NAMPA, Idaho — When you start a business, you typically want to get your name out there to everyone. But in this week's Made in Idaho, we're introducing you to a business that you may not have heard of, but you have surely seen their work all over the Treasure Valley.
Food Concept Idaho in Nampa sounds like a great place to maybe try a new dish that you’ve never had before.
“A lot of people think it’s a food business where we sell food or kind of like a restaurant kind of thing, but we actually manufacture concession trailers," said Food Concept Idaho office manager Brenda Rodriguez.
So though you may have never heard of them, if you've eaten at a food truck there is a good chance you've seen some of their work. Food Concept Idaho began about four years ago by Brenda's husband Ozzy, who had been a manager and welder at a trailer company.
"He loves welding, that's one of his passions, but his ideas, I guess his love for the metal, loves working with it, he decided to start his company," said Rodriguez.
Many of those ideas have become artistic realities for Treasure Valley businesses. Ideas that had been brewing in Ozzy's head for years when he would lock himself in his garage for hours at a time with just his tools and metal.
"And I'm like what are you doing? I don't know yet, just leave me alone, and I'm like okay. So I would have to leave him alone and he would come up with things and I'd be like hmmm okay!" laughed Rodriguez.
In a year where so many businesses got the red light, it was all green for Idaho Food Concepts. Employees and customers got to spend some time getting creative.
"We thought with COVID we were gonna slow down a little, but it just started booming. And I guess since we customize them and we sit with the client and take time with them, explain things to them, design it with them, I think that's one of the things that helped us grow," said Rodriguez.
We can also assume that many of the company's employees will see each other during holidays.
"It's like a family-owned company because my son after he graduated high school, he's working with us. My dad, he's working with us," said Rodriguez.
And this Made in Idaho family-business appreciates something that most people in the Treasure Valley love as well, its residents.
"You know, I love Idaho, and for me, it's really really important to see quality in the people, see, they can find that here in Idaho," said Ozzy.
