My Biz: Busy mom creates meals to help others at mealtime

CENTER POINT — Mealtime can be stressful for busy families.

Lindsy Trotter, 37, owner of Chilled Freezer Meals based in Center Point, aims to make dinner simpler.

“As a mom, I know how much of a struggle mealtimes can be,” she said. “Whether you're trying to survive the day with babies and toddlers, or you're running kids to activities in opposite directions, making dinner is often the last thing you want to do at the end of a long day.

“It brings me so much joy when my customers share what a relief it is to know dinner is taken care of, and they don't have to put a lot of energy into it.”

Those customers take advantage of Chilled Freezer Meals' simple, tasty concept.

“We offer fully frozen meals for local pickup and home delivery to communities throughout Eastern and Central Iowa, and we also ship our products nationwide,” Trotter said. “We've got something to fit all budgets and needs.”

Meal options

With a menu (that changes monthly) of 15 to 18 full-size meal options, along with sides, snacks and treats, customers can choose what works best for their family.

Conventional meals cost $16.50 for a small and $24.25 for a large. Specialty meals, such as gluten friendly or keto, cost an additional $2 to $3.

Drivers deliver the meals within a 60-mile radius of Center Point as well as to the Dubuque, north Quad Cities and Des Moines metro areas. Home delivery is $10 for orders under $125.

“We don't just deliver to those living in the city,” Trotter said. “We love taking a little rural route detour.”

Trotter started her business in April 2018 after leaving her career in education.

“At the time, I had chosen to stay at home with my kids, with full intentions to return to teaching when my youngest went to kindergarten,” she said. “During the time I was home, I started making freezer meals to make my mealtimes with toddlers easier.

“As I shared my ‘hack’ with friends, they started asking for me to make them meals, and the business started to take shape.”

Since then, the business has delivered more than 100,000 meals.

8 employees

Trotter now has an eight-member team that works in the kitchen, including a kitchen manager and a fulfillment manager.

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“I also have three delivery drivers, one being my dad, which is a lot of fun having him a part of my business,” she said. “When I first started hiring, I was really intentional in creating an environment where people enjoyed coming to work everyday, and I can honestly say that I love every single employee who works at Chilled.

“Entrepreneurship can be lonely, and I'm thankful to have reached a place where I feel like we're all working together to meet our mission, but we all really like being here, too.”

Busy schedule

Trotter’s mornings start early, but her role has shifted since starting the business.

“I'm usually in my office by 5 or 6 a.m. to get things checked off my list right away. I then go home to get my kids ready for school.

“I love this part about entrepreneurship — the ability to create my schedule and be available for my family when they need me,” she said. “After dropping them off, I head back to the kitchen where I check in with my team on what the list looks like for the day.

“I spend a lot less time in the kitchen than I used to as I now work mostly on business management, marketing and customer relations. I'm grateful for my team, but I also know I have the opportunity to get creative with food anytime I have the itch.”

The business typically sends out orders four days a week, and Trotter assists in getting those out the door and“ wrap up any loose ends for the day.”

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Customer reaction

Perhaps most rewarding, however, are the customer connections, Trotter said.

“It's truly my customers who keep me going,” she said. “ Recently, I was having a pretty stressful week, and seemingly out of the blue, I received several messages from people sharing how they've seen our core values shine through.

“Since starting Chilled, I've been committed to producing a quality product, providing excellent customer service, transparency in our ingredients and processes, and building a fun and supportive company culture. Their messages highlighted these points and reignited my reason for what I do.”

Trotter said she seeks to set her company apart in this way.

“I know there are lots of meal prep companies in the market, but what I think makes Chilled different is the community we've built around the business,” she said. “Social media has been a powerful tool in allowing connections with my customers to happen, and I really enjoy being able to put faces to names as I see orders come in.

“Often, our meals are sent as gifts to people going through difficult times such as illness or death of a loved one, and I'm humbled to know that our products can be a bright spot for someone.”

Know a business that should be considered for a “My Biz” feature? Let us know by emailing mary.sharp@thegazette.com.

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