Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremiah Zuba
Jeremiah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In a Texas pecan shell, I was pretty sick as a teenager. I’d be sick when I’d eat. I’d be sick when I wouldn’t eat. 5 doctors later and I still didn’t know what was going on. Eventually, I found my way to alternative, more holistic forms of medicine. I learned a whole lot about how food can be medicine… and how it can also be poison. I started eating more real foods, more grass-fed beef, more bone broths. I began to heal. In college, I studied the intersection of business and environmental conservation. I learned about the power that business has to make a difference in the environment. I dove into organizations like the Ethical and Responsible Business Network, Slow Food, and the Student Business Incubator. I was so inspired to make a difference through business, but I was also disheartened at the lack of heart in the overly competitive business school. I went on a long soul-searching road trip one college summer and spent weeks alone in the backcountry of the Colorado Rockies and on the cliffs of Big Sur, California. I was returning to my roots, back to nature. I was healing on more than just a physical level.
After college, I wanted to share my healing with others, so I worked for various organizations in wilderness therapy, mindfulness, education, and social change. I knew I’d start my own business one day. Finally, ten years later, with a fair amount more wisdom in my pocket and a much more resilient microbiome in my gut, I was ready to start my own missions-driven company. I was deep in prayer to God and the universe, to Mother Earth about how my life could be of service. I was asking for a clear path forward for how I could use my talents, learnings, and experience to help others and the planet. I was walking around the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar at the Palmer Events Center, inspired by all the art, and the idea struck me. In a true flash of inspiration, I saw the whole vision for Seasons ATX. I saw a community cafe where people gather around real food and love of nature. I saw regenerative food sourced directly from local farmer served in glass jars. I saw art and laughter and so much connection.
I was so energized by this vision, I could hardly sleep. I didn’t know how I would begin. I hardly had any money. How could I start a community cafe? After talking to a number of entrepreneurial friends and signing up for a full week of Austin’s Small Business Division Classes, I decided to start with the most basic form of the business – local and regenerative meals served in glass jars. And thus began the beginning of a still very long journey of supporting our local food economy. I’m proud to have formed some wholesome relationships with our local farmers. I’m proud of the food we serve – cooking everything from scratch, using real food sourced right here in Texas. I’m proud of how we serve it – in zero-waste, reusable packaging. We have a long road ahead, but we’ll get there.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been really tough. Doing the right thing, even when it’s the hard thing, is not easy. Our raw ingredients cost about 3x as much as ingredients sourced from massive factory farms thousands of miles away that are degrading the environment. Food margins are always slim, but for us especially because we can’t price our food 3x more than our competitors. Going plastic-free in our delivery requires a lot of human-power. Managing inventory, labeling and re-labeling. Collecting jars, Washing jars. Storing jars. Not breaking jars ;).
We also source hyper-local, which means our menu has to change every week with the changing fields of our farmers. Sometimes our farmers run out of food after we place our order. It’s a lot to manage!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Seasons ATX is Austin’s neighborhood provider of locally-sourced, artisanal, regenerative food. We delivery this farm-to-table, ready-to-eat meals in reusable glass jars directly to our customers’ doorsteps.
We source hyper-local, which means our menu has to change every week. We are incredibly proud of everything we do. Our sourcing, our food preparation, or packaging, our weekly newsletter, the little food for thought reflection questions on our jars.
I want readers to know how much their dollar matters in supporting the local food economy, and the power they have to be a play a positive role in supporting the environment. The average meal travels over 1500 miles from farm to plate. Our meal travels ten times less than that, about 150 miles. In buying from us, you are supporting local farmers that are benefitting the environment and the soil, rather than degrading it with factory farming.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Our chef, Jason, used to own a farm-to-table restaurant on Nantucket island! He’s been in Austin for 15 years, but back then, he’d have to source the most local and fresh ingredients and whip up menus the day the food was going out. He uses some pretty awesome kitchen tools, including a 50+ year old carving fork given to him by his chef mentor over 25 years ago. He’s also a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.seasonsatx.com
- Instagram: seasonsatx
Image Credits
Nils Voulfson
