Meet Kelly Hollins + Lisa Cohen: Co-Creators @ Good Clean Food

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Hollins + Lisa Cohen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly + Lisa, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
One of our favorite lessons in business: this is one of the most important lessons, and also one of the hardest to grasp: you can not succeed without failure. Culture teaches us that failure is bad. We are conditioned to believe that the goal is to avoid failure. When you are in school, if you fail it means you didn’t succeed, you did not pass, you are not moving forward. In the business world, conversely, if (and when) you fail, it means you have just been handed the biggest opportunity for growth and learning. When you’re frozen by the fear of failing, you hinder your growth as a person, and your business momentum as well. Not every idea we’ve had has been good. Not every decision we’ve made has been successful. Not every negotiation has gone well for us. But we’ve learned to accept failure as inevitable, and to approach every situation as a learning opportunity. When you can welcome failure as a gift, it can catapult you forward.  

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are a plant based, chef prepared, nutritionist approved food delivery company. Sustainability is of utmost importance to us and our lack of waste, and implementation of our rotational glass jar system is what sets us apart from others. Also, our dedication to freshness, and our kick ass food. We are so proud of our connection with our local community. Making healthy eating easy, supporting vibrant living and providing sustainable employment.

We launched our second location in Boulder in May 2020 and are looking forward to adding our third this year. We are also immensely proud of our partnership. What we have as a duo is magical, and we don’t ever take that for granted – gratitude to the moon for each other. Was it easy!? Hell no. We have put in blood sweat and tears… and hours and hours (and hours) of hard work.  Lisa and I alway say: we are both allowed to crumble, we just can’t crumble on the same day. This has taken us a tremendous amount of work and dedication, AND we are so very proud of everything that we have put into it. We started from the most humble grassiest grass roots of beginnings – and we always laugh that one day, we can’t wait to tell Oprah and Gail about all of the super schlep-y insanity that it took to get us to where we wanted to be. How did | do we over come? We have faith and confidence in ourselves and in each other – and we surround ourselves with the most talented and capable team.  We just keep going.  Consistency has been our king (queen!)

And there have been so many lessons along the way: always learn from our mistakes (and learn fast), excellent customer service is essential, don’t attach to the how and stay connected to the why, and most importantly – keep laughing!

What do we want the world to know? … Hey world, we’re coming for you. Changing lives around the globe, one plant powered meal at a time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We love our home in the Roaring Fork Valley …beloved beautiful Aspen, sleepy quaint Basalt, funky fantastic Carbondale and everywhere in between – our valley has SO many gems to find. From the adrenaline inducing outdoor adventure, to the (sometimes too competitive : ) uber healthy lifestyle, to the cultural opportunities that rival any metropolitan area – you can fill days, or weeks, with good eats, fun and adventure.

Here are a few of our favorite ways to spend a day: Aspen is a world renowned ski town, so first, hit the slopes. The skiing is excellent thanks to four separate mountains, each with its own unique personality, there’s endless terrain for any level.  And we love to uphill.  We slap on our skins and power all the way up, take in the view, and enjoy one well-earned run down.

Not into skiing, looking to lock eyes with sweeping mountain views and take in the clean, crisp air!? Grab your hiking boots and stabilizers and venture to the road closure at Independence Pass or The Maroon Bells for an afternoon walk. In the summer months, ride your bike to Ashcroft and have a leisurely lunch at The Pine Creek Cookhouse. Après time?  Head into town to The Aspen Art museum, where you ascend a glass elevator to enjoy a frothy cappuccino or a crisp glass of vino (with an insane view) at So Cafe, before returning to explore the exhibits below.…(super perk:) admission to the museum is free. If you’re looking to get your “Om on” find our favorite Yogini, Jayne Gottlieb at Aspen Shakti for a yoga  or meditation class, or check out her signature workout: The Body Practice by Jayne.  Classes are available on-line so you can enjoy her inspiring and dynamic teaching style from anywhere, and trust us, no one get’s your booty shaking like Jayne.

Craving a cup o’ Joe?  Don’t miss our favorite community hang out in Basalt: Craft Coffee. The mac nut latte will change your life, and the personalized service is second to none. For dinner, head into Carbondale for noodles at Phat Thai, have a spicy margarita (or two ; ) and dive into some traditional curry – they really know how to bring the heat.

A few other things you just cant miss: The Peace Garden at True Nature in Carbondale, Spring Cafe in Aspen for a vegetarian meal, a walk or jog on the rio grand trail, the view from the top of Buttermilk Mountain (wowza), a burrito to-go from Bab’s at the Big Wrap (get the peso wrapture and thank us later.)  Off the beaten path – spend a night at the Avalanche Ranch for a break from technology and a nice long soak in some healing mineral hot springs. Or book a cabin at the Beyul River Retreat, a rustic refuge for personal rejuvenation.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would like to shoutout to our Good Clean Team.  Without the love, support, hard work, talent, positive energy, skill and strength from all of the fabulous women surrounding us – this dream would never be feasible. We also have to shoutout our beloved clients. They are the ones making all of this possible, and the love, support, appreciation and positive feedback that we receive from them fuels our hearts and fills our souls… this is what keeps us going!

Website: https://www.goodcleanfoodco.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodcleanfooddelivered/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodcleanfooddelivered
Other: https://www.goodcleanfoodco.com/newsletter

Image Credits
Michele Cardamone (people + jars) Connie Luu (food photo)