4 minute read
Young entrepreneur .................................Michael J. Billoni
How his garden grows Young entrepreneur sells Healthy Eats
BY MICHAEL J. BILLONI
Grand Island native Grayson Shelp
Photo courtesy of the Shelp family
Grand Island native Grayson Shelp is promoting daily consumption of organic fruits and vegetables. The twelve-years-young entrepreneur tells customers, “Eating healthy doesn’t mean it has to taste horrible.”
A sixth grader at Veronica E. Connor Middle School with a ninety-nine grade point average, Shelp is a born salesman. As a member of Boy Scout Troop 630, he had a table outside a busy Ace Hardware and sold $15,005 worth of popcorn items throughout August, ranking him first in the district and second in the nation. Last summer, in addition to selling popcorn, Shelp assisted father Edwin and mom Kimberly with managing the thirty-by-fiftyfoot garden behind their East River Road home. The family began by growing in their basement. “In January, I picked out seeds of pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and gourds,” Shelp says. “They were planted and grew throughout winter.” As Shelp and his family began transferring the plants from the basement to their outdoor garden, it became obvious they had too many.
“In late April, I placed some plants outside so they could grow stronger stems and get used to the sun,” Shelp says. “After Dad picked out the plants for the vegetable and flower gardens, there were thirteen tomato plants and several flower plants remaining.” Shelp sensed an opportunity. He nurtured the remaining plants to a “monstrous size,” and took them on the road.
“I decided to go through the neighborhood to see if anyone would like the plants and flowers and, as I did, I thought about how many of our fruits and vegetables went to waste from not eating them in time last year,” says Shelp. “I created Healthy Eats by turning my wagon into a mobile store.”
Shelp’s wagon, recognizable by its forest green base and yellow lettering, features three stories of shelving with wood containers in the middle, and black welded wire baskets on the outside. “My veggies do not get dinged and damaged because of the cloth protecting them,” Shelp says proudly.
Shelp invites customers to text their orders to his cell number, visible on the wagon. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Grayson’s mobile vegetable business is building entrepreneurial skills he will tap into throughout his career,” says Healthy Eats original customer, attorney Andrea A. Tarshus, Esq. “He is learning to be self-motivated, collect payments,
interact with a wide range of personalities, and provide topnotch customer service to ensure repeat business. He remembers our orders and pitches us new products, and often gets us to spend a little more with his increasingly effective upselling tactics!”
This year’s garden was expanded to include more root vegetables, eggplant, blackberries, and spices. The yard is also home to apple and pear trees. In addition, Shelp has begun growing stevia, a natural sweetener, which requires great patience. “It took over a month for the seed to germinate,” Shelp says. “They are like grass seeds and only require a small amount of dirt because they rot. I planted twelve seeds and only one germinated.”
Growing stevia is the first step toward another goal. “My goal is to grow full, self-sustaining commodity items,” says Shelp. “That is why I grow plants like chamomile and use their leaves for teas with stevia as a natural sugar.”
Shelp enjoys providing customers with healthy options and working in tandem with nature. “I love helping our environment by moving people from chemicalbased factory products to natural products,” he says with a smile.
An abundance of product is expected this year; the Healthy Eats mobile store will be in operation weekly from June through September.
“This really has turned into something I did not expect,” says Shelp. “I may get a little money back from selling items below store prices, but I am more interested in helping people improve their daily lives by eating healthier.” FY
Michael J. Billoni is a storyteller and publisher.
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