Meaningful Marketplace Podcast Meaningful Marketplace Podcast

In this episode, our hosts interview yet another Oregon State University, Food Innovation Center “graduate”, Iliana Maura, Founder of the company that bears her name, Iliana Maura. The company produces dairy-free products for those who wish to or need to avoid dairy. From the start of the show Iliana credits the FIC, for which Sarah Masoni is the Director, for helping refine her product to be ready for the consumer market. The journey to the FIC was a familiar story. Iliana Maura comes from a family of experienced cooks and bakers. Fresh out of college, Iliana was one of the first entrepreneurs to start a line of fruit juice-sweetened cookies. She donated part of her profits from each sale towards helping animals. Her four flavors of gourmet cookies caught on quickly, were sold throughout California and ultimately gained national distribution. Passion for a healthy lifestyle and her love of animals and natural sustainability have always been a big part of who Iliana is. It was only natural for her to explore producing dairy-free products and after experimenting with recipes, began selling in local farmers markets. Iliana Maura foods were an instant hit and Iliana not only had a line outside her booth, but sold out every single week she attended. These markets are the genesis of many successful food products and any food entrepreneur (foodpreneur) who isn’t selling their products in one is urged to check out their local market. In this episode, Iliana has many survival hints for all those entering into farmers market for the first time. It was in that farmers market community she was introduced to and joined the Pacific Northwest Food and Beverage Group, a real family according to Iliana. People in the group told Iliana about the FIC and all the resources available to foodpreneurs. After an introduction to Sarah Masoni, Iliana worked with one of the food scientists and began the process of taking the recipe from kitchen to consumer sales. Iliana Maura currently offers “Divinely Dairy-Free Butter”, an incredible alternative to regular butter, and sugar-free protein bars. Iliana sells both online and currently has one local market carrying her products on the shelf. However, she is always thinking of new products to expand the line and urges the visitors to her website to sign up for her newsletter and offer recipe ideas. In fact, Iliana is launching a new and improved butter product this May, 2024. She has extended the shelf life to five months, for which she again credits the scientist team at the Food Innovation Center. Besides tasting good and a long shelf life, products need great packaging not only to get the consumer’s attention, but to emote an image of satisfying taste, healthy and sustainable processing and the hands-on, caring touch of the founder. Iliana’s logo mark is a stylized self-portrait and says it all for her. It is very feminine, a standout from the more generic butter and bar packaging and is a reflection of her desire to bring wholesome and healthy foods to the world. Besides the one store location and the farmers market, you can order online at https://ilianamaura.com/. Follow Iliana o Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilianamauraofficial/ . Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilianamaura/. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

We interviewed Donna Parker, founder of Blondy’s Baked Goods, back in March of 202l - episode 66 for all you baking enthusiasts. A quick background on Donna: Living with allergies for over a decade and always having to compromise on foods, Donna made up her mind to create and share delicious treats that cater to everyone, regardless of dietary restrictions. Her gluten allergy turned Donna into a self-taught cook and baker specializing in dairy and gluten-free baking. It’s been three years since we talked with Donna in Portland, Oregon, so what’s changed? For one thing, she’s moved to the Nashville, Tennessee area with her son and pretty much started her business again from scratch. At first, Donna wasn’t sure if she would restart Blondy’s Baked Goods. In Oregon, she had placed her baked goods in some excellent grocery stores, was in 20 different coffee shops and had kept the business alive during COVID. However, Nashville was an unknown in the gluten-free food category. Donna wanted to keep her company going, but also had a parallel career in the beauty industry and she finally had to choose one. It was a lot of effort and heartache to restart and keep going, but her passion to deliver healthy, nutritious treats was the spark to keep Blondy’s going. Now in her fifth year a big turning point was this January. Donna gave up her career in the beauty industry to be full time Blondy’s. There have been some big challenges. In the Portland area, there were lots of foodies who loved paleo and dairy-free and gluten-free foods but her new market was unknown. However, the town in which Donna now lives has more west coast people moving to the area and demand for allergy-free foods is increasing. Also, the one gluten-free bakery in the area recently closed down, leaving an opening for Blondy’s. Still baking from home, Donna is appreciative of the fact that Tennessee is more lenient when it comes to cottage law than Oregon, but she is extremely careful to have all her corporate papers, permits and licenses in order to be in full compliance. Right now, working from her home kitchen is perfect for the volume of business, but Donna knows she will need to keep an eye on possible expansion. Our host Sarah Marshall of Marshall’s Haute Sauce has a certified commercial kitchen in her family home and urges Donna to operate from her home as long as possible to work out the kinks of production and to keep down the headaches of overhead. And on top of the business at home, Donna is home schooling her son, so not doing a lot of commuting certainly helps Donna keep it together. Donna’s approach in her second business incarnation is backward from her first. In Oregon, she started out as a wholesaler; Donna went right into a commercial kitchen and right into wholesaling. But in Tennessee, she changed her mind after discovering the difference between the state laws. Donna still does wholesale business and caters to cafes and restaurants in the area but without needing a commercial kitchen. There are new items in the product line since our last interview. Many people had come up to Donna asking how to bake gluten free and then were overwhelmed with the number of ingredients it took to do so. That inspired Donna to create baking mixes to simplify home baking. First, Donna took her paleo chocolate chip cookies and turned them into a mix. Next, it was the Blondy Brownie mix and the journey has been very educational for Donna to show that baking paleo doesn’t need to be impossible. Being in this new market segment has also given Donna a chance to be in some fun specialty stores and expand her own professional background. Blondy’s Backed Goods are available in a half-dozen coffee shops in Donna’s local area and online along with the mixes on her website: https://www.blondysbakedgoods.com/. Follow Donna on: IG @blondysbakedgoods and FB @blondysbakedgoods. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmar

It’s been since 2021, episode number 76, that we interviewed Stacey Givens, Farmer/Chef/ and Owner of The Side Yard Farm & Kitchen, Portland, Oregon. The Side Yard Farm & Kitchen is a 1-acre plot of land located in a mixed business/residential core area of the city. This urban farm’s philosophy is seed-to-plate, meaning they grow and create meals all from the same plot of land. The company feeds around 15,000 meals annually through restaurants, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes, donations, catering, and farm events. Stacy grew up in Southern California, the youngest child in a big Greek family. With that background, Stacy was immersed within a deep food culture. Her mother taught her how to grow, forage, and preserve food as women in Greece had done for generations before. Stacey gained her first experiences in the food industry at the age of fifteen working in kitchens from Los Angeles to San Francisco and then to Portland. It was in Portland that she found a home and community and founded the Side Yard Farm & Kitchen in 2009. Stacy worked the land and built her catering business up, gaining such notoriety such as winning the Local Hero Award, plus being been featured on Food Network’s Chopped, TIME Magazine and NBC’s Today as well. It took until May of 2020 for the company and the community behind her to purchase the land outright to solidify their place in the community and also preserve it for farmers of the future. Now to catch up to the present with Stacy; what’s changed? The biggest change has been personal with Stacy, she is now the mother of a soon-to-be one-year old. Not only has sleep deprivation been a big change for Stacy, becoming a mother has also affected her business. When she was around six months pregnant, her back began to hurt from the extra load on her body and she was not able to work the fields as much as before. Unfortunately, the pain has continued to haunt her and Stacy has needed a physical therapy regimen to deal with it. All this has changed her role at the farm and not being out there lugging a wheel barrel and joining in the planting and harvesting has taken away one of Stacy’s big joys in life for the time being. However, Stacy is determined to get back out there and you can bet that will happen. Stacy talks enthusiastically about the community outreach programs on the calendar that take place at the farm and she runs through the calendar of events that is jam packed for the next couple of months. The company has brunches, movie nights and other events where everyone is invited and can purchase a ticket online. One spotlight group is the grief group, where those in grief can gather. Many bring a dish that was the favorite of their lost one and can share both laughs and tears with others grieving for a lost one. You can follow the farm on Instagram and Facebook. If you want to attend one of their events, pull up their website: https://www.thesideyardpdx.com/. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Amza. Say it. Now say it slowly with your eyes closed. It hums, it’s peaceful and rhythmic, isn’t it? It’s a beautiful word. It also is a region in Tibet and the birthplace of The Dalai Lama. And fittingly it is the name of Amza Superfoods a company founded by Jolma who is from Amza. Born and raised in Rebbong (རེབ་གོང་།), Amdo region of Tibet and growing up in Rebgong, Jolma was exposed to a vibrant cultural hub known for Tibetan arts (literature, painting & food). Jolma learned cooking at a young age from her beloved late grandmother, Sonam, who also raised her. Sonam was born a nomad and was illiterate her entire life. Still, she understood the value of education and told Jolma, "To discover the world, one must move beyond her own kitchen." Sonam’s determination inspired Jolma to become the 1st girl from her village to earn a college degree and was the impetus for Jolma’s journey from Asia to Europe and eventually to America. She learned English from the ABCs at age 30 and that drive to succeed continued as Joma sought to honor her grandmother and other disadvantaged Tibetan women like her by drafting a memoir cookbook, Beyond Her Kitchen, chronicling Tibet's healthy eating traditions and the stories behind each bite. It was more than a cookbook and more than a tribute, it was the book that her grandmother COULD NOT write because of her illiteracy. Jolma penned the book while working as a product user experience designer to support her son while he was going to a University. After he was done, Jolma then decided to go from cookbook to business. This seed from the cookbook bloomed into a meaningful food business, Amza Superfoods, from her Portland, Oregon kitchen. Amza Superfoods offers a family of nutrition-dense, tasty, sustainable nourishment that celebrates Tibetan culture. Amza prioritizes sustainability, social impact, and local sourcing of 100% natural, heirloom whole grains, delivered in eco-friendly packaging. They also empower underprivileged women and girls in Tibet through education. The hearty Tsamba snacks, barley breakfast mixes, and flaxseed spreads are handcrafted in small batches with Oregon bounty. They provide a convenient way to get high fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. There is a broad product line of bagged snacks and jars of flaxseed spread. Joma has added some warm spice to some of the spreads and the flavor warms the tongue without being too hot. And check out the health benefits of flaxseed when you have time. Jolma has been selling well at local farmers markets, but anyone can buy online at the website: AmzaSuperfoods.com. Follow Jolma on Twitter – @AmzaSuperfoods, LI - @AmzaSuperfoods, Instagram – @AmzaSuperfoods, Facebook – @AmzaSuperfoods. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

"Why can’t you have all the good wind-down and relaxed feeling alcohol gives you without the alcohol? That’s the question Thomas Angel had in 2020 along with his partner, Laura Melgarejo Silva. It started the quest for the Bend, Oregon founders to discover a truly delicious taste married with the wholesome ingredients that would offer that relaxed feeling without the after-effects. Thomas calls their company a pandemic baby because that’s the genesis. As you may recall, the isolation of the pandemic led to an increase in alcohol consumption, giving them a challenge to solve. And there was more incentive; both Thomas and Laura came from families that abused alcohol so they were even more determined to offer alternatives to alcoholic drinks but still offer the same relaxing and social benefits. As background: Both became ex-pats living in China, with Thomas having an aviation background. It was an exciting and glamourous life, going from one party to another, but they both soon became aware of the role alcohol consumption took in their lives. When the pandemic hit, they were caught in the quarantine and though most people increased their alcohol consumption, Thomas and Laura went the other way, figuring out how to get it out of their lives. They had always been active people and were in good health, so eliminating alcohol made them feel better. However, they still desired the relaxing part of having a beverage whether with a group of people or just the two of them. So when the quarantine was relaxed, they headed back to the Pacific Northwest and began their entrepreneurial journey. They looked around and saw a social scene that offered opportunity. When there was a social function involving beer, wine or cocktails, people could opt for a can of sparling water of course. However, there was an awkwardness for those people that Thomas and Laura noticed, and that was the gap they intended to close. They decided to move to Bend, Oregon, a beautiful high desert area in central Oregon and begin to chase their dream. Of course, a name was first on the agenda. Three elements went into the name. First, Bend is a high-altitude location. Second, they wanted to reflect the elevated feeling they were achieving in their brand. Last, it’s an ode to Thomas’ aviation background. And so the name: Altitude Beverages. They created routine based beverages designed for a “better you”. The drinks really taste incredible, too; no stevia, erythritol, or allulose and importantly, no metallic aftertaste.
They started selling their home-crafted drinks at local farmer’s markets and have expanded to selling both online and select grocery stores in multiple states in the US. See them online and purchase any of their three mocktails or three lattes on: https://altitudebev.com/. Follow them on Twitter - @altitudebev, Instagram - @altitudebev, Facebook - @altitudebev, LinkedIn - Altitude Beverages.
Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

In episode 171, our hosts reviewed the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas. They will be attending the Summer Show in New York and so will this show’s guest, Laura Dadap, co-founder of Djablo Sauce. Laura and company will be in the Incubator Alley section and the trip to the show won’t be a long one; Laura was born and raised in Queens. For the genesis of the company, let’s start with the name, Djablo. It is Philippine in origin, and in the region where Laura’s father grew up, the letter “I” is replaced with the letter “j”. The original recipe came from Laura’s father and the letter “j” made the family think of a boxing jab punch, so the hot sauce with a punch made perfect sense. As with any business name or logo, one has to be careful with infringing on trademarks, especially those owned by mega corporations. Laura started quietly to make sure she did not raise the ire of big Taco Bell and their Diablo Sauce, which is sold by the bottle as well as inserted into food orders by the packet. Laura started by doing an Internet search for companies spelling the word using a “j” and saw an opening. Flying under the radar until they had some money to lay a strong legal foundation, she then hired an attorney with a solid background to file the trademark correctly. Laura and our own Sarah Marshall of Marshall’s Haute Sauce share a bond. Both were on season 22 of Hot Ones, the show about hot and spicy foods. And Bobby Flay, the Emmy Award-winning food TV pioneer and acclaimed restaurateur has recommended both Sarah and Laura’s hot sauces. Djablo Sauce is the first locally produced, family owned and operated small batch Filipino hot sauce in the United States. Their zesty ginger and garlic forward sauce packs a punch with round, comforting heat is the answer to the ingredient focused, flavor fanatic searching the shelves of their local grocery shop to make any food more interesting. They officially launched sales in June 2019 with 2 flavors in 2 sizes ranging from $10-20 for those who like a little bit of spice, to those who want a Djab on every bite. They use all natural superfoods like beet and spirulina to keep the colors consistent, and they hand pick all the produce that goes into the sauce. Laura also thinks out of the box, offering recipes to spice up foods you probably had never thought about. See those recipes and shop online at their website: https://djablosauce.com/. Follow them on IG: @djablosauce and TikTok: @djablosauce. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.