In honor of Father’s Day, we’re excited to introduce you to a local dad, Kevin Lehoe, father and owner/founder of Yummy Tummies.
Before we get to know more about Yummy Tummies, let’s learn a bit more about the family behind it!
Where are you originally from and how long have you lived in the Columbus area?
I was born and raised in the Cleveland area (Mentor, OH). My wife, Meredith, and I met at Ohio State, at the Donatos Pizza on campus of all places! We have two boys, Asher (5) and Banks (3).
What are some of your favorite things to do around Columbus?
Our two boys have a lot of energy, so most of our favorite local things to do revolve around getting them moving and burning off energy. COSI, the Columbus Zoo, and LEGOLAND are probably their three favorite places in Columbus. We also love spending time outside and riding bikes. Dublin has amazing bike paths everywhere, so some of our favorite family memories are just riding around together and discovering a new playground or park to stop and play at.
Be sure to check out Columbus Moms Network’s Favorite Playgrounds
Our mission is to Give Parents the Gift of Time. What are some of your best time0saving tips/resources as a parent?
My wife is an ENT physician, and I spend a ton of time building our business, so we’ve had to be very intentional about saving time where we can. One of the biggest things for us is that we almost never go grocery shopping in person anymore. We use grocery delivery from Walmart and Sam’s Club every week, and it’s surprisingly about the same cost as doing it yourself. Definitely a huge time saver for us.
We also use HelloFresh pretty regularly. Planned meals with ingredients ready to go save so much time and mental energy during busy weeks. Plus, this still allows us to all sit down for a healthy home-cooked dinner as a family.
As hard as it is to find the time, what is something you do just for yourself?
Every Wednesday night I play soccer. It’s something I’ve loved since I was a kid, and a great way to stay active and spend time with friends.
Now let’s chat more about Yummy Tummies? Tell us about the business and what you offer?
Yummy Tummies makes fruit snacks with 70% less sugar and all-natural ingredients that kids still genuinely love.
We started Yummy Tummies because our kids LOVE fruit snacks, but we didn’t love all the sugar in them (10g in each tiny pouch). We wanted something that tasted just as good, but with way less sugar and more thoughtful ingredients. So, we decided to create our own.
How long have you been in business?
We officially launched in March of this year, but we’ve been working behind the scenes on Yummy Tummies for almost two years now.
What is something unique that sets Yummy Tummies apart from others?
We’re building this as real parents, just wanting a better option for our own kids. Way less sugar, nothing artificial and better ingredients for families like ours.
We also spent a ton of time trying to get the taste and texture just right, because we knew a healthier recipe wouldn’t matter if kids didn’t actually love eating them. So hearing parents say their kids can’t even tell the difference has been very cool!
Now let’s chat a few of your local favorites.
Favorite Coffee Spot: Fox in the Snow, in old Dublin
Favorite Date Night Spot: Anywhere in Bridge Park! Such a great place for a night out.
And finally, what’s the best dad advice you have ever been given (or your own advice to dads out there)?
Everyone tells you that the time goes by fast with kids, and it really does. So, if I could remind myself of one thing, it would be to find more joy in the little moments. Take the bikes to school one morning. Wake the kids up with a dance party. Be silly and goofy just because. I’m sure that one day I’ll look back at this chaotic busy season of life and wish I were back in it.
