Yesterday our Love with Food box arrived. I love getting them every month. It’s a surprise and a present every month. And with each one I think about Lassa, who gave it to us as a Christmas gift.

Love with Food is a subscription service in the form of a box of unique and mostly new specialty food products (no perishables) – giving producers trying to break into distribution a chance to catch on virally, and hungry consumers the chance to discover them. Then, (and here’s the Love with Food part) they turn around and donate a meal to a hungry child for every box sold.

According to their website, after about a year of being in business, Love with Food has donated 50,220 meals. And based 8 new products in each box, they’ve introduced a LOT of people to a LOT of new products. Founder Aihui Ong has found a way to tackle two sticky problems by mashing them together; a distribution channel for new and tiny producers that incorporates marketing, and a means to feed hungry kids.

Hats off to you Aihui Ong. I hope your business thrives…with 500,000 meals delivered next year, and hundreds of tiny producers growing their way into profitable specialty food businesses.

The innards

Stephanie Skinner

Former publisher Stephanie Skinner founded culture along with her sister Lassa and cheese expert Kate Arding in 2008. Stephanie was intrigued when Lassa, then a cheesemonger, mentioned that there were no magazines filling the artisan cheese niche.