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What if convenience food didn’t feel like a compromise? We sit down with Howl at the Spoon founder Melanie Jenkinson, a former creative director who traded pitch decks for real ingredients, to unpack how healthy convenient options can change the way we eat. From backcountry meals to office lunches, Melanie shows why right-sized portions beat the clutter and waste of old-school bottles—and why a sauce that expires in weeks is a good thing.

The conversation traces a winding path: Oregon hikes, a creative career stacked with pitches, the reality of gender gaps in leadership and funding, and a COVID-era pause that became an unexpected R&D gift. Melanie shares what 500+ markets and 150,000 samples taught her about flavor, packaging, and the language customers actually hear. We dig into the brand’s clean-label stance, why “sauce graveyards” are a solvable problem, and how fruit dust turned into a café-friendly, kid-approved upgrade for yogurt, oats, lattes, and ice cream.

We also talk systems and scale: moving beyond tents, building B2B partnerships with coffee shops and butchers, leaning into user-generated content, and using structured mentorship from Bend Outdoor Worx to set goals that stick. Through it all, Melanie’s mission stays clear—reduce food waste, make real food easy, and design modern formats that fit real life. If you’ve ever wondered why that bottle in your fridge still looks the same after two years, this episode will change how you stock your kitchen.

Enjoy the episode? Follow, share with a friend who meal preps, and leave a quick review to help more listeners discover founder stories that matter.

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