The Tree Hugger Truck: Phil & Mandy
“To me, Valiance means to be heroic. To be a hero is very vast. I think it means putting your needs aside for the greater good” - Phil
“To me, Valiance means being selfless, kind, showing compassion, being bold, daring and brave.” - Mandy
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It seems as though going “vegan” is the thing to do in our society today. Oftentimes you see people on social media going on a vegan diet for only a certain period of time in order to hopefully lose weight. Then you see those people who change their lifestyle completely by choosing to become a vegan. According to the vegansociety.com, "Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals." For our society today, veganism is either a trend or a lifestyle. For Phil Newman and Mandy Morris-Newman, veganism has become a total lifestyle change. So much so that they started a business in which they only serve and eat vegan foods; The Tree Hugger Truck.
The Tree Hugger Truck has been in existence for about 8 months now in Kansas City, Missouri. It is a vegan food truck aimed to spread more awareness about taking care of the planet and showcasing that one can still enjoy a delicious meal without eating meat or dairy. This business venture came about unexpectedly, simply because Phil and Mandy were both actors for most of their lives. The initial individual dream was to become renowned actors. They met each other about 10 years ago while performing a show in Kansas City. Still on the path to pursue acting, they both moved out to Los Angeles in hopes of getting their big break. However, things didn't pan out exactly as planned. Phil and Mandy flew back home to Kansas City one summer for a show they were performing in. While there, they were met with the opportunity of working with a friend in the business of shaved ice. They fell in love with the whole process and had the idea to start their own shaved ice business in Los Angeles. Opening up a dessert food truck out in LA was not as easy as they thought, simply because many people were doing the same thing. However, once they got it open, they fell in love with the lifestyle of driving yourself around and being your own boss. That was the beginning of how the journey to being their own boss crept up to them. “It was kinda like a happy accident for us...we were so tired of working for others. We were doing all the odd jobs every actor does and going to auditions for short films that pay a hundred bucks a pop. It was awful.” Phil and Mandy were ready for the new phase of their lives in which they had complete control over. Although they were not passionate about the shaved ice business, they did quickly become passionate about being entrepreneurs. Soon, a decision was made to move back home to Kansas City, MO and settle down. The shaved ice business did not last long in Kansas City because not long after they moved back, the pandemic began. It was during the lockdown that the new business of having a vegan food truck came about. The process began when Mandy started playing around with different types of foods in the kitchen. Phil and Mandy both became vegans because they found out that Mandy was allergic to dairy without realizing it. She always had stomach aches after eating anything with a dairy product, in which she thought to have been a normality until they did the proper research. Although they had already changed their lifestyle to that of veganism while living in LA, it was now the time to introduce it to the world. |
The pandemic brought Phil and Mandy the necessary time to create their business. They would make a few vegan sandwiches and drive to deliver it to friends and family (while still socially distancing). Soon enough, someone heard about how great their food was, ordered from Phil and Mandy, posted it on a vegan Kansas City Facebook page and it went viral all around the city. All of a sudden they were in business.
The name “Tree Hugger” came from Phil’s brother.
“When it comes to veganism, we’re not all Peta, we’re not all shoving suffering animals in front of your face and saying ‘how dare you eat that?’ We’re trying not to be that because that’s not how you’re gonna get people to want to try it and open their minds. We were kinda just poking fun at ourselves...we’re just a bunch of Tree Huggers.”
There is no successful business without its challenges. The Tree Hugger Truck is no exception. Phil and Mandy expressed a few challenges faced in the past few months. One challenge is that one of their challenges has been trying to navigate being new business owners. Another challenge is that vegan ingredients can be difficult to find and can be very expensive. To top it all off, they are introducing veganism in the Midwest, which is known for barbeques, meats. They overcome all the challenges by constantly willing to learn everyday, not taking ‘no’ for an answer and by leaning on each other; motivating each other. Their advice to anyone looking to start their own business is to do your research, have a support system, and don’t let fear hold you back.
Over the next few years, hopefully after the pandemic is over, they hope to shift to having an actual building. They want to be able to have a cat acfe type of business: having a restaurant and an animal shelter all in one, a rehabilitation center of some sort. They are not only protecting the planet but will be rescuing homeless animals too.
“We just want to educate people, we want to help.”
If you ever find yourself in Kansas City, MO or are a resident and have yet to try The Tree Hugger Food Truck, go pay them a visit. Check them out on their social media @thetreehuggertruck and @thetreehuggertruck.com
The name “Tree Hugger” came from Phil’s brother.
“When it comes to veganism, we’re not all Peta, we’re not all shoving suffering animals in front of your face and saying ‘how dare you eat that?’ We’re trying not to be that because that’s not how you’re gonna get people to want to try it and open their minds. We were kinda just poking fun at ourselves...we’re just a bunch of Tree Huggers.”
There is no successful business without its challenges. The Tree Hugger Truck is no exception. Phil and Mandy expressed a few challenges faced in the past few months. One challenge is that one of their challenges has been trying to navigate being new business owners. Another challenge is that vegan ingredients can be difficult to find and can be very expensive. To top it all off, they are introducing veganism in the Midwest, which is known for barbeques, meats. They overcome all the challenges by constantly willing to learn everyday, not taking ‘no’ for an answer and by leaning on each other; motivating each other. Their advice to anyone looking to start their own business is to do your research, have a support system, and don’t let fear hold you back.
Over the next few years, hopefully after the pandemic is over, they hope to shift to having an actual building. They want to be able to have a cat acfe type of business: having a restaurant and an animal shelter all in one, a rehabilitation center of some sort. They are not only protecting the planet but will be rescuing homeless animals too.
“We just want to educate people, we want to help.”
If you ever find yourself in Kansas City, MO or are a resident and have yet to try The Tree Hugger Food Truck, go pay them a visit. Check them out on their social media @thetreehuggertruck and @thetreehuggertruck.com
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