Catching Up With Carter Comstock '05 and Michael Wystrach '98

Carter Comstock ‘05 and Michael Wystrach ‘98 are the successful duo behind Freshly, a prepared meal delivery company that ships over one million prepared meals per week throughout the United States. Started in 2012 right here in Southern Arizona, Freshly expanded nationally in 2015 and now has 3,000 employees. The idea to co-start/own this company together was a natural one for Michael and Carter, who have been friends for 15 years. Carter, with a health and fitness-oriented mindset and Michael, with a passion for business and entrepreneurship, worked well together and were truly the ideal consumers in those early days. They knew what it was like to not have time to cook and wanted to provide easy, healthy options. Michael’s personal favorite Freshly meal is the chicken parmesan, while Carter named the turkey chili as a stand-out. When they launched the company, their meal service was the first of its kind, and even now, with various competitors, they still stand out among the rest. Freshly offers fully-prepared, ready meals, from a truly consumer-focused company that is ten times larger than their competitors. What began as a way to simply try to make it easier for people to eat healthier in Tucson quickly grew and became the huge success it is today. 

Michael and Carter both attended Salpointe followed by the University of Arizona. Asked what their favorite memories were from their time as Salpointe Lancers, Michael described his experience as “foundational and instrumental…I may not have always appreciated it at the time, but I now truly appreciate the quality of the education I received and the level of true passion from the staff.” As for Carter, he enjoyed “the culture, athletics and the people; a lot of my closest friends to this day are people I went to school with.” 

What advice do they have for young Lancers who might want to go into business for themselves? Michael and Carter both agree that it’s never too early to start preparing for a career in entrepreneurship and to recognize  that success does not come overnight. Michael recommends working for start-up companies for at least 3-5 years to gain valuable experience and make sure this is something you really want to do. Carter suggests focusing on a service you understand as a consumer, similar to the path that he and Michael took. They both recommend listening to business-mindset podcasts and immersing yourself in the business culture, to help determine your future career path. Combining college with real-world experience as well was instrumental in their success. They also stressed the importance of going into business with someone you respect who has complementary skill sets. 

In December of 2020, Freshly was acquired by Nestlé in a deal that values the online prepared-meal startup at $950 million. Michael Wystrach currently lives in New York, while Carter Comstock has returned to Arizona and now lives in Scottsdale. 

Learn more about Freshly at https://www.freshly.com/

Written by Tara Barry