Student Spotlight: Nathan Mestel
Nathan Mestel, a seventh grader at Westridge Middle School, recently competed and won the grand prize in the “Next Great Idea” pitch competition at Shawnee Mission School District’s R&D Forum. We sat down to talk with Nathan about his concept to take milk that is just past the “sell by” date and turn it into cheese to benefit nonprofits who tackle food insecurity. Over time, his vision evolved into forming a nonprofit that teaches families how to reduce food waste in their households. Take a look at Nathan’s pitch and the Q&A below.
What inspired you to focus on food waste and food insecurity?
Nathan: I don't really have an inspirational story per se. It's not like food waste had a big impact in my life, and I set out to change that. But as I was compiling ideas for the “Next Great Idea,” one of the magazines that I subscribe to had just released an article talking about the UN's newest study on global food waste. And I thought, “hey, that wouldn't be bad.” So I took inspiration from companies like Imperfect Foods and sought out a way to repurpose a food that gets wasted a lot, like dairy. Along the way, it evolved into less of an emphasis on making cheese and more of an emphasis on public education.
How did your concept evolve over time?
Nathan: It’s definitely become less of a business and more of a nonprofit over time. My initial vision was to make cheese and either sell it or give it to shelters. But then I thought—using 10 to 15 gallons of milk a week is great, but that doesn’t really have an impact. So I started using the cheese as a catalyst to draw people over and say, “hey, here’s why food waste is such a big deal.” So the education is what makes the impact.
What have been some of your biggest challenges so far?
Nathan: Now that I’ve won the competition, I can actually say, “hey, I’m starting this.” Because when it was just a possibility, people were absolutely willing to pitch in information, but if I asked grocery stores to donate milk, they were a bit hesitant. Hen House shot me down, and Hy-Vee just said it was a possibility. But I feel like now that we’re getting setup as a 501(c)(3) and a public charity, now I can feel a bit more confident going into those conversations.
Do you think your age has been an advantage or a challenge?
Nathan: I feel like my age is beneficial. It’s nice that people always want to help the cute kid for his school project. And then when I show them my research, they see that I’m as qualified as I can be at this age.
What advice would you give other young entrepreneurs?
Nathan: Talk to people who have done this before. I’ve talked to people from Broadmoor Bistro, I’ve talked with various nonprofits, I’ve talked with cheese and milk producers… that was definitely beneficial even though it wasn’t necessarily a person doing exactly what I’m doing, there were a bunch of people who could each help out with a specific area.
How do you feel like your generation of leaders is different than your parents’ generation?
Nathan: I would say the internet is the big thing we have access to—most of the knowledge available to the human race. We’ve lost some skills like talking over the phone or actually reading books, but we’re definitely a lot more proficient with the internet, making researching and gathering data much easier. I feel like every generation has built on the ideas of our parents and grandparents and turned them into something new and exciting.
What can people do to support you?
Nathan: Just spread the word. Right now, I’m working on setting up a company website. I’ve had a number of people say they’d be interested in volunteering, and of course donations are always accepted. But the best thing people could do for this company is spread the word and tell people that, “hey, he’s doing this, these solutions are available, go try them out.”
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