Growth and Branding: the Development of Prescription Chicken
BY LEAH LI
Prescription Chicken’s co-founders Valerie Zweig (right) and Taryn Pellicone (left). Washington Business Journal.
“I had lived in New York where you could get anything delivered … but at the time in Washington, you really couldn't … I had moved back to Washington and I got sick … so I said to myself, like, gosh, I wish that I could just have matzo ball soup delivered to my house.”
In 2016, after getting sick and searching for chicken soup, Valerie Zweig noticed that there wasn’t any good soup that satisfied her in DC, and this gap in the market allowed her to develop the idea to start a business that sold homemade, high-quality chicken soup. Along with co-founder Taryn Pellicone, Valerie Zweig created Prescription Chicken, and since then, they’ve developed into a nationwide company. How did Prescription Chicken get here? Zweig says it’s growth and branding.
Prescription Chicken’s chicken soup and sandwiches. Nomtastic Foods.
One of the key factors in Prescription Chicken’s success was branding. Valerie’s former involvement in restaurant consulting allowed her to understand the importance of brand and concept development. They focused on creating a cozy, homemade brand for Prescription Chicken, and by using ingredients like bones, carrots, celery, onion, ginger, and dill, they were able to create a simple and natural feel for the chicken soup. However, this focus on quality ingredients came at a cost. From challenges with finding a manufacturing partner to difficulties with funding, Prescription Chicken faced many obstacles but overcame them, all while maintaining the integrity of their product.
To stay true to this vision, everything involved in their business had to be in correlation with the brand. From flavors to foods, each element was carefully chosen to ensure customers could recognize and connect with the business, ensuring they would keep coming back. Although Valerie didn’t have formal business experience initially, she learned a lot along the way, particularly in managing finances and ensuring everything “came together” properly. This journey of learning and adaptation leads into the other key factor of their success—growth.
