Vegetable + Butcher

Vegetable + Butcher was established in 2016 by Ariane Valle and Turner Hoff. It’s not just their
love of food and a healthy lifestyle that inspired these business owners but also their
commitment to impact: “When it comes to impact, food is unique in its ubiquity—it touches
sustenance, health and wellness, climate, healthcare, and economic growth. There is nothing
more essential in impacting human lives, the health of our communities, and planet,” says
Ariane.
Ariane and Turner believe that having a “healthy and meaningful relationship with food” is
foundational to living a healthy lifestyle and that what we eat has a significant impact on the
quality of our lives. For that reason, all of V+B’s food and beverage products are plant-forward,
gluten- and dairy-free, organic whenever possible, and nutritionally designed to make you feel
energized, empowered, and focused throughout your day.
The Washington, DC based business has passed that five-year mark, after which 45% of US
businesses don’t make it. They made it through the pandemic and have a team of more than 50
people. Washington City Paper readers named Vegetable and Butcher Best Food and Delivery
Service in 2020.
Vegetable + Butcher is on a quest to transform how people eat and recently took advantage of
FSC First’s loan programs that included the Healthcare Capital Fund loan. The funds, made
possible through our partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Systems, will support
their current expansion project that entails building a new facility in Prince George’s County.
They started back in 2016 operating out of shared kitchens, then in 2019 they leased their own
commercial kitchen space which they quickly outgrew due to the increased demand for their
healthy meals. In 2021, they added a 10,000 square foot warehouse for handling fulfillment and
distribution. Fast forward to today, they’ve been essentially running their business from multiple
locations.
The new headquarters in Prince Georges County will enable “us to once again centralize all of
our operations, put our entire team under one roof, increase our production capacity, and allow
us to continue to grow our serviceable area and reduce our operating costs” explained Turner.
Getting the funding from FSC First has helped them adhere to their timeline and stay on target
with their expansion plan. They also believe that the programs awarded them from FSC First and
other state and county entities make this project more attractive for other third party lenders who
can bridge the gap for the project’s remaining allocations.
The increasing trend of consumers opting for healthier meal choices to improve their wellbeing
doesn’t look like it’s ever going to lose steam. To learn more about the company and its “plant-
forward, nourishing meals,” visit Vegetable + Butcher’s website.