Ever wonder why restaurant aprons haven’t changed in a hundred years?

In this episode, I sat down with father-son duo Kevin and Kieran Hoy of Smart Apron to discuss how they’re transforming a tired, overlooked product into a modern-day solution for food service workers and beyond. What started with a stitched-up fanny pack has become a functional, durable, and smartly designed product used by everyone from restaurant servers to Nike inventory teams.

We dive deep into how they’ve bootstrapped their business, navigated manufacturing challenges, and used customer feedback to build a better product. From high school business projects to Amazon reviews, Smart Apron proves that listening to your customers and staying consistent can lead to real innovation.

Key Moments in This Episode:

🧵 How a restaurant shift inspired the very first Smart Apron

🚧 The 10-year pause—and what brought it back to life

🎯 Why real-world feedback fuels their design process

💡 Turning a niche product into a multi-industry solution

📦 Scaling a lean, family-run business from Amazon to national retailers

Join me, Ramon Vela, for this inspiring conversation about resilience, reinvention, and why solving a small problem can lead to something big.

For more on Smart Apron, visit: https://thesmartapron.com/

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Today’s Sponsors:

Compass Rose Ventures- Advisor for CPG Brands: https://compassroseventures.com/contact/

Compass Rose Ventures can help your CPG brand increase customer lifetime value, expand into the US market, create an omnipresent omnichannel footprint, optimize customer journeys, build brand communities, and more. Visit the link above to learn more.

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Date ‘Em Til You Hate ‘Em ft. Aleeza Ben Shalom