Photo courtesy of Miltown Eats
Jon Marrone (left) and Yulia Koltun (right) of meal kit delivery service MiltownEats, which launched in October 2019.
Miltown Eats, which was launched this past October by Yulia Koltun and her friend, Jon Marrone, puts a local spin on meal kit delivery services. Miltown Eats sources ingredients by Milwaukee- and Wisconsin-based businesses and uses reusable, insulated tote bags for delivery, thus eliminating excess cardboard boxes and insulation.
The concept began with Isthmus Eats, a separate entity founded by Marrone in 2018. Marrone, who loves to cook, had first tried Plated brand meal kit delivery service in 2015. Although he liked the ease and convenience of meal kits, he had noticed how much excessive packaging was left over. He came up with the concept for Isthmus Eats, which scaled down the service area and handled delivery directly, rather than using Fed Ex or United Parcel Services (UPS). He also created a reusable insulated tote bag with ice packs that are swapped out and reused to deliver meal kits to customers.
Photo courtesy of Miltown Eats
Meal kit package created by Miltown Eats
Marrone and Koltun, who lives in Milwaukee, became friends when they worked together at a software company in Madison. They discussed Isthmus Eats and knew the concept could also work in Milwaukee. Koltun had also studied nutrition and has an appreciation for local foods.
Miltown Eats menus are leveraged from the recipe data base from Isthmus Eats. Marrone sources recipes from cookbooks, customers submissions and local restaurants. He personally tests each one in his home kitchen before putting it on the menu. Menus change weekly, recent examples include: jalapeño onion cheeseburger with zucchini fries; collard greens pasta with toasted pine nuts and lemon garlic sauce; or tempeh tacos with tomatoes and serrano pepper. There are three vegetarian options and three meals with meat.
Customers can let Miltown Eats know if they have food allergies or dietary preferences, and ingredients can be swapped out. All ingredients including the food, spices and oils are provided (except for olive oil, salt and pepper). The website displays icons on the recipe selection page that indicate if any special equipment is needed, such as a food processor or an immersion blender.
Most of the meat used in Miltown Eats comes from Kettle Range Meat Company, which sources from their network of local farms that raise grass-fed, antibiotic-free meat. Bread comes from North Shore Boulangerie, and eggs are from a farm in Whitewater, Wis. Koltun hopes to establish partnerships with local produce vendors this coming season.
Customers can go to miltowneats.com or download the app to sign up for service. They are then directed through a simple three-step sign up process. Customers can choose from either two or four serving meal plans and select how many meals they want delivered each week. Meal kits can be delivered to homes or workplaces within Milwaukee County.
“The process itself is similar to a lot of national brands like Hello Fresh, but what we hope we do better is to offer customized meals for folks with allergies or special needs,” Koltun says. “We really pride ourselves on the fact that we’re local, and we reduce our carbon footprint with reusable totes and hand-deliver them, which also helps us keep prices lower.”
Convenience is one of the biggest factors driving the popularity of meal kits, but Marrone cites other benefits: Meal kits provide nearly all food ingredients that the customer would need, in the exact quantities, so there’s virtually no food waste. It also allows customers to try new ingredients or cuisines. Because customers receive ingredients to make just two or four servings, the kits also offer portion control.
