From Left to Right: Vince's Son-In-Law, Vince's Son, Vince himself.
It All Started in Mom’s Kitchen
Every great adventure has a starting point, and ours began in Mom’s kitchen. From a young age, you could find our head chef and founder, Vince, in one of two places: playing outside or in the kitchen with his mother, a kind woman with an eclectic palate who loved to cook and bake for her family. Think freshly baked breads, homemade pies, and warm treats. Vince didn’t even experience store-bought cookies until the age of nine. It was in their home kitchen that he developed a taste for good eats and the skill set to match. Thanks, Mom.
Enter a Love of the Backcountry
Like many outdoor enthusiasts, Vince wanted to spend all his free time in the backcountry. From backpacking to biking, camping to kayaking, canoeing to climbing, or skiing to stargazing, if it meant having fun in the backcountry, Vince was there. He lived for the moments of awe and inspiration, completely at peace in those moments, feeling gigantic and microscopic all at the same time. Those moments are what we now define as “Trailtopia” moments. But there was one thing missing from Vince’s adventures. Amazing food.
Filling a Lack of Satisfying Food
As a trained foodie, Vince wanted more out of the meals that were being offered. After long days and many miles of trails, rivers, and mountain passes, Vince would sit down to eat the sad excuse of a dinner while dreaming of being back in his mother’s kitchen to enjoy a hot comforting meal that would not only fill his stomach but warm his soul from the inside out.
So he did what any great chef would do and started creating, testing, and tweaking his own recipes for all his upcoming adventures. It began with a few re-sealable bags, some oatmeal, and a variety of dried fruits for breakfast. Then, homemade desserts, tweaked from family recipes, started to make the menu. Add in lunches made with flavored noodles, doubled up with options made for gluten-free friends.
Starting to Fulfill Friends’ “Orders”
Over time, his friends started demanding that Vince make the food for every backpacking trip, even the ones he wasn’t able to attend! The more food he shared, the bigger the demand from his fellow Trailtopians grew. So in 2013, on an annual backpacking trip (this time to Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains), the idea to share Vince’s backpacking food beyond his friends and family happened as naturally as the ingredients themselves, and Trailtopia Adventure Food was officially born.
A New Type of Adventure Food
With more than 40 years of outdoor adventure experience, a taste for good food, and a vault of family recipes, Vince got to work creating recipes he could share with the world. Sourcing only the finest all-natural ingredients, creating a specialized cook-in-bag package that didn’t require any special utensils, and painstakingly testing and tweaking each recipe until it was perfect, Vince was ready to launch!
Trailtopia Today
Today, Trailtopia is a team of family, friends, and fellow adventurers dedicated to providing outstanding, nutritious, and convenient eats to fuel your outdoor adventures. Each meal is hand-packaged by Vince and his family in their 100% wind-powered scratch kitchen located in Rochester, Minnesota. The goal is to keep your body going, your taste buds happy, and your belly full. When you open a freshly cooked Trailtopia meal, you can feel the care that was put into each bite.
But enough about us – let’s talk about you. Are you planning your next multi-day trek on the trail? Family camping trip? Afternoon out on the water? Whatever it is, you need more than simple calories. From hearty breakfasts to mouth-watering desserts, Trailtopia will help you refuel your body and soul for every mile. These moments are yours.
Happy Trails!