How does an entrepreneur, after years of grinding through corporate jobs and failed ventures, transform a personal pain point into a revolutionary, multi-million-dollar food tech company?
In this deeply insightful episode of the JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS Show, host Justin Bizzarro welcomes Andy Sartori, the brilliant and tenacious founder of MealPro. This is a masterclass in perseverance, strategic thinking, and the relentless pursuit of a vision, detailing a journey that took Andy from cleaning soda machines at Panda Express to the helm of a nationwide meal delivery service.
Andy shares the powerful origin story behind MealPro, which was born from a simple yet profound frustration: as a dedicated bodybuilder, he was tired of one-size-fits-all restaurant menus that ignored his specific nutritional needs. This sparked the mission to create a service that truly allows people to "eat with purpose." Discover how he ingeniously combined technology and tradition, building a custom online platform that allows users to tailor every meal to their exact goals—adjusting proteins, carbs, and dietary preferences—while using classic culinary techniques to ensure every dish is delicious.
This is a raw and honest look at the grueling reality of building a business from the ground up. Andy recounts the years of preparation—working in every facet of the restaurant industry, from quick-service giants to mom-and-pop shops, and teaching himself to code and build websites in a tiny, out-of-business donut shop. He gets vulnerable about the early days of MealPro, working 18-hour days, facing near-financial ruin, and the sheer force of will it took to push through six months of breaking even before finally achieving liftoff.
The conversation is a blueprint for any entrepreneur, highlighting the importance of starting with a hyper-niche market, the discipline of "working smarter, not harder," and the critical moment a founder must learn to build and trust a team to scale. This is more than a story about meal prep; it's a testament to the power of solving your own problem, the grit required to master every aspect of your business, and the incredible success that lies on the other side of perseverance.
IG: @mealpro
Address: www.mealpro.net
Location: 7433 Greenback Lane, Citrus Heights, CA 95610
HQ: 11231 Gold Express Drive, Gold River, CA 95670
Entrepreneur interested in being on the show: https://calendly.com/justin-bizzarro/podcast
Hosted By: Justin Ryan Bizzarro (IG: @justinbizzarro and LinkedIn: FOLLOW ME )
Who is Justin Ryan Bizzarro? – Justin Bizzarro is a serial food, restaurant, technology, media and marketing entrepreneur, who helped build a 24-year-old group of food and restaurant related businesses, he created with his father and business partners out of his family’s basement, in 1998. He is a highly desired business management, personal and athlete growth, free market, food diversity, and entrepreneurial leadership speaker. Justin’s expertise are in human growth, motivation, leadership and management development, health foods and beverages, global lean manufacturing facilities, vertically integrating businesses, food marketing and advertising, supply chain creation and management, direct to consumer fulfillment, transportation and distribution, personal brand building, restaurant development and construction, and entrepreneur acceleration. Justin received his BA in International Business and Management from Dickinson College, in 2002, and his MBA from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, in 2014. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity in Leadership from Denver Seminary. His leadership and entrepreneur podcasts have positively impacted millions of people across the globe.
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Free Podcast. No Advertisements. The stories of Food, Beverage, Farming, Hospitality, and Nutrition Entrepreneurs and how their failures led to the successes in their lives and in their business. What does the future h
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