Community Highlights: Meet Betsy Thompson of Load of Crock, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Betsy Thompson.

Hi Betsy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It was late August of 2018 when I challenged myself to what I called a “Crock Pot Challenge.” At that time, and still to this day, our family of 3 enjoyed the warm summer weekends that we never seem to get enough of here in Minnesota, which meant that every Sunday around 5:00, my significant other and I would be sitting out on our patio while our son played in the yard, and without any enthusiasm whatsoever say, “Well, what are we going to do for dinner?” We love eating, it wasn’t that. It was that we just didn’t want to miss one minute of these precious, beautiful days, where the weather is warm and the three of us just get to be together, and enjoy each other. And we never really had a plan. So, I broke out what is now my most favorite kitchen companion, the crock pot, and challenged myself to make a new recipe, every Sunday, for 4 weeks, so that we could enjoy our summer evenings and weekends as long as possible.

4 weeks later, I had met my personal challenge, and started remembering how much I loved making food. I jokingly mentioned to my significant other that I should start a YouTube channel, where I share simple slow cooker meals, for busy families like ours, trying to enjoy every minute of our weekends and, at that time, summer. And he said, “you are going to do that” and well, we did it. I say we because he did and still does, play an instrumental role in Load of Crock.
So, I started Load of Crock’s YouTube channel behind the scenes in late 2018, officially sharing my first videos in January of 2019. It filled a gap for me when my then, 15-year career in human resources wasn’t fulfilling my creative side. Still in love with and passionate about helping and supporting others, which has always been my biggest driver for my various roles in HR, I had not been able to use my creative side as much as I once did, and this certainly helped.

Less than a year into this creative project, after 16 years, I was told my position at my company was being eliminated. I worked hard to see this as an opportunity to make some changes and align what I loved doing with my passion of helping others, and started my own HR consulting company, allowing me to meet new people, and lead various HR strategies and initiatives for different companies with different needs. BUT. Yeah, doesn’t it always feel like there’s a but? I also realized how much more I wanted to do with Load of Crock and how much more there was to share. So I began making it more, including an official business. With more videos, more food, more humor, and simply, just more loads of crock. I continue to strike the balance with both my companies, which have somewhat merged related to how both allow me to be creative and support and help others. With all of this only being possible with the continued and full support of my significant other, Eric.

It was in the spring of 2022 when I decided to take an idea I had, something I had been make-shifting on my own, and figure out if there was any desire for it in the marketplace. Oh, and also figure out how on earth to even create and take something to market. So, for over 2 years, I spent hours each week, working with consultants, sharing my idea, measuring and making prototypes, trying to find a factory that would make it, and in August of 2024, Load of Crock’s Slow Cooker Parchment Paper Liners went to market!

I loved the crock pot, but had found that the top reason others didn’t use it much was because of the clean up, and a general refusal from most to use the plastic liners in the market. I agreed with both of these, which is why I had been make-shifting my own liners for years. So, when I began learning this about others, I saw another opportunity to do something that could help others, and that’s when my process began for coming up with my own parchment paper liners for the crock pot. Providing incredibly minimal clean up, and not requiring people to cook food in plastic.

It has been an amazing, exciting and VERY humbling last few years for me. Having zero experience in the product world made this an incredible learning process, and allowed my brain to think in ways it hadn’t in a while. Load of Crock is all about getting back to the basics, simplifying every day things of life, and having a fun time along the way. And over the last 6+ years, we continue to do this through our products, recipe videos and blogs, simple meal planning processes, and general merriment. I am so lucky to get to do this and look forward to sharing some new and upcoming things coming soon to Load of Crock!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My 2+ year journey of creating and taking a product to market certainly wasn’t easy. One of the biggest was balancing my HR consulting business and work, with putting in the time needed to get my product created and in the market. However, every challenge that presented itself forced me to look at what I was doing from a different angle, which most times is what then led me to my next step. And usually a step I didn’t even know was next, given I had zero experience with this. So there were definitely times I could have thrown in the towel (or the liner), and trust me, some days, that felt like the easiest thing to do. But in my gut, I really felt I had something that other people wanted, even if they didn’t know it yet. And, as I shared earlier, helping others brings me a lot of joy and fulfillment, so that’s what kept me moving this forward. And I still have to figure out how to balance my consulting work with my creative work, as I have more to come with both! Each day is different, but both are so incredibly important to me, and I know how fortunate I am to get to do them both, and that’s what makes the road feel smooth, even when it is not.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Load of Crock, LLC?
Load of Crock officially became a business in 2021, and I balance this with my HR consulting business, VK Consulting.

Load of Crock was born from the idea of enjoying life and getting back to the basics. And its name stands as my reminder and commitment to have fun and not take anything too seriously. What started as a creative outlet and our family having more of a dinner plan to make life easier, turned into an approach and lifestyle that was all about getting more time back for me and my family. Load of Crock is not just about food, although, food is so great! It really is about a lifestyle; simplifying where you can, finding things that work for you and your family, and having a sense of humor along the way.

We are of course known for our crock pot cooking, and more recently, our product, Load of Crock Slow Cooker Parchment Paper Liners, which went to market last August, and are yet another way to make dinner time easy by reducing clean up and (bonus!) not requiring you to put plastic in your crock pot. I am so proud of all that Load of Crock has become in the last handful of years. What was a fun YouTube channel and creative outlet for me and my significant other, has become SO much more, with our product, meal planning, and general approach to helping others enjoy meal time again!

I have also been lucky enough to be a reoccurring guest on both Twin Cities Live and Fox 9 Good Day! Both shows continue to be so generous with having me on to share about our liners and provide viewers with simple meal ideas and approaches!

Stay close to Load of Crock as we have some new things coming soon, all aligned to our goal of getting back to the basics and creating a more simple approach to food that is sustainable and part of a lifestyle!

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I have been in the Twin Cites since 2003, and love this place with all of my heart! I was born and raised in Iowa, came up to St. Peter to attend college at Gustavus Adolphus, and have been in MN ever since! I love raising our son here and really mean it when I say I appreciate all the seasons of MN. Even winter! Load of Crock started because of the AMAZING summer season of Minnesota, so truly, this place has such a positive impact on me, my family, and my businesses!

Pricing:

• Load of Crock Slow Cooker Parchment Paper Liners- 4 pack- $13.99

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.myloadofcrock.com
• Instagram: @loadofcrockwithbetsy
• Facebook: @loadofcrockwithbetsy
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsy-thompson-580b205/
• Youtube: @loadofcrockwithbetsy
• Other: https://www.myloadofcrock.com/loadofcrockliners