Food

Food

Tackling inequities in Louisiana’s food system.

Our Impact
Since 2011, Propeller has incubated and accelerated 300+ ventures through the Impact Accelerator and Social Venture Fund. Collectively, they have generated over $291million in external financing and revenue and created 485+ full- and part-time jobs. Our businesses and nonprofits overall have an 84 percent survival rate, compared to the national average of 84 percent.

Food Focus Area
In a city famous for its food, Propeller envisions a local food system that is economically sustainable and vibrant, where local food products are manufactured here and shared with the world, building a stable local economy that ensures all its residents have enough to eat. Through our Impact Accelerator, Propeller works with entrepreneurs who are starting or growing consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, with a focus on sustainable, healthy, and affordable products made with locally-sourced ingredients. Together with our ventures and partners, we are working to grow New Orleans’ food manufacturing system, prioritizing products that preserve our city’s unique food culture, advance equity, and positively impact the environment. Propeller leads research initiatives related to increasing access to nutritious food for K-12 students, and advocates for specific policies and regulations that can increase equitable access to fresh, healthy, local food for all New Orleanians.

Healthy School Food Collaborative Research
From 2011-2022, Propeller has coordinated multi-year research and intervention initiatives to improve healthy food access and consumption for New Orleans public school children. Through collaborations with the Healthy School Food Collaborative LLC, countless school leaders, staff, students and families, the Louisiana Public Health Institute, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, K. Allen Consulting, and many others, we have influenced the New Orleans school feeding ecosystem, resulting in increased healthy food access and nutritional quality of meals. We have also uncovered a number of factors within school policies and operations that have significant impacts on students’ healthy school food consumption.

Below are observations and recommendations that we propose based on the analysis of our research findings at different phases of this project:

Observations

  • Many low-cost or no-cost interventions exist to support students to consume more of their healthy food offerings.

Recommendations

  • We encourage school administrators to schedule recess or physical activity options prior to the lunch meal to increase students’ healthy food consumption.
  • We recommend that school administrators do not implement punitive lunch room practices, such as silent lunch, which has a direct negative impact on meal consumption levels. Behavior management tactics that do not foster social emotional learning and positive cafeteria environments are, furthermore, not aligned with trauma-informed education and trauma-informed nutrition principles. These practices can directly harm a child’s physical and mental state as well as long term nutrition outcomes. Read more about trauma-informed nutrition here.
  • We encourage school administrators to consistently monitor food quality and to include criteria for improved food quality standards in the RFP rubric for school food services. Sample RFP rubric language can be found here. If a Food Service Management Company (FSMC) is consistently failing to meet standards of quality, consider switching vendors and including a provision in the contract to allow for cancellation of contracts when food quality standards are not met.
  • We recommend that schools integrate nutrition education for staff, students and families to positively impact consumption and an increased awareness of the importance of eating a healthy lunch.

Full reports for each phase of research can be accessed in the links below:

Healthy School Food Collaborative 2014 Report
Healthy School Food Collaborative 2016 Report
Healthy School Food Collaborative 2020 Report

COVID School Feeding Report

As a continuation of the Healthy School Food work, Propeller recognized during the COVID-19 Pandemic that school feeding operations were significantly disrupted. In partnership with W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Xavier University, Propeller conducted research into the lessons learned and strategies that schools in New Orleans used to distribute food to students and families.

To facilitate continuation of school feeding during COVID-19 school lockdowns, U.S. Congress authorized waivers to allow for school meals to be picked up by parents/guardians in non-school settings. We summarized school meals distribution and characterized reach in socially vulnerable neighborhoods in New Orleans, a city prone to environmental disasters, with a city-wide charter school system, and historically high levels of child poverty and food insecurity.

Full report can be accessed in the like below:
COVID School Feeding 2023 Report

Propeller Ventures working in this Sector

Viola’s Heritage Breads

Viola’s Heritage Breads

Carla Briggs

Areas of focus: Food
Reju Juice

Reju Juice

Kelley Wolfe

Areas of focus: Food
Gingerbooch

Gingerbooch

Luke Sirinides

Areas of focus: Food
Fressence

Fressence

Zak Khanboubi

Areas of focus: Food
Yoro

Yoro

Robert Haynes & Michael Olaiya

Areas of focus: Food
Soule Cafe

Soule Cafe

Kina Bullock

Areas of focus: Food
KD’s NOLA Treats

KD’s NOLA Treats

Kimberly Dejan, Lee Ateman, Isaiah Alcorn, & Cindy Barnes

Areas of focus: Food
Element Beverage Company

Element Beverage Company

Keishia Deverney

Areas of focus: Food
Ceres

Ceres

Rich Simmerman & Branson Morgan

Areas of focus: Food
Soba Hibiscus

Soba Hibiscus

Firdaws Ashiru, Vondero Weir

Areas of focus: Food
Daydream Koffucha

Daydream Koffucha

Dalton Honore

Areas of focus: Food
Hotties Tamales

Hotties Tamales

Dior Ellis

Areas of focus: Food
Mandela Burger

Mandela Burger

Ogban Okpo, April Okpo

Areas of focus: Food
Grey Bird Baking Co.

Grey Bird Baking Co.

Taylor Moore

Areas of focus: Food
FOWLMOUTH

FOWLMOUTH

Ozzie Mendoza

Areas of focus: Food
Diva Dawg

Diva Dawg

Ericka Lassair

Areas of focus: Food
Vaucresson’s Sausage Company

Vaucresson’s Sausage Company

Vance Vaucresson

Areas of focus: Food
Schmelly’s Dirt Farm

Schmelly’s Dirt Farm

Susan Sakash & Nicola Krebill

Areas of focus: Food
Piety and Desire Chocolate

Piety and Desire Chocolate

Christopher Nobles

Areas of focus: Food
NO Hunger NOLA

NO Hunger NOLA

Alyssa Hernandez

Areas of focus: Food
Cajun Fire Brewing

Cajun Fire Brewing

Jon Renthrope

Areas of focus: Food
Provost Farm

Provost Farm

June Provost, Angie Provost

Areas of focus: Food
Insanitea Kombucha

Insanitea Kombucha

Jordi Figueras

Areas of focus: Food
Bailey’s Grocery and Market

Bailey’s Grocery and Market

Conrad M. Bailey, Wanda G. Bailey

Areas of focus: Food
24 Carrot Garden

24 Carrot Garden

Angel Chung Cutno, Lauren Barron

Areas of focus: Food
RePurpose Food Co.

RePurpose Food Co.

Shani Christopher

Areas of focus: Food
Ma Momma’s House of Cornbread, Chicken, and Waffles

Ma Momma’s House of Cornbread, Chicken, and Waffles

Nicole P. Mackie & René P. Guzman

Areas of focus: Food
Recirculating Farms Coalition

Recirculating Farms Coalition

Emily Shinn

Areas of focus: Food
Cupcake Fairies

Cupcake Fairies

Michele Burton-Oatis & Melissa Woods

Areas of focus: Food
Bellegarde Bakery

Bellegarde Bakery

Mollie Sciacca

Areas of focus: Food
Bhoomi

Bhoomi

Arpit Bhopalkar & Elora Turner

Areas of focus: Food
Clean Course Meals

Clean Course Meals

Kim Sawyers

Areas of focus: Food
Instar Farms, LLC

Instar Farms, LLC

Erika Nolan, Maggie Kaiser

Areas of focus: Food
Schmelly’s Dirt Farm

Schmelly’s Dirt Farm

Nicola Krebill

Areas of focus: Food
Greek Girls Rice Pudding

Greek Girls Rice Pudding

Artemis Antippas

Areas of focus: Food
2nd Chance Donuts

2nd Chance Donuts

Chris Keefe

Areas of focus: Food
Southern City Farm, LLC

Southern City Farm, LLC

Andrew Prat

Areas of focus: Food
Sugar Roots Farm

Sugar Roots Farm

Sharessa Garland & Ecoee (Joan) Rooney

Areas of focus: Food
Descant Ranch Food Hub

Descant Ranch Food Hub

Seth Descant & Chris Fry

Areas of focus: Food
Garden on Mars

Garden on Mars

Jeanette Bell

Areas of focus: Food
Descant Ranch

Descant Ranch

Seth Descant

Areas of focus: Food
The University Medical Center Urban Farm

The University Medical Center Urban Farm

Catherine Hudson

Areas of focus: Food
Sugar Roots Farm

Sugar Roots Farm

Sharessa Garland

Areas of focus: Food
Mothers & Caretakers Mending Family Foundations

Mothers & Caretakers Mending Family Foundations

Charmaine Washington, Chanda Washington, and Joan Surgent

Areas of focus: Food
Sankofa

Sankofa

Rashida Ferdinand & Rosamar Torres

Areas of focus: Food
The Healthy School Food Collaborative

The Healthy School Food Collaborative

James Graham

Areas of focus: Food
Grow Dat Youth Farm

Grow Dat Youth Farm

Johanna Gilligan & Mike Kantor

Areas of focus: Food
Top Box Foods

Top Box Foods

Sam Heyman & Connor DeLoach

Areas of focus: Food
Friends of Lafitte Greenway: Growing the Greenway

Friends of Lafitte Greenway: Growing the Greenway

Sophie Harris & Nellie Catzen

Areas of focus: Food
Gator & Crane, Inc.

Gator & Crane, Inc.

Emily Gaddis and Darrell Griewe

Areas of focus: Food
Louisiana Farm to School Alliance: Farm2School Database

Louisiana Farm to School Alliance: Farm2School Database

Katie Mularz

Areas of focus: Food, Economic & Workforce Development
Capstone

Capstone

David Young

Areas of focus: Food
New Orleans Food and Farm Networks @ Edible Enterprises

New Orleans Food and Farm Networks @ Edible Enterprises

Ashley Mann and Sanjay Kharod

Areas of focus: Food
The Cookbook Project

The Cookbook Project

Adam Aronovitz and Alissa Bilfield

Areas of focus: Food, Education
Community Plates

Community Plates

Melissa Spiesman, Lauren Rudzis, Kevin Mullins, and Jeff Schacher

Areas of focus: Food
VertiFarms

VertiFarms

Douglas Jacobs & Kevin Morgan-Rothschild

Areas of focus: Food
Nola Tilth

Nola Tilth

Megan Webbeking

Areas of focus: Food
VEGGI Farmers Cooperative

VEGGI Farmers Cooperative

Khai Nguyen & Daniel Nguyen

Areas of focus: Food
Healthy School Food Collaborative

Healthy School Food Collaborative

James Graham

Areas of focus: Food
New Orleans Food Co-Op

New Orleans Food Co-Op

Lori Burge

Areas of focus: Food
Dryades Public Market

Dryades Public Market

John Burns

Areas of focus: Food