Local Yogis Launch Fundraising Campaign for Vegetarian Food Truck

Justine Carmine and Nicole Beddow, owners of Happy Hippy

Nicole Beddow and Justine Carmine have had a busy six months. Since first meeting at a yoga teacher training at Hotbox Yoga in Manayunk, the two have paired up on a new business venture that they’re hoping to launch later this summer. The idea: a healthy vegetarian- and vegan-friendly food truck, with occasional pop-up wellness and fitness events, for Temple University students. 

Yesterday, the pair launched an Indiegogo fundraising campaign for their Happy Hippy Food Truck. The goal is to raise $20,000 in the next 40 days. The money will be used to help purchase a truck, outfit it with necessary appliances, plant a garden bed on top, and purchase compost bins for the truck’s compostable containers and cutlery.

“Temple already has a great food-truck culture, but we see a huge need for affordable nutritious options around campus,” says Beddow, a Temple grad, who recalls steaming veggies in her dorm room when she was a student. “We want to offer delicious, nutritious food and a support system for people after.”

That support system comes in the form of a regular running club led by Carmine, who’s also a marathon runner, and pop-up yoga classes around Temple’s campus. If everything goes according to plan, they hope to be up and running — and offering pop-up outdoor yoga — by Temple’s Welcome Week for incoming students this August.

The truck itself will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast will be smoothies and smoothie bowls, while lunch and dinner will be sandwiches and salads. The all-vegetarian menu is still being hammered out, but items include a sweet potato-banana smoothie; a veggie burger made with quinoa, beets and flaxseed; and housemade (truckmade?) sweet-potato chips. Carmine and Beddow also hope to team up with local food makers to offer made-in-Philly snacks and drinks to complement their offerings.

Happy Hippy is hosting a fundraising kick-off party this week at the the Philly Vegan Drinks meet-up on Wednesday, March 18th, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Tattooed Mom. Veggie burgers will be $3 and draft beer will be half price. Beddow and Carmine will be on hand to tell you more about their project and answer any questions.

“We love to cook, we love food, and we love fitness,” says Beddow. “We’re aiming high, and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.”

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