Kickstarter

Fresh Truck is a social business that will operate a retrofitted school bus as a mobile farmers market, serving Boston neighborhoods with fresh, affordable fruits and vegetables. We plan to use the funds raised from the Kickstarter to purchase an eco-friendly schoolbus and retrofitting materials in order to launch Spring 2013.

While Boston has done well to invest in a range of community health initiatives, food deserts continue to be a pressing community health concern. Families that reside in food deserts consume on average fewer fruits and vegetables, and endure higher rates of diet-related health issues.

"A food desert is a district in an urban or rural setting with little or no access to large grocery stores that offer fresh and affordable foods needed to maintain a healthy diet." - Julie Smith, Green Cities: An A-to-Z Guide

Fresh Truck will have a regular weekly schedule, reaching multiple neighborhoods each day and targeting communities that are most underserved in terms of food access. Fresh Truck will alter the environment where families residing in food deserts make their food shopping decisions in favor of a healthier lifestyle. This concept is based on a proven model that has been very successful and impactful in other major cities, such as Chicago and Washington, D.C.

With an add-value approach, Fresh Truck will foster community engagement and establish strong working partnerships with key stakeholders including health centers, schools, and other community-based organizations to maximize outreach. Fresh Truck is able to add to the capacity of existing community health programs and school curriculum by utilizing the truck as a platform to educate youth and families around healthy eating, meal preparation and urban agriculture.

So far we have been fortunate to have the initial support of a great team of people and several organizations, such as Boston Rising, a local nonprofit. We are now fully prepared to launch this venture and need your support to take the next step to become operational. The funds raised through this KickStarter will allow us to purchase an eco-friendly schoolbus that we have already identified, as well as install all retrofittings such as hardwood floors, foldout racks for produce, checkout counter, POS system, and exterior bus design.

Daniel Clarke graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Finance and Entrepreneurship. He brings a wealth of finance and startup experience to the business. Prior to Fresh Truck, Dan worked in the finance industry as a Financial Analyst at P&G and as a Research Associate at Brooke Private Equity Associates in Boston. While in school, Daniel was part of several startups, including Zaang Inc., a mobile advertising startup, as Head of Sales.

• Dan is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fresh Truck; he oversees and manages the daily operations of the business and investor relations.  

Josh Trautwein is currently a Project Manager at the Fitzgerald Youth Sports Institute. Josh graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Sociology and his career background is rooted in non-profit leadership and social enterprise. Josh’s extensive field work has included projects in Boston, South Africa and Haiti. Josh is the Founder and President of Soccer1, a 501c3 non-profit that supports community development efforts by connecting grassroots soccer clubs in Boston and Haiti.

• Josh is the Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Fresh Truck; he is primarily responsible for communications, strategic partnerships, community outreach and social innovations.

Igor Souza currently owns and operates two successful small businesses, RogiArt and Bright Cleaning Services, both based out of Cape Cod.  At RogiArt, Igor supports early-stage businesses in developing branding strategies, web site designs, and marketing initiatives.

• Igor is the Chief Creative Officer of Fresh Truck; he is primarily responsible for Fresh Truck’s branding, web site development, and graphic design.

 

Prashanth Gubbala is currently an Analyst at a middle-market investment bank in Boston. Previously, Prashanth served two years in Peace Corps Malawi as a Rural Business Development volunteer, building agricultural and environmental enterprises in rural farm communities in Northern Malawi. Prashanth graduated from Bentley University with a degree in Finance.

• Prashanth is the Chief Strategy Officer of Fresh Truck; he is primarily responsible for the overall financial and business development strategy of Fresh Truck.

Bari is a junior at Harvard College studying Sociology and Psychology. She was a member of the founding board of the Harvard Social Innovation Collaborative and served as the Chair of the Igniting Innovation Summit, a student-run conference devoted to social entrepreneurship that brought together over 250 undergraduates, academics, and leaders in the field. Bari has worked with Youth Represent, an organization that serves young people involved in the criminal justice system, and with the Crimson Summer Academy, an innovative academic program for high-achieving Boston youth. At Harvard, she currently serves as co-director of Youth Prison Tutoring, which provides one-on-one mentorship to incarcerated young adults.

• Bari is the Public Relations Director of Fresh Truck; she is responsible for Fresh Truck’s social media outreach and public relations. 

*Shoutout to Andrew Wood for directing/editing the video!