Chief Culinary Ninja's Quarterly Update
July 14 2022 – Nick Massie
HELLO IAM FAM!
I'm writing to you from my little piece of heaven up in the heart of Minnesota - it's called Massie Island and if you read to the end, I'll tell you more about it.
My dad visited last night as we watched an incredible sunset and even more amazing moonrise. There was a light breeze making it the perfect temperature with just enough wind to keep the mosquitoes at bay. The only downer of the night was when Paleo Gordy pegged out to beat me at cribbage. He needed 4 points, I gave him a go at 25 and he doubled up with a pair of threes to get 31 for FOUR! I had the cards to beat him, too!
Anyhow, this is my quarterly update encouraged from my good friend Dustin Lansing. With so much going on on a daily basis as an entrepreneur, I have the goal to carve out some time each quarter to update our customers, friends and followers with the latest and greatest. This will be shorter than my last update, I promise.
Here goes!
Our updated sleeve design - a welcome refresh!
This week we will begin rolling out our new sleeve design. After 6 years with the same layout, Designer Dennis Delivered these beauties! We incorporated a new photo style, a cleaner graphic layout, and all macros on the front and back.
These will take awhile to work their way into circulation. We ask for your patience as you might receive a mix of designs for a bit, but the more meals you order, the sooner your freezer will be looking clean and consistent!
If you like the design, leave a comment and let us know. We'll pass the accolades on to Dennis.
The Search For The Best Packaging Continues...
In my last update I shared that we had made the switch from styrofoam to a sustainable solution for the insulation of our meals during transit. We have been using that product for three months and have received feedback from you awesome people.
A few of the issues that we are facing are:
- While the insulation is packed tightly at our warehouse, it compresses in transit and creates room in the box for the meals to move around. This creates a less than pleasant experience and can lead to jumbled up meals and broken trays.
- The low temperature of the meals (-20F) when they are packed creates condensation on the outside of the Thermaliner (the mylar bag that helps keep things cold). This moisture combined with the open fiber style of the insulation makes for a different delivery than we desire.
- We want the meals to arrive to you in a frozen state and we are not 100% confident in the new packaging materials that we are using.
Our responses to these challenges are:
- We are working on a concept called "Box Within Box" that will hold the meals together regardless of insulation compression.
- We are currently testing a new product that has a biodegradable, plastic-like liner to clean up the moisture/fiber issue
- Starting next week, we will begin adding gel packs to your orders. These will provide more cold mass to keep things cool in transit.
- Change brings challenge. We are up for the change and we are up for the challenge. We will continue to do what it takes to find the ultimate solution and we thank you for your patience in the meantime.
As always, we offer a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee. If you have any problems with your order whatsoever, please let us know so we can process the feedback and make sure that you are happy as a clam!
Jerky is in the werky! Bison and Elk Jerky are on the way..
We love snacks! I'm not talking about Pringles and Pop-Tarts, but real food snacks that will help you EAT BETTER. LIVE LONGER.
We have tested a few blends of dried fruits and nuts like our:
- "BEACH BLEND"
- "CHESS MIX"
- "NAUGHTY NUTS"
- "KEALA SHAKA BLEND"
We have received solid feedback on these and will begin rolling them out this quarter.
One of the things about these snacks is that they don't provide a solid protein source. Because of this, we have developed a line of Jerky that we hope to release this quarter as well. We are doing our best to limit the sugar content and will use honey and organic coconut aminos as the main flavor agents.
I'm learning a lot about this process and have the vision to deliver the tastiest, healthiest snacks on the market. Aside from carrot sticks and hard boiled eggs that is!
The amazing people of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.
We are excited at the prospect of working with the Food Bank of Northern Nevada (FBNN)!
We have been in talks and toured each other's facility and are planning to partner up to bring healthy food to those in need. A lot of donated food is shelf stable or extremely perishable (think produce). Because of this, it isn't the healthiest or it is so healthy that it is on its way out (the clock is always ticking on produce).
FBNN is progressive in that their vision is:
- Healthy Food
- Every Person
- Every Day
We hope to work together to achieve this by processing perishable produce and protein into individual meals that can be given to people in need. Aside from just nourishment, being given a healthy, prepared meal is helping set people up for success when they are back on their feet.
Be sure to follow us on Instagram to watch as this relationship progresses.
"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." - Leo Tolstoy
As I mentioned at the start, I am currently in Minnesota at Massie Island. Five years ago, my family was blessed with the opportunity to purchase a 3-acre private island on a lake where my wife's family has a deep history.
In the beginning, I had the vision for the "Paleo Island Experience" - a spin off of the Culinary Adventures that I used to lead to Thailand, Nicaragua and Alaska.
Fast forward to today and, after much toil, patience and time, we will launch the IAM Island Adventure next month. The island will play host to members of our partnership program, The IAMFAM. It will be "An Off-Grid Experience In A Connected World".
I will write a blog post with more details on Massie Island at a future time. There is too much to add here and I promised this update would be shorter than the last one, which was a fib!
Follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our Youtube channel for more content related to this adventure. It will be like nothing you've ever seen, I promise! Can you imagine Kelsey Kiel reeling in a 45" Muskie?
Finally, my one ask!
We have been working hard on our building project for three years now and are ready to get serious. Many of you supported our Help Us COOK Campaign, COOK meaning Construct Our Other Kitchen and many more of you support us on a monthly basis simply by purchasing our meals.
At this point, we are near the final stages of the blueprints and ready to submit plans to the city for permitting. Exciting stuff!
Along with the excitement are the high costs of construction that have nearly doubled since the vision was cast. A few months back, we began toying with the idea of crowd funding. We met with Start Engine and have been accepted into their programs. This would allow you, or any person, to invest in Ice Age Meals for as little as $250.00. This would all be overseen by the SEC in what is called a Regulation CF - CF stands for Crowdfunding.
What we are asking is for feedback from our followers to test the interest of such a program. If you would be interested in this, please email "info@paleonick.com" so that we can gauge if this might be a worthwhile endeavor. Simply email and say something simple like "Start Engine" or "Investment Interest".
OKAY!
Shorter than the last update? I'm not sure, but the information is more current!
I am learning a lot right now. I hope that you are learning a lot too.
The biggest lesson of late is that the key to life is to enjoy the passage of time. There will always be peaks and valleys, the key is to keep your head about you through the climb and the descent. Each hour of your life is of measureless value, each moment is a sacred trust. Deep.
I will leave you by saying thank you for reading this and for following along as I play out my passion with perseverance. I'll also leave you with two pictures from Massie Island.
At Sunrise - From shore looking out to Massie Island.
At Sunset - From Massie Island looking back to shore.
Sunrises and sunsets are things that count!
Happy Thursday!
Your Pal,
Paleo Nick
PS: The Boys like it here too!
