Meet Jacqueline Grady Smith | Co-Founder & COO, not just co.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jacqueline Grady Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacqueline, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
I’m not the first person to say this, but without a doubt the most important decision I’ve made has been deciding to marry my husband.

Having a spouse who is fully on board with me realizing my dreams and ambitions and who’s happy & willing to solo-parent our girls when I have to work or travel is priceless.

As anyone with children knows, their needs come first, and someone has to be there to meet those needs. Knowing I have a true co-parent and someone cheering me on is fundamental to my success.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We’re on a mission to bring joy and ease to the chaos of weeknight cooking with delicious, nutritious, meal-starting sauces & personal-chef crafted recipes designed to help busy people get dinner done. Plus, everything is gluten free, vegan, & free of refined sugars. Our goal is to be the go-to dinner solution for every busy family in America.

Our founding team is made up of two mothers who felt an acute problem in their days, even as they taught cooking classes to other home cooks: getting dinner on the table after work. Our shelf-stable multi-purpose pantry staples (and corresponding recipe database!) solve that problem and help take one stress out of the day for families. Since launching not just co., we have tackled many challenges in business and personally: A copacker bailing on us right before the holidays, launching products during the Covid lock downs, growing our retail footprint despite supply chain issues, collectively three pregnancies,& and my oldest daughter being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer (now in remission). We’ve worked through each challenge and grown throughout.

Tackling these tests and seeing our hard work pay off has been the biggest professional thrill of my life. We conceived of not just co. when I was six months pregnant with my older daughter and initially the company was as much about our dreams & ambitions as it was helping other moms. Now, having seen Abigail beat cancer and thrive, my work is about leaving a legacy for my girls, about proving that women can be present parents and still build amazing, socially conscious businesses, and making an impact on our communities.

We started not just co., because even though we were professional home cooks, dinner was still a struggle and nothing on the grocery store shelves was speaking to us as busy working mothers. Part of what we’re building is a community of women who love good food but face a daily juggle. We speak to our peers through our social media, branding, and recipe development and one of our goals is to be a place (on the internet & in your kitchen) to laugh at the craziness and bring a little joy to every evening. Seeing that dream come to fruition and hearing from women who love our products and our mission is incredible.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a New Englander and haven’t spent nearly enough time in LA, unfortunately! But my husband and I did go out recently and drive down the coast to Dana Point. We loved the community there and had some great meals! Special shout out to Bristol Farms, which carries our dressings. It’s always a blast to go somewhere new and see them on shelf!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Besides my husband, my parents, and my two daughters – it’s hard to nail down just one. I’ve been lucky enough to participate in a lot of programs that have been incredibly helpful, especially to an early stage food CPG brand:

The Stacy’s Rise Project (2023 Fellow)
The Tory Burch Foundation Fellowship (2024 Fellow)
Naturally New England (Board Member)

All of these organizations have contributed support and knowledge to me and to the business that have helped us grow.

Website: https://www.notjust.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjustco/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelinesgradysmith/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustcompany

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@notjustco

Image Credits
Nina Gallant