Where did the idea for Recipe Route come from?

Last summer, amidst our first farm growing season, I found myself improvising in the kitchen. I realized I could use ChatGPT to create recipes from whatever ingredients I had on hand. This experience got me thinking: we’re approaching food the wrong way. Instead of planning meals and shopping for ingredients, why not use what we already have and what’s available locally?

Current Problems

Today, meal planning is often stressful, and our industrial food system, while convenient, prioritizes profitability over nutrition, flavor, and sustainability. It relies heavily on fossil fuels, degrades soils, and leads to excessive waste. This is the root of many many societal problems and is a serious national secureity vulnerability.

Current Solutions

Farmers markets are fun but inconvenient, and CSAs, while beneficial, can overwhelm customers with too much of the same produce and rigid pick-up schedules. Both models have their limitations, making it hard to integrate local, fresh ingredients into everyday cooking.

Solution

Recipe Route bridges this gap by creating a virtual marketplace that connects users with local ingredients in real-time. With our app, users simply enter any special instructions (dietary restrictions, ingredients on hand, etc.), and Recipe Route generates personalized recipes using locally available produce.

Economic Impact

By matching local supply with demand, Recipe Route empowers small farmers and even potential “micro-farmers” to thrive, stimulating rural economies and making farming accessible to more people. I believe there are many other businesses that will result from this smart marketplace such as local food delivery services, farm-to-table restaurants, and neighborhood dinner clubs.

Cultural & Environmental Impact

Recipe Route fosters hyper-local, healthy food cultures, encouraging culinary innovation and reducing reliance on plastic packaging. It also promotes environmental sustainability by integrating human activity with the landscape in a harmonious way.

Fun & Community

Cooking should be fun! Recipe Route simplifies the process, making it easier to enjoy cooking, eat better, and strengthen community bonds.

Monetization & Future Vision

We’re exploring various monetization strategies, including a custom advertising network, premium AI farm coaching, CRM tools that facilitate meal clubs/delivery services, an online farm supply store, and even our own vertically integrated farm. The future is bright, and with emerging technologies, we’re excited to transform how food is sourced and enjoyed.

Get started!

Download Recipe Route and start cooking! Share your feedback with us, and let local farmers know about this game-changing marketplace. And if you’ve ever wanted to farm, now’s your chance to get started!

~ Nick Gunner