BOISE - Today the classic story of a business that saw a local need not being met.
Simple Bites puts fresh food, like sandwiches, in convenience stores, but it's their definition of fresh that sets them apart.
Meet Beth Alpaugh of Simple Bites, and Beth you're an entrepreneur and you figured out there was a need somewhere. Tell me the story behind Simple Bites.
"Well, 16 years ago I started with a coffee shop, then we went into catering and then I saw a client that said hey, can you make these sandwiches that I can resell?"
"I was like I can try anything, I mean why not? So I did and then next thing I know it just kept growing and growing and growing and here we are."
So you have a business now that provide wholesale sandwiches to convenience stores, you're growing really fast...
"Yes."
And why is that a big deal, I mean what is different about you than anybody else that could make sandwiches?
"I was able to make it work with the catering and the coffee shops and build it from there and now we're here and it's fresh food that's offered here locally. Most of the fresh sandwiches are brought in frozen from St. Louis or Portland or Seattle and there wasn't anyone doing it here in Idaho."
But you do more than sandwiches, right?
"Yes, we do salads, sandwiches, wraps, fruit parfait, yogurt parfait, grapes and cheese - anything fresh that people would be looking for. And is all handmade. They work very hard and put in long hours and follow all the USDA guidelines and things like that to make us the biggest and best. I got lots of love for these people back here, that's for sure."
Now you're growing here in the Treasure Valley...
"Absolutely, and outside. We are getting ready to cross state lines so we're pretty excited about that, and we're always looking for new clients. I always say that my customer that I'm looking for is someone that doesn't know they need me yet, and so I'm always out there trying to find new people and excitement and something different."
"I don't want to be like everybody else. I'm just somebody that will try anything and if there's a way - I'm gonna do it and I teach myself, I research, I try to learn everything I possibly can and as I stumble upon things it just keeps happening. I listen to my gut, I don't want to be like everyone else."
"You have to have a niche to be a successful entrepreneur. You have to be doing something that nobody else is doing because you don't want to be fighting for that one little bit of business. You want to own your domain."
"I plan to be in at least the entire West Coast and the largest provider in Idaho. By then somebody will probably try to ride on my coattails but I will be the leader."
And it'll be fresh...
"Absolutely!"