Community Highlights: Meet Jennifer Piette of Narrative Food

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Piette.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
After a 25-year career as a screenwriter in Europe – where people have a very different relationship to food – I returned to the U.S. and founded a farm-to-table home delivery service in 2010, inspiring 1000s of SoCal residents to get back into their kitchens with amazing ingredients, and back around the table with their loved ones, creating lasting memories and building their health at the same time. In 2013, the company became a certified B Corp to measure and increase our social and environmental impact. In 2019, I renamed the company Narrative Food since story-telling has always been central to everything she does, whether in images or with food.

During the pandemic, we were very proud to serve as front-line workers — supporting our growers and suppliers alike during this challenging time. However post-pandemic, the landscape changed, so in 2022, Narrative Food pivoted its activity into corporate gifting, broadening its reach by shipping curated gifts nationwide, and joining 1% for the Planet, to further expand its impact. Every gift we curate gives back, as well as communicating a company’s culture to its stakeholders. In an increasingly remote world, we create an impactful touchpoint which is thoughtful and delicious – improving team spirit, client relationships, and boardroom dynamics.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We have had many challenges along the way, but the biggest challenges were both during and after the pandemic. With the sudden shutdown and grocery stores with empty shelves, plus some national attention on us, suddenly our customer base quadrupled, literally overnight. We had to briefly stop taking any new customers until we had solved our operational and supply chain issues, but despite the obstacles, and the obvious stress of suddenly becoming front-line workers, we met the challenge, delivering nutritious local food to our home delivery customers who were locked down at home, while simultaneously providing extra sales for vendors and growers who were hard hit when restaurants and farmers markets shut down. Of course, our costs increased to manage the extra volume, so when the pandemic eased, and everything started opening up again, we were faced with steep losses as people stopped ordering, almost as suddenly as they started. Rather than give up, we decided to pivot our activity into corporate gifting, which had been a sideline for us for many years. We also changed our B Corp Impact Model into a “Designed to Give” model, where we give back a minimum of 2% of our total sales to nonprofits.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
A Member of 1% of the Planet, Narrative Food is a woman-owned Certified B Corp operating in Los Angeles since 2010. We curate gifts that give back, specializing in custom corporate gifts which tell a brand’s story and embody their values. With farm-to-table origins, we are deeply rooted in our local food system, with long-standing relationships with food innovators operating both in CA and all over the country – many woman-owned. From millers of heirloom grains to bean-to-bar chocolate makers, to producers of upcycled cookie mix or the best mole outside of Oaxaca; our gifts highlight the craftsmanship of small-scale, diverse makers whom we have been working with for over a decade.

With a focus on creating custom gifts for discerning clients, we have a track record of creating gifts that wow stakeholders at every level of a corporate or non-profit organization. From Boards of Directors of national Fortune 500 companies to high net-worth donors from some of our favorite nonprofits to staff gifts, virtual event gifts, and more. Everyone loves beautiful small-batch foods.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I use Slack to communicate with my different networks — from my team to the We the Change group of B Corp Women CEOs to the 1% for the Planet Slack channel, I find it’s a great way to stay in touch with all our business relations and stakeholders.

Contact Info:

• Website: narrativefood.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/narrativefood/