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Food and Beverage

Healthy Meal Delivery Service Finds a Skilled, Reliable Workforce

Amid a restaurant labor shortage, PRIDE Industries provides employees for kitchen and warehouse positions for MealPro, a company that makes healthy eating easy and affordable. Customers can either order from fitness-specific diet plans like keto meals, choose favorites from an a-la-carte menu, or they can create custom meals from scratch. If customers have medical conditions, heart-healthy meals and low-sodium meals, among others, are available

MealPro delivers their pre-made meals to customers’ doorsteps nationwide using major carriers. Customers who live close to one of MealPro’s stores can pick up meal boxes at their convenience, or one of the company’s courteous drivers will deliver the packaged meals.

The Challenge: Restaurant Labor Shortage

Like many businesses in the food industry, MealPro is impacted by a significant restaurant labor shortage, low retention rates, and high absenteeism. The turnover rate in the food service industry hovers around 75 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. To get its product to customers, MealPro needs a workforce that is skilled, motivated, and reliable in the kitchen and in its delivery service. 

“The restaurant labor shortage is real, and we fish in the same talent pond,” said Andrew Sartori, MealPro’s Founder and CEO. “We need employees who show up on time and take their jobs seriously.”

The Solution: A Reliable, Skilled Workforce

To bridge the talent gaps MealPro turned to PRIDE Industries. PRIDE Industries is a social enterprise with a mission to provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The organization is now a vital partner for MealPro in addressing its workforce needs.

“The employees we hire from PRIDE Industries come to work on time and are happy to be here,” said Sartori. “They are very detail oriented. In fact, one of the gentlemen we hired can cross-reference a list with 500 items. He is a phenomenal worker.”

MealPro is so Impressed by PRIDE Industries’ mission and the quality of its employees that Satori extended the partnership to include Chef Dan Catanio’s Culinary Staples Foundation. Chef Catanio developed a program to train youth with disabilities in Sacramento and Placer counties for employment in the culinary field, with a particular focus on jobs in the food service industry.

“Our goal is to help give our students the skills and confidence they need to work in restaurants and other food service businesses,” said Chef Catanio.

When students complete the program, PRIDE Industries steps in with job placement and support services to foster students’ success.

The Result: A Delicious Partnership

The partnership between MealPro, Culinary Staples, and PRIDE Industries is generating a reliable talent pool for MealPro and beyond. Contrary to misconceptions, there are proven business benefits to hiring people with disabilities. Research published by the National Institutes of Health found that businesses that hire people with disabilities measurably improve profitability due to lower turnover and long-term retention, reliability, punctuality, productivity, and customer loyalty and satisfaction.

This collaboration not only improved the company’s operations but also inspired it to contribute to the economic health of the region by offering culinary training opportunities to youth with disabilities. The positive impact on employees, business performance, and the local community underscores the value of such partnerships in the food industry.

“The employees we hired from PRIDE Industries come to work on time and are happy to be here. They are very detail-oriented. In fact, one of the gentlemen we hired can cross-reference a list with 500 items. He’s a phenomenal worker.”

— Andy Satori, Founder and CEO, MealPro

Brewery Solves Labor Shortage with Employees with Disabilities

Jerry Moore acquired Knee Deep Brewing Company in 2010, initially using a contract brewing facility in South Lake Tahoe to make beer and ship kegs to bars and restaurants just over the Nevada border in Reno. Fast-forward to 2013, when operations moved to its current home, a 37,000 square-foot, 40 BBL brewhouse with multiple 120 BBL fermenters. Unfortunately, labor shortages have been a persistent challenge.

The Challenge: A Reliable Workforce

“We had trouble finding reliable, hardworking employees to do the work.”  

Like many front-line roles in the wake of the Great Resignation, the labor shortage faced by the brewering was real, and turnover was high and disruptive.

Moore came up with a novel solution. Just down the road from the Auburn, Calif., brewery was a job development center run by PRIDE Industries, training people with disabilities for real-world jobs. Moore reached out and a crew from the social enterprise started in 2020. It’s been a win-win relationship ever since.

“The first thing that surprised me was how happy they were to be here,” Moore said. “They show up on time, work hard, are a lot of fun, and have turned out to be a perfect fit.”

The Solution: Workers with Disabilities a Perfect Fit

Such a great fit that when Knee Deep launched its first special brew to call attention to Autism Awareness Month in April 2022, they named the beer Perfect Fit, complete with a PRIDE Industries logo on the cans to call attention to autism and promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce. The brewery made 10 barrels and sold out in a few weeks.

“It was an English-style IPA which people liked,” said Brewmaster Dean Roberts, “but I think people also liked the cause of autism awareness, and it gave them a reason to choose that beer.”

The PRIDE Industries team named the 2023 version of the April brew—Hoppy Roger—with a pirate-themed label that included caricatures of employees Aaron, Thomas, Zach, and Evan crewing the ship with a Knee Deep logo replacing the skull in the traditional Jolly Roger flag. This time the company made 30 barrels to satisfy demand. 

Knee Deep donates a portion of proceeds to The Michael Ziegler PRIDE Industries Foundation, which provides programs to help people with disabilities, veterans, and foster youth—like the team working at the brewery–become job-ready.

“Awareness is great, but we want to do more,” Moore said. “We see the power of acceptance and inclusion and want to spread to the news.”

The Result: Contagious Enthusiasm

Should other breweries consider hiring people with autism or other disabilities? Yes, but not just brewers. “It’s not that different from hiring anyone else,” Moore said. “It’s finding the right person for the right job. This job happens to work for these individuals, and they love it.”

Take crew member Zach, for example. Ask him if he likes his job, and he answers immediately: “I love it.”

“They’re happy to be here, and that’s contagious,” said Roberts. “We’re all one team, and everyone enjoys working together. You don’t even think about the disability part anymore.”

It helps that a PRIDE Industries job coach is on hand to make sure everything runs smoothly.

“I love working with this team,” said coach Aaron Cartwright-Vasquez. “They’re great workers—I have to make sure they have what they need and take their breaks.” Cartwright-Vasquez provides transportation for those who need it and ensures everyone understands their schedules, which can vary weekly. “They’re waiting for me every morning wearing smiles.”

Untapped Labor Source

“Knee Deep Brewing has always been proud to have the best people working for it,” Moore likes to say. “Without them, we would not be where we are today. With great people comes great beer!”

More than 15 million people of working age in the U.S. identify as having a disability, an Accenture study found. The study found that companies that actively recruit and manage employees with disabilities have 28 percent higher revenue, twice the net income, and 30 percent higher profit margins. “Persons with disabilities have to be creative to adapt to the world around them,” the study said. “As such, they develop strengths such as problem-solving skills, agility, persistence, forethought, and a willingness to experiment—all of which are essential for innovation.”

Services

  • Packaging and fulfillment

Knee Deep Brewing Logo

“The first thing that surprised me was how happy they were to be here. They show up on time, work hard, are a lot of fun, and have turned out to be a perfect fit.”

— Knee Deep Brewing Company Owner Jerry Jones
cleaning in a hotel room

GDS expands its social mission and its business, with the help of PRIDE Industries.

Established in January of 2000, Granite Data Solutions (GDS) is a California Certified Disabled Veteran Owned Enterprise (DVBE) specializing in Client Lifecycle Management with a focus on serving state and local government entities, as well as education-related organizations.

Situation

Driven by the same mission to create job opportunities for veterans and people with disabilities, GDS partnered with PRIDE Industries for assembly and kitting in 2012. PRIDE Industries has since supported the business through its outgrowth of two buildings. Then, in 2018, when GDS expanded further and needed on-site packaging and shipping support, they turned again to a provider they knew they could count on.

Solution

After an evaluation, five work groups, composed of 15 employees with disabilities, were created to handle GDS’s IT-related deployment and depot-style service projects. For every work group hired by GDS, PRIDE Industries provided a work group trainer to help employees with developmental disabilities learn and succeed in their jobs.

With consulting help, GDS earned its Processed Food Registration (PFR) certification from the California Department of Health in October 2018. Instruction and training involved implementing safety, quality, and fulfillment guidelines—including proper food handling procedures, allergen separation, shipping, receiving, and lot code tracking. In addition, PRIDE Industries helped GDS develop its pricing and shop rate. Production lines, using lean manufacturing methods, were also created.

With GDS’s new food processing business plan implemented, work groups now help run up to four food-packing lines and handle shipping for four new customers.

Services Provided

  • Kitting and assembly
  • Pricing and shop rate development
  • Assistance in running up to four food packaging lines
  • Implementation of safety, quality, and fulfillment guidelines
  • Shipping, receiving, and lot code tracking
  • Creation of production lines using lean manufacturing methods

Results

  • Continued annual expansion
  • Processed Food Registration (PFR) certification
  • Four new business accounts acquired
  • Over 7,000 pallets per year
  • 24 truckloads per month
  • Expansion of mission of providing job assistance and training to people with disabilities.
  • Hiring of PRIDE Industries-trained individuals with developmental disabilities for its permanent staff
GDS logo

Highlights

15

individuals with developmental disabilities

8
years of business partnership
>7,000
pallets shipped per year
20
work groups of individuals with disabilities

“It’s been amazing to see what PRIDE Industries and GDS have been able to achieve in such a short amount of time. We’re excited to see what our partnership will bring in the future.”

— Brigg Goodwin, President, Granite Data Solutions

Neck Nosh Finds a Flexible Workforce with PRIDE Industries

Neck Nosh is a Sacramento-based manufacturer of pretzel necklaces worn at festivals, concerts, and outdoor events. This “foodie-fun” company’s necklaces have found their way to brewfests, from California to Florida. Erica Humphrey, the company’s owner, seeks to make Neck Nosh a “social purpose business.” 

Situation

Due to both COVID-related worker shortages and the seasonal nature of Neck Nosh’s workload, the edible-necklace company needed a flexible, reliable workforce to build its product. Moreover, with long-term experience working with people of diverse abilities, Neck Nosh’s founder specifically sought to hire an inclusive workforce. Seeking a partner with a similar mission, Neck Nosh turned to PRIDE Industries to provide staffing solutions. 

Solution

PRIDE Industries provided a flexible, reliable workforce to Neck Nosh, consisting of five employees—three with documented disabilities and one PRIDE Industries job coach. These employees make between 2,000 and 3,000 pretzel necklaces per month—95% of Neck Nosh’s production—allowing the company’s owner to focus on running the business. The consistency of PRIDE Industries’ workforce has also allowed Neck Nosh the time and forethought to streamline their processes. 

Services Provided

  • Pretzel necklace building
  • 5 employees, 3 with a disability
  • Recruiting 

Results

  • 2,000 to 3,000 necklaces made per month 
  • Flexible workforce has provided business stability 
  • Skilled and reliable employees with low turnover 
  • Meeting of Neck Nosh’s goal for a diverse and inclusive workforce 
Neck Nosh logo

Highlights

60%
employees with documented disability
3,000
necklaces made per month

“I can't stress enough how important PRIDE Industries’ reliable workforce is and how much stability that has given my business.”

— Erica Humphrey, Owner of Neck Nosh