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Keith Lauver, Founder

  • Entrepreneur
  • Foodie
  • Montana native
  • Father of three boys
  • Guilty Pleasure: Key Lime Pie

Keith is a serial entrepreneur with expertise in starting, building and managing companies in emerging markets. The Healthy Pantry is his fourth company, his second one in the food industry, and hands down the one he’s most excited about! A software nerd by training, he founded Gearworks in 1999, a wireless application software company that later merged with Xora to create the market leader in field service automation. Originally from Montana, Lauver moved home in 2004 to run a premium beef company started by a fourth-generation ranching family. As CEO, he successfully drove business expansion efforts securing accounts with such leading retailers as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Williams-Sonoma. In 2008, in response to his own personal journey to wellness and a clear market need, Keith founded The Healthy Pantry and created cooksimple™.

David Lukens VP Business Development

Since joining The Healthy Pantry, David has built and maintained critical relationships with local bankers, government officials and industry leaders. These relationships have enabled The Healthy Pantry to secure SBA-backed loans and an RGEB grant that was instrumental to the company’s success in securing leading retail accounts (including Whole Foods and Safeway), and partnerships with key regional brokerages and the three leading national distributors of natural foods (UNFI, KeHe/Tree of Life and Nature’s Best).

Tony Sobiech Co-Founder & Executive Chef

Tony is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America having worked in a number of fine dining establishments throughout the country, as well as at high-volume foodservice companies, such as LSG Sky Chefs and Sodexho. A native of Minneapolis, Tony found his way to Montana after accepting a position as Executive Chef and Product Marketing Manager at one of the region’s premium beef companies. In 2008, Tony joined Keith Lauver, to oversee product and recipe development for cooksimple™.