Our Story

WE HELP START AND GROW FOOD BUSINESSES

The Apple Cart Company was planted proudly in Richmond, Virginia in 2014 by owners Stephanie Ganz and Barb Upchurch Lamb. The two met while working for the Small Business Administration. Barb was the Director of the Women’s Business Center and Stephanie managed the Breadwinners program -- a grant-funded initiative designed to help women create food businesses. Together, they helped start food trucks, restaurants, catering operations, and specialty food brands. The two were an instant match, sharing a love of food, travel, and enterprise development; and from there The Apple Cart Company was born. In 2019, Barb purchased the company from Stephanie as she expanded her writing career. The agency continues to grow with a team of strategic partners who can provide solutions at all stages of business development.

About Barb Upchurch Lamb

Speaker, problem solver, marketing maven

Barb has been in marketing since the earth crusted over! She got her start after attending East Carolina University working for Alpha Xi Delta National Fraternity, traveling all over the United States opening new chapters while living in Indianapolis. From there, she moved to Richmond, Virginia where she became the Director of Marketing at Interim Personnel.

Next, Barb moved to London where she worked for a classified ads newspaper called The Loot -- the most fun job ever! There she learned what it was like to have a 10 million pound budget, and work with cool PR agencies like Tequila Group -- they had some wild Christmas parties, as you can imagine.

Blueberry Marketing was started by Barb Upchurch Lamb and Ester O’Sullivan in London, and they marketed the big Irish houses as film locations for a stint. Barb then moved back to the US, moving Blueberry with her and immediately starting marketing artists. Her first client who taught her everything she knows about the industry was artist Kelly Rightsell.

Blueberry then moved from Raleigh, to Charlotte, to Richmond Virginia. Barb started teaching business workshops for the Small Business Administration, and they hired her to be the Director of the Women’s Business Center in 2010, which was during the economic downturn, so it was a good time to be gainfully employed.

Next, the food obsession began. Barb met Stephanie Ganz, who ran the incubator kitchen and the Breadwinners program. Everything she knows about food came from that role and her relationship with Stephanie, a trained chef. To this day, she still runs into clients who started their businesses through that program.

The non-profit hosting the Women’s Business Center then shut down, and soon after The Apple Cart Company was born. It started during the food truck upswing and together they taught lots of people how to start a food truck. They went on the road to Portland and San Antonio speaking to food truck owners from all over the nation at the National Food Truck Association Conventions.

Once food trucks leveled off, Barb and Stephanie began working with restaurants and specialty foods. They continued their speaking path, working for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), planning and speaking at the Virginia Specialty Food & Beverage Educational Conference.

“The Apple Cart is a hell of a one-stop shop, considering that you typically have to seek out all those services separately, with only the Internet and a crust of bread to sustain you.”

— Bird Cox