Mar 27, 2025
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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