Fueled by the real-life challenge of balancing busy lives and providing their family with homemade, nutritious food, Shay and Raven All Runner launched a meal prep service with a bold mission: to inspire change by making healthy eating accessible for everyone, one meal at a time.
What started as a simple idea to improve their own health quickly grew into a business plan – one that empowers individuals and families to enjoy nutritious meals without the hassle of shopping and prepping. Well Made offers individual, premade meals that can be ordered online and then delivered to the customer’s home or a drop-off location.
“We created Well Made Meal Prep for everyone—busy families, seniors, young professionals, and college students—anyone who wants to eat well without the hassle,” Raven said.
Shay, the founder, chef, and CEO of Well Made, has more than 15 years of culinary experience and earned a master’s degree in clinical nutrition. His partner Raven is co-owner and COO; she makes sure every meal is crafted with intention, as well as leading marketing and operations for Well Made. Raven has also been on a personal mission of improving her own health. After her own dramatic weight loss, helping others with their health has become her passion in life. Together, the two of them have created not only a business, but a community of people in Southwest Minnesota who are enjoying convenient and nutritious meals.
“SWIF played a huge role in the growth of Well Made. From the beginning, they worked closely with us to secure funding through loans and helped us identify additional financial resources to support our expansion. Growing a business is exciting, but it also comes with a lot of stress and uncertainty. It often requires taking big leaps of faith, and having SWIF in our corner made all the difference. They believed in us and in our vision every step of the way, and their passion for helping small businesses grow is truly inspiring, and we’re incredibly grateful for the support and guidance,” Raven said.
Well Made started in May 2023 in a shared kitchen space with Shay as the only employee. Raven and Shay quickly realized that they needed their own space and purchased a food trailer with a commercial kitchen in October 2023. A year later, after Raven joined the team as an official, full-time employee, they acquired Franklin Wellness with help from Southwest Initiative Foundation’s loan programs.
Franklin Wellness has a small fitness center in the front of the building, and the All Runners are expanding Well Made in the back of the building with a brand-new commercial kitchen. Loan funds from SWIF are helping make the kitchen expansion possible so that Raven and Shay can continue to serve their growing clientele.
“When we started the process of buying the space for Well Made, we realized the front portion of the building was home to a community fitness center. We knew how important that gym was to the local community, and we didn’t want to see it lost. So, we thought—why not take it on, too?,” Raven said.
It turned out to be the perfect fit. Health and wellness go hand in hand with what they do at Well Made. Since taking over, they’ve made some cosmetic upgrades, added a few new pieces of equipment, and the gym has truly taken off.
“We get calls about memberships all the time—but the best part is seeing the number of teens joining. It means a lot to us to offer a space where young people can focus on their physical growth and build healthy habits early on,” Raven said
Supporting Shay and Raven’s business is an investment in healthier communities. The All Runners are providing a vital service to southwest Minnesota, and we are proud to be a part of their story. Learn more about Well Made at https://wellmademealprep.com.
Creating economic mobility through lending
Loans have been a key function of SWIF since the beginning, supporting communities and businesses throughout southwest Minnesota. In 2001, microlending was added to existing programs as a tool to support small businesses and entrepreneurs.
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