JackBe Grocer

It was an icy winter night in 2005. A tired mom with three tiny children simply needed a gallon of milk. She wondered why you could get a burger and fries at a drive-thru, but not milk or eggs. That night, a seed was planted. Jennifer Neef knew she wasn’t the only weary mom, and she knew there had to be a better way.

Jennifer’s little girls grew up, and in December 2019, she sensed God prompting her heart. Suddenly, the dream of serving families with a drive-thru grocery became an active mission. She enlisted the help of family friend, Alex Ruhter, and in January 2020, the JackBe grocery concept was underway. It was simple, yet brilliant – an on-demand, drive-thru grocery with great produce and orders that were ready in minutes. Co-founder, Mitch Friesen, later joined the team, and after three years of research and development, the first JackBe location opened in January 2023 at 178th & May, Edmond, followed by the store at Danforth & Santa Fe. The dynamic trio is now looking forward to opening a Yukon/Mustang store in January 2024.

JackBe…Nimble and Quick

Just like the nursery rhyme, JackBe is both adept and speedy. When the name was first suggested, they had to chuckle. “We knew it was us,” Jennifer recalls. “We want to lighten peoples’ loads and make them smile, and that’s exactly what the name did for us.” As they often say, JackBe is just like a grocery store, yet nothing like a grocery store. There are no customers inside. Instead, customers download an app, place an order, and simply use the app to notify the store when they are on their way. The team starts picking their order at that moment. With an average pick time under four minutes, it’s all about efficiency!

Once customers arrive, they pull into one of 10 covered bays, scan a QR code, and moments later, a JackBe team member loads their groceries. No crowds, minimum purchase, membership fee, waiting for a pickup time, or substitutions. For every hassle in curbside grocery shopping, JackBe has sought the answer.

Excellence–There is no Substitute

Inside the sleek, streamlined store, tidy rows brim with all the most popular foods and household items. Customers never have substitutions because once an item’s stock is purchased, it is removed from the app. The hand-picked produce is a huge hit. “We don’t have to display our produce at room temperature for shoppers,” Jennifer explains. “We keep it in a cooler so it stays at peak freshness. People say our apples are the crispest they’ve ever had.” JackBe also offers several delicious prepared foods like ribs, rotisserie chicken, and chicken salad. Eventually, they will have a full kitchen and cannot wait to introduce a selection of hot, delicious meals.

Although they dream of growing nationwide, they could not be more thankful to be here first. Jennifer shares, “Right now it means the world to have such incredible customers supporting us during these early stages. Without them, we’d never have a chance to grow and become the great place we want to be.” JackBe will keep fighting to overcome supply chain challenges and look forward to becoming increasingly price competitive as soon as their buying power increases. Their main mission is to value people and support families. “We want to give back time,” Jennifer comments. That mindset permeates every interaction and process at JackBe. As she says, “We want it to always be true that spending time under our canopy means your day just got a little bit better.”

Visit jackbenimble.com and download the app. For a limited time, when new customers create an account, they immediately receive a $15 credit toward their first order! Edmond stores: 178th & May and Danforth & Santa Fe.