, I swear. What Hello Fresh has been able to achieve at the scale they’ve done it at is extremely impressive.
Keep up with Becky on Instagram @beckybrau and @freshprep.ca
Introduction written by Alexis Sheridan.
Photography by Ryan Pugsley.