“THEN what’s remaining is what you can go forward and work with. It’s readjusted my sense of priority with what I really should do next. It’s about working efficiently, not doing more or doing it bigger. I’ve also applied the … concept in my life as well and it helps balance the job as a whole, but only after I am taken care of.”
Sentiment has shifted our business model a bit. Less markets, less baked goods, less offerings, but more consistency, fresher ingredients, made to order purchases, more recipe ideas, along with rotating offerings on a biweekly basis.
Sticking to what we do well makes for better products for you, more time for me, and less waste all around.
What We’re About
Dry Guys Pantry Supply is a dry goods retailer—low waste, big taste, and always plant-based. We aim to supply products that rival and replace anything Bisquick, Kraft, or McCormick Spices might make—but tastier, inherently vegan, and sold in compostable packaging. All of our products come with plant-based recipes, but work just fine with any animal product counterparts. Variations to the back-of-the-“box” recipes can be found on our recipes page.
How We Got Here
Vegan since about 2016, I’ve learned to navigate a non-vegan world, and while it’s made me the chef that I am today, I’ve learned that preparation is key. Always having stocked shelves—dry beans, rice, things like oat milk and vegan mayo, oil and vinegar. But then spices and seasonings started taking up what room was left in my kitchen, and I got tired of pulling out 8 different spice bottles to season my tofu scramble or marinate my veggies for grilling. So I got prepared.
That small desire to have big personal batches, pre-mixed and ready for the frying pan, has been expanded to gallons of pancake mix, tofu scramble seasoning, or cashew cheese mix. Mix it up, seal it in a compostable bag, and put it out in the world for others to save wasted time in the kitchen and physical waste from the landfill.
Dry Guys wouldn’t be where we are today without the likes of farmers markets across Nashville, giving us a spot to vend. Additionally, restaurants such as The BeHive and The Wild Cow and stores like The Good Fill have given us our first retail platforms and kitchen space respectively. (And years of inspiration and know-how.)
What’s Next
Until the idea of a zero-waste, package-free, storefront becomes more feasible in this economic reality, Dry Guys will move to a more manageable, subscription based format. Pre-orders allow for more dialed-in, zero-waste, bulk ingredient shopping—down to the gram. This allows for freshly-ground, made-to-order spice blends, which equates to less ingredients on hand, and an overall smaller footprint. It will be a smaller operation, but more focused on what we do well—damn good dry goods, for plant-forward cooking, for your low-waste kitchen.