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Photos by Sarah Tuttle.
Isaac Robinson is the founder of Swoul Food, based on healthy meal preparation.
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Isaac Robinson said he always knew he wanted to own his own business, but he never thought it would be in the food industry.
Robinson and his spirit of entrepreneurship went full-speed ahead with his custom fitness meal solution business, “Swoul Food,” in 2015. The business began out of his house, then moved to Chef’s Workshop and now has its own storefront in Hoover, 3439 Lorna Lane.
Robinson always has been consumed with health and fitness. He attended the University of Alabama and ran track. After graduating in 2003, he went to the Olympic trials in 2004. He then moved on to bodybuilding after retiring from track.
That’s where his passion began for prepping and portioning his own meals.
During that time, Robinson started working for the Birmingham Fire Department. He also opened up his own gym out of his home, all while keeping his meal-prepping lifestyle.
In 2013, one of Robinson’s clients at his gym asked him to start making his meals for the week. His client had seen his meals every day, and the client did not have time to prep healthy meals on his own. Robinson began sharing the pictures of his meals, and word got out through social media and friends about his meal solutions.
“I realized I was getting on to something when I had about a hundred meal boxes stacked up in my kitchen,” Robinson said.
The inspiration for Swoul Food came from Robinson’s dad, who owned a restaurant called Soul Food Express when he was growing up. He tweaked the name of his father’s Georgia-based restaurant to express the fitness aspect of the company.
After two years of business, Swoul Food is thriving, with some customers ordering 40 meals a week.
“The way I did it when I started is like the ice age compared to what I am doing now,” Robinson said. “It is night and day.”
The Lorna Lane store has only been open for about a month and already is helping the business grow. Robinson opened the store because he noticed people wanted fresh food right away, and they were skeptical about ordering food online.
“I want people to know that they can come by and see that the food is cooked right here out of Birmingham,” he said.
Swoul Food started out aimed toward bodybuilders and the fitness community. Now, Robinson wants customers to know it is not just for people who are looking to gain muscle or lose weight.
Customers of all types can come in with a preset meal plan, or they can sit down with Robinson, and he will make a custom-meal plan with them.
“Eating fit and well is for everybody, so I am showing people that eating like this is for everyone and not just athletes,” Robinson said. “Everyone has to eat and eat healthy.”
Robinson said he is looking ahead and eager to keep his business growing.
“I have been working on making this a repeatable process for someone else to franchise it, but that’s a long ways away,” he said.
For more information, go to swoulfood.com or check out its Facebook page.
