Meet Kelly Sanders of Klean Plate

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Sanders.

Kelly, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Food has always been my passion. When I graduated from culinary school in Philadelphia, I was thrilled to learn I had been accepted into America’s Test Kitchen’s intern program in Boston. I was thrilled.

As a recipe developer at America’s Test Kitchen, I received an education that I could not buy; Every day felt like the culinary equivalent of Navy Seal training. In addition to my Internship at ATK, I took a personal training job directly across the street at Beacon Hill Athletic Club. In a matter of months, I became their most requested trainer with a large, dedicated clientele.

I attribute so much of the success I’ve had with Klean Plate to the community I found at Beacon Hill. They gave me the autonomy and support to do what I thought was best for both the gym and our clients. When my clients asked me to do meal prep for them to support their fitness regime, Beacon Hill gave me their blessing to launch my clean eating meal service with them, which was a smash hit at the gym. I called it Klean Plate.

You may think to start this side hustle would be a dream come true but It was a nightmare. Clients often canceled orders or placed them last minute. I was constantly driving to and from Costco, lugging heavy bags of groceries up and down the stairs to my apartment where I’d spend the next 6-8 hours making and measuring hundreds of meals for my clients. Free time and I were total strangers.

In an effort to gain some sanity and control over my life, I signed up for my first figure competition, a hobby I knew would reintroduce and demand a regiment back into my life. My diet was meticulous. I ate every 3 hours, weighed every gram of food that entered my mouth, and cut out all processed food and sugar.

While pursuing a state of physical perfection, my sweet tooth threw a tantrum and I was left feeling infuriated with the options posing as high protein. They were high carb, loaded with preservatives, and sugar which I would and could not have. I was a broken woman without carbs so I put my America’s Test Kitchen hat back on and spent weeks creating a protein pancake recipe that tasted like the real thing and also met the needs of my competitor diet. I tested over 200 different recipes before I cracked the code.

When I tried that first bite, I knew in my heart I discovered something truly special and I couldn’t wait to get it on the Klean Plate menu. My clients went crazy for the pancakes and I threw myself into the business, cannonball style. Because of my experience living paycheck to paycheck, I knew 3 key things – how to be scrappy, how to hustle, and how to sell. Anything I didn’t know, I googled.

Even with my BA in Culinary Management, I discovered that there is no easy path to starting a business. If I’ve learned anything in the last two years, it is to show up, own my brand, and be prepared for anything. When doubt creeps in, my confidence is boosted by knowing that I have Bliss Batter is a solid product that people love.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My little red Fiat 500 has served me well. For SOWA Markets, it can pack one 8X8 tent, two tables, a chalkboard, one rolling cooler, banners, and 100+ quarts of Bliss Batter- Tetris really paid off! One Sunday morning, I arrived at the copacker at 6 AM to load 200+ lbs of BLISS Batter. Two of my sales reps were awaiting my delivery at the market. Health inspectors were arriving by 9:30 AM It was a sweltering hot day in July but I bundled up in my winter parka to enter walk-in freezers.

I entered the freezer same as always, past the pints of ice cream, and cages of bone broth, but this time to my astonishment, my Klean Plate cage was empty. I could not find my product anywhere. Now, with a parked car, paid staff, booked market, and no product to sell I called the copacker hoping there’d be a simple explanation. My heart stopped when I learned my purchase order had fallen through the cracks. The market was a bust, and Klean Plate was officially on back order for three weeks.

This isn’t irregular for Food Business owners. There have been hundreds of situations like this, which required me to be resilient, responsive, and calm. It’s all a giant learning curve. Owning my own business has taken me to the mountain tops and deep into the valley. It has taught me lessons about myself and others that I could never learn in a classroom. I can’t wait for the day when Klean Plate is a household brand and I’ve made up my mind to work relentlessly until that day comes.

Klean Plate – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Klean Plate is the Boston-based fitness food company revolutionizing the clean eating scene with outside=of=the box products like BLISS Batter. BLISS is the first and only ready-made protein pancake batter on the market. Bliss is for perfect for “on-the-go” busy bees and “on-the-slow” Sunday brunch lovers. Simply scoop, flip, and ENJOY! “Life don’t get BATTER than BLISS!”

Why BATTER is BETTER:
1.Convenience: No measuring, no mess, no stress! Simply scoop batter onto warm griddle and you’re done!

2.Nutrition: BLISS has the best nutrition compared to all other brands. 3 BLISS Classic pancakes or waffles equals 166 cals 20g Protein, 9g carbs, 1g sugar, Gluten-free, Nut-free and made with only 4 all-natural ingredients, (no preservatives). As a former recipe tester for America’s Test Kitchen and renowned personal trainer, sports nutritionist, and figure competitor Kelly’s drive to develop Bliss came from a desire for healthy alternatives to traditionally unhealthy comfort foods.

What surprises most, is not only does it taste better than regular pancakes it also contains more protein than a protein shake, less sugar than a greek yogurt, and less carbs than a rice cake! Yes; pancakes made healthy, and this is just the first of many ‘Klean’ products to come.

3.Flavor: Should this come as a surprise? Kelly is a food scientist, Chef, Nutritionist and flat-out foodie with a sweet-tooth. In taste tests, Bliss wins 9/10 times against competitors- this includes regular boxed mix! Don’t believe us? Try us out and send us a public review on Instagram @KleanPlate or on our website www.kleanplate.com. Tell us! How do we stack up?

More about Klean Plate:
Klean Plate is 100% women-owned and small percentage of proceeds go towards chronic Migraine research and awareness. To Learn More please visit: www.KleanPlate.com.

Pricing:

• $25 in stores
• $55 2 Quart VIP Subscribe & Save
• $65 2 Quarts FREE DELIVERY
• $79 3 Quart VIP Subscribe & Save
• $88 3 Quarts FREE DELIVERY
• $99 4 Quart VIP Subscribe & Save
• $110 4 Quart FREE DELIVERY

Contact Info:

• Address: 34 Claymoss Rd Brighton MA 02135
• Website: www.KleanPlate.com
• Phone: 9086256045
• Email: Kelly@KleanPlate.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kleanplate/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kleanplate/
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/klean-plate/

Image Credit:
Benjamin Flythe

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