Revolution Foods’ Quest to Pack More Nutrition Into Kids’ Lunchboxes

Kirsten Tobey, 35, and Kristin Richmond, 38, launched Revolution Foods in 2006 to supply healthy lunches to schools in low-income communities. The Oakland (Calif.) business has grown into a national operation, preparing more than 1 million meals weekly for almost 1,000 schools across the country. Now it’s going head to head with Kraft Foods Group, the maker of Lunchables. Revolution Foods in August began selling meal kits at more than 400 stores, including some owned by Safeway and Whole Foods Market; Target will start carrying them in October.

When we started to think about getting into retail, we knew we couldn’t do our fresh salads and sandwiches and hot meals that we do at schools. We talked to consumers, and parents and teachers, and school administrators, and our own team. We asked everyone: What product would make sense under the Revolution Foods brand in stores?