A new Lancaster County product on store shelves is seeing success in the marketplace and helping to support an organization that serves the blind and vision-impaired.
VisionCorps employees package a variety of products from its Leola plant, and “Neat,” an all-natural meat substitute, is the latest.
Lancaster County’s Phil and Laura Lapp developed it when their daughters became vegetarians. They wanted to be sure the girls still received a healthy amount of daily protein.
“I actually couldn’t believe when I first tried Neat, how close it mimicked ground beef,” said Phil Lapp of his wife’s creation. “So you get the protein you would get with ground beef without the saturated fat, and it just kind of blew us away.”
The soy-free and gluten-free product first became available on Amazon.com and then spread to Stauffers of Kissel Hill supermarkets locally.
When it came time to package “Neat,” Lapp didn’t hesitate to turn to VisionCorps.
“We want to be a company that’s not just about profit and bottom line, but actually helping people and giving back,” Lapp said.
VisionCorps Vice President and Chief Development Officer Megan Sofilka said with every package sealed, new opportunities open up for the blind and vision-impaired.
“In the country, the unemployment rate for people who are blind is 70 percent,” Sofilka said. “We pride ourselves on the fact that we seek them first.”
On Sat., November 9th, the Lapps will have a “Neat” cook-off demonstration from 10 a.m.-noon at the Stauffers of Kissel Hill at 301 Rohrerstown Rd Lancaster, PA 17603.