Imagine being the mom of triplet boys. Three small boys all the same age, noisy, constantly underfoot, demanding attention.
To keep her sanity, Jill, the mother of triplets Chris, Simon and Michael Devenish, who had trained, in her youth, at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, kept her kids occupied by giving them tasks in the kitchen.
While other kids their age came to school with cans of soda and pre-packaged junk food, the triplets grew up eating real, homemade, fresh food in their lunches. “When we were younger we wanted the junk food,” confesses Chris, “but as we got older, we realized how lucky we were to have the homemade options.” By the time they were in their late teens, all three brothers knew their way around the kitchen, and all three have worked, at some point, in the food industry.
The Devenish triplets (Photo courtesy enroot)
Capitalizing on all their mama taught them, the Devenish brothers, now 29, just launched enroot: meals on demand. Enroot is Canada’s first on-demand, ready-to-eat meal delivery service, dedicated to delivering affordable meals to your door in 15 minutes or less.
In his early twenties, Chris, an entrepreneur, was running a disposal business, and he often worked long days. After a 15-hour-day, finding healthy, quick food options was a challenge. This need for good food, paired with the on-demand economy, lead to the triplets’ most recent business venture: enroot, up and running for just a month.
Photo courtesy enroot
Simon is the Chief Technology Officer, handling the tech side of the business, both in terms of the online ordering system and also the unique navigation technology that allows them to deliver quickly. Michael is the Chef, developing all the menus. Chris is the CEO, responsible for the marketing and business development.
What makes them unique is that they are a fully integrated service. Because they source and make the food themselves (which they try to do as locally as possible), they can have real control over the final product. They are also able to deliver the food within 15 minutes, using their simple online system and app. To streamline, they keep menu choices simple: each day, there are about 3 different options to choose from for both lunch and dinner, and they rotate on a daily basis. Lunches are often hearty salads, sandwiches and wraps, while dinners include hot curries, pastas, and pulled pork or roasted chicken with sides.
Photo courtesy enroot
After getting a tour of their space in the industrial area just off Terminal, I sit down with Chris in their office for an interview and ask him how he’s feeling, one month in. “I get to eat all the food, so that’s great,” he laughs. “We’re so happy. Our customers get what we are trying to do–healthy, delicious, affordable food, and they appreciate that. It’s incredibly satisfying.”
In addition to doing delivery direct to customers, enroot is also branching out in the world of corporate catering. They recently delivered lunch to Lululemon, and The BC Lions are regular customers and fans.
While the young Devenish triplets may have driven their mom crazy with their antics in the kitchen as kids, she couldn’t be prouder of her sons today. The lessons she taught them as kids are paying off in spades.
For more information about enroot, or to sign up for their daily menu emails, visit enrootmeals.com.
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