Schmelly’s in the Parish
On March 28th, Schmelly’s founder Nicola Krebill took home the grand prize at the 5th annual Startup St. Bernard pitch event.
Schmelly’s was selected by a panel of judges – Mindy Nunez Airhart, President and CEO of Southern Services and Equipment, Inc; Kristen Essig, co-owner and co-chef at Coquette; Andy Kopplin, President and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation; and Blake J. Stanfill, Director of Growth at trepwise. The judges chose Schmelly’s to take the top prize, out of a pool of three finalists – including Breathing Waters and DaParish Kayaks – all of whom pitched their businesses in front of an audience of over 100 at Docville Farm in Violet, LA.
Thank yous: We are profoundly grateful for the support of the Mereaux Foundation, and St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation, visionary forces behind the Start Up St. Bernard effort to support innovation and growth in St. Bernard Parish. Extra thanks as well to their cash and in-kind partners – all of whom are extending a warm welcome.
When will you see Schmelly’s in the Parish?
Schmelly’s was awarded $40,000 in cash and over $43,000 in in-kind services to help us scale our business to expand into St. Bernard Parish.
- We anticipate the expansion to get underway later this spring/early summer once our new truck comes online. At that point we will begin signing up new commercial clients in the Parish who are interested in our compost pick-up services. (Interested businesses can get a head start by filling out an inquiry here.)
- The incredible in-kind services package is already propelling conversations around developing a new organic waste MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) in the Parish. We have begun an initial feasibility analysis around a potential site and will share updates as they come.
- And finally, the cash award is being split between site development and equipment costs, hiring on a new part-time Operations Manager, and facilitated trainings around job safety and workplace equity.
