Simek's - How a Family Recipe Became a B Corp Powerhouse

The Story of a Brand

Ramon Vela

Business, Entrepreneurship

5 • 145 Ratings

🗓️ 16 May 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As someone who’s passionate about brands that lead with purpose and quality, my conversation with Lindsey Hickey, CEO and owner of Simek's, was a true highlight.

Simek's isn’t just about frozen meals; it’s about nourishing people with food made from real ingredients, giving back to local communities, and doing business with integrity.

In this episode, Lindsey shares her journey from joining the family business at just 26 years old to leading the company through a complete transformation from running retail stores to building a nationally distributed CPG brand.

We talk about product simplification, clean ingredient innovation, what it takes to get B Corp certified, and how she balances leadership and motherhood with authenticity and purpose.

Here are a few key takeaways from the episode:

* Why simplifying the product line was critical to scaling, and which SKUs made the cut

* How Simek's removed artificial ingredients and doubled down on real, clean, small-batch meals

* Lessons learned from the brand’s CPG transition, trade spend strategy, and digital evolution

* Why DTC didn’t make sense for frozen and how they partnered with retail to grow smarter

* Their mission-driven approach to impact: from donating 13M+ meals to removing 180K+ lbs of ocean-bound plastic

Join me, Ramon Vela, in listening to the full episode to hear how Lindsey is leading with heart, purpose, and a commitment to doing things the right way.

For more on Simek's, visit: https://simeks.com/

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave The Story of a Brand Show a rating and review.

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Today’s Sponsors:

Compass Rose Ventures - Advisor for CPG Brands: https://compassroseventures.com/contact/

Compass Rose Ventures can help your CPG brand increase customer lifetime value, expand into the US market, create an omnipresent omnichannel footprint, optimize customer journeys, build brand communities, and more. Visit the link above to learn more.

Color More Lines: https://www.colormorelines.com/get-started

Color More Lines is a team of ex-Amazonians and e-commerce operators who help brands grow faster on Amazon and Walmart. With a performance-based pricing model and flexible contracts, they’ve generated triple-digit year-over-year growth for established sellers doing over $5 million per year.

Use code "STORY OF A BRAND” and receive a complimentary market opportunity assessment of your e-commerce brand and marketplace positioning.

Transcript

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0:00.0	But wait, I have to go sell this item now to the Frozen Department,
0:03.2	and now that's a whole other.
0:04.5	And then our brand becomes disjointed in the store.
0:07.3	We were really used to having our brand block together.
0:10.6	So we left through some big few rationalization and said,
0:14.2	one of the first things we did was, let's have to be everything to everyone.
0:18.7	Let's just do a few things, but do it exceptionally well.
0:32.1	Hey, everyone, this is Ramon Vela, and this is another episode of the story of a brand.
0:37.0	Like always, we have an amazing
0:38.3	guest and brand that we're going to feature on today's show. But before we do, hi, I speak to
0:42.8	hundreds of founders and CEOs of consumer brands each year, and they are facing unprecedented
0:49.6	challenges. That's why the story of a brand has worked with the Compass Rose team, my strategic partner, to provide relief.
0:59.0	We are offering a no-cost solution exclusively for consumer brand founders and CEOs featured on the story of a brand show, as well as listeners, whether it's to help you map out your brand's
1:13.4	growth trajectory or prepare your brand in financials for investors or acquisition or more.
1:20.3	Simply book a one-on-one call with Rose Hamilton, the founder of the Compass Rose team.
1:26.3	This is a $500 value.
1:28.9	The calendar is limited.
1:30.5	So book your time now.
1:32.6	Simply visit compassroseventures.com forward slash Ramone.
1:38.1	Compassroseventures.com forward slash Ramon.
1:42.7	Welcome back, everyone.
1:44.0	This is Ramon Vela. And I have an amazing brand that I want to feature on today's show.
	...

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