diff --git a/ChangeLog.md b/ChangeLog.md
--- a/ChangeLog.md
+++ b/ChangeLog.md
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 # Changelog for rio
 
+## 0.1.14.0
+
+* Addition of `mkSimpleApp`
+* Addition of `lookupEnvFromContext`
+
 ## 0.1.13.0
 
 * Add `withLazyFileUtf8`
diff --git a/rio.cabal b/rio.cabal
--- a/rio.cabal
+++ b/rio.cabal
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 cabal-version: 1.12
 
--- This file has been generated from package.yaml by hpack version 0.31.2.
+-- This file has been generated from package.yaml by hpack version 0.32.0.
 --
 -- see: https://github.com/sol/hpack
 --
--- hash: 8e4af889359b601656dfdc5de6e99c1ae5312558aa4768684771e5a0fb8e6a8e
+-- hash: 3304dcc13a958b77f994720f0df6f7b7714d1ed441b38b6ab56b91b30164bcd2
 
 name:           rio
-version:        0.1.13.0
+version:        0.1.14.0
 synopsis:       A standard library for Haskell
 description:    See README and Haddocks at <https://www.stackage.org/package/rio>
 category:       Control
diff --git a/src/RIO/Prelude/Simple.hs b/src/RIO/Prelude/Simple.hs
--- a/src/RIO/Prelude/Simple.hs
+++ b/src/RIO/Prelude/Simple.hs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE NoImplicitPrelude #-}
--- | Provide a @SimpleApp@ datatype, for providing a basic @App@-like
+-- | Provide a @`SimpleApp`@ datatype, for providing a basic @App@-like
 -- environment with common functionality built in. This is intended to
 -- make it easier to, e.g., use rio's logging and process code from
 -- within short scripts.
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 -- @since 0.1.3.0
 module RIO.Prelude.Simple
   ( SimpleApp
+  , mkSimpleApp
   , runSimpleApp
   ) where
 
@@ -31,6 +32,17 @@
 instance HasProcessContext SimpleApp where
   processContextL = lens saProcessContext (\x y -> x { saProcessContext = y })
 
+
+-- | Constructor for `SimpleApp`. In case when `ProcessContext` is not supplied
+-- `mkDefaultProcessContext` will be used to create it.
+--
+-- @since 0.1.14.0
+mkSimpleApp :: MonadIO m => LogFunc -> Maybe ProcessContext -> m SimpleApp
+mkSimpleApp logFunc mProcessContext = do
+  processContext <- maybe mkDefaultProcessContext pure mProcessContext
+  pure $ SimpleApp {saLogFunc = logFunc, saProcessContext = processContext}
+
+
 -- | Run with a default configured @SimpleApp@, consisting of:
 --
 -- * Logging to stderr
@@ -45,10 +57,6 @@
 runSimpleApp m = liftIO $ do
   verbose <- isJust <$> lookupEnv "RIO_VERBOSE"
   lo <- logOptionsHandle stderr verbose
-  pc <- mkDefaultProcessContext
-  withLogFunc lo $ \lf ->
-    let simpleApp = SimpleApp
-          { saLogFunc = lf
-          , saProcessContext = pc
-          }
-     in runRIO simpleApp m
+  withLogFunc lo $ \lf -> do
+    simpleApp <- mkSimpleApp lf Nothing
+    runRIO simpleApp m
diff --git a/src/RIO/Process.hs b/src/RIO/Process.hs
--- a/src/RIO/Process.hs
+++ b/src/RIO/Process.hs
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
   , mkDefaultProcessContext
   , modifyEnvVars
   , withModifyEnvVars
+  , lookupEnvFromContext
   , withWorkingDir
     -- ** Lenses
   , workingDirL
@@ -296,6 +297,7 @@
     -- is incomplete.)
     defaultPATHEXT = ".COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.MSC"
 
+
 -- | Reset the executable cache.
 --
 -- @since 0.0.3.0
@@ -331,7 +333,7 @@
   pc' <- mkProcessContext (f $ pcTextMap pc)
   return pc' { pcWorkingDir = pcWorkingDir pc }
 
--- | Use 'modifyEnvVarMap' to create a new 'ProcessContext', and then
+-- | Use 'modifyEnvVars' to create a new 'ProcessContext', and then
 -- use it in the provided action.
 --
 -- @since 0.0.3.0
@@ -344,6 +346,13 @@
   pc <- view processContextL
   pc' <- modifyEnvVars pc f
   local (set processContextL pc') inner
+
+-- | Look into the `ProcessContext` and return the specified environmet variable if one is
+-- available.
+--
+-- @since 0.1.14.0
+lookupEnvFromContext :: (MonadReader env m, HasProcessContext env) => Text -> m (Maybe Text)
+lookupEnvFromContext envName = Map.lookup envName <$> view envVarsL
 
 -- | Set the working directory to be used by child processes.
 --