Goodness Grazers Food Company Amazing Launch During Pandemic I Seattle Real Estate Podcast

New Mercer Island food company finds success amid pandemic
Goodness Grazers, which launched in January, started operating in Mercer Island a few weeks ago.

In January, Mercer Island native Maggie Dickinson started Goodness Grazers, a company specializing in intricately designed food platters and grazing tables.

Like most people, Dickinson did not anticipate at the time that in just a few months, the world would essentially be put on hold in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

While businesses have struggled to stay afloat in light of mandatory health regulations, Dickinson’s company has not only managed to acclimate to COVID-19 conditions — it’s gained momentum despite them.

Goodness Grazers’ biggest selling point, Dickinson said, has stemmed from a recent launch of “stay-at-home” to-go boxes, which have been a hit.

“It actually kind of put me on the map,” Dickinson said. “I think without the COVID situation, I might not have started picking up business as quickly as I did, which is pretty surprising.”

Dickinson, who lives in Queen Anne, had been using a kitchen space in Ballard for Goodness Grazers’ first few months. But a few weeks ago, Dickinson relocated to a commissary kitchen space at L’Experience Paris in Mercer Island.

This marks a return for Dickinson. In addition to growing up in Mercer Island, where her family still lives, she found her first job out of college there.

“When I found a space that worked for me that happened to be there, it just kind of felt like home to me, returning back,” Dickinson said, adding that she is “super grateful to [L’Experience Paris] for kind of believing in me, because I’m such a tiny, tiny startup.”

A passion worth pursuing

Dickinson said that she still works full time — she has been with t a real estate development company for the last four and a half years — though she is aiming to soon focus solely on her new business.

Dickinson describes herself as someone who has “always been a foodie.”

“I love everything about it — going out to eat, having family gatherings, enjoying food together,” she said. “It’s just something that brings people together. It makes memories.”

A few years ago, Dickinson realized that cuisine was too strong of a passion for her to not pursue.

The company has received positive feedback for its to-go box options. Dickinson said most customers opt for contactless delivery. Photo courtesy Maggie Dickinson
The company has received positive feedback for its to-go box options. Dickinson said most customers opt for contactless delivery. Photo courtesy Maggie Dickinson

A couple of summers ago, she went on a backpacking trip across Europe. She was struck by tapas-style dining and the sense of community it fostered as she explored new countries.

When Dickinson came back home, she mulled over what she would orient her business around if she were to start a restaurant.

After noticing that it didn’t have much of a presence in the local restaurant market, Dickinson decided that her company would focus on food platters inspired by the tapas style she had admired in Europe.

“When you try to do it on your own, and you go buy a ton of ingredients that end up costing you so much, you have a lot of leftovers,” Dickinson said. “I thought this would be a really convenient thing.”

Operating during the pandemic

“It’s actually been kind of a positive thing to start up my business, which is a hard thing to say during these times,” Dickinson said.

“For me, that’s kind of the joy that comes from it,” she said. “I think why I do it is because I’m just excited to give people something that I would be really excited to receive.”

For more information about Goodness Grazers, go to www.goodnessgrazers.com.

#goodnessgrazers

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