Vegetarian Action
Buykind.com Promotes Vegan Food and Products
Have you ever wished you could go out for a delicious vegetarian meal, only to find that your area has few or no options? How about a special event, like a birthday or holiday, when you would love to have a gourmet vegan meal and cake, but you can't find a restaurant to supply it?
Jody Kivlin has come up with a solution for these circumstances. Through her company, Buykind, Jody offers food from a variety of vegan restaurants across the country, including Good Karma in Venice Beach, California; Lovin' Spoonfuls in Tucson, Arizona; Red Avocado in Iowa City, Iowa; and Sublime in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The food from any of these establishments can be delivered straight to your door for a special event, or just to add some yummy variety to any day.
Jody's fervent passion for animals - as well as her veganism - began when she rescued several newborn goats from a harsh Wisconsin winter. She found the goat farmers' behavior astonishing. Jody says, "(The farmers) had bred over 100 goats to give birth in the midst of winter's reign without a proper warm barn, without heat lamps and enhanced nutrition for the mothers, and (without) human presence to stand by and help in case assistance is needed as seems just common sense ...."
After this experience, Jody realized that her time would be best spent helping animals in need. She began working with some animal rescue organizations, and she became a vegan. Veganism made Jody feel "healthier than ever," and she is often told that she looks younger than she is.
The idea for a mail-order service for vegan meals came after an attorney, who offered to take in a rescued goat or sheep, gave Jody an amazing opportunity - a chance to start a business of her choice, with profits going to animal rescue efforts. Jody began to think about potential business ideas and realized that vegans are not always located close to vegan restaurants. She began to work with some of the best vegan restaurants in the country to set up a delivery service.
At first, some of the restaurants were a little skeptical. "When she first contacted me, introduced herself, and told me about her idea, I thought it sounded a little crazy," Lovin' Spoonfuls owner Peg Raisglid said. "I agreed to work with her because I was intrigued by the idea, and she sounded so sincere."
However, Jody's method of freezing the food and then sending it with the quickest delivery possible really worked. Now, she is not only sending food to vegans all over the country, but she is also helping the restaurants with which she works to find a new niche. Plus, a minimum of 10 percent of every order's cost goes towards ending cruelty to animals, though Jody reports that the percentage is often much higher than that.
Currently, BuyKind offers meals, cakes, chocolate, coffee, wine, flowers, pet food, and other items. Jody hopes to continue to add both restaurants and products in the future.
For more information, visit www.buykind.com, call (608) 753-2324 or (877) 777-7723, or e-mail [email protected]. To order the book that details Jody's first rescue, e-mail [email protected].
