Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and even kale—getting your little ones to eat and love their veggies has never been easier. Thanks to Once Upon A Farm’s one-of-a-kind recipes, eating healthy never tasted so good! As a leader in the baby food category, this brand has earned the trust of consumers and positively impacted countless lives. Accomplishments such as these require having all the right ingredients, including the right people.
The Once Upon A Farm story began with a mother’s desire to feed her baby the very best food without having to sacrifice taste or convenience. Cassandra Curtis couldn’t find what she was looking for at her local supermarket, so she began creating her own recipes and selling the first cold-pressed baby food at retail.
“It really started with my own personal dilemma in the kitchen. I was making my baby’s food from scratch and as a working mom, finding the time to plan, shop, chop, blend, and freeze proved to be a real challenge,” said Curtis. “I so badly wanted to be able to just go to the store and buy something fresh and convenient that were like these amazing recipes I was making at home.”
Curtis eventually joined forces with industry legend and former Annie’s CEO John Foraker and actress, philanthropist, and mom of three, Jennifer Garner, to create the next generation childhood nutrition company. Since its inception in 2015, this brand with humble beginnings and visions of grandeur is now sold in more than 13,000 stores nationwide with a growing product portfolio of organic, farm-fresh snacks and meals for babies, toddlers, and big kids. Just like the Once Upon A Farm products, the partnership was formed in a very organic way.
Foraker had been working with Annie’s for a long time and taking the lead on that business in the US. It was a predominantly kid-focused brand known for its mac n’ cheese, cookies, and crackers. Through many years of research, Foraker got to know what was going on in the households of consumers that had little ones — making it clear that the products in the baby aisle were not meeting their needs. The fact that an individual could buy fresh food for their pet but not for their infant was pretty unbelievable.
In 2017, Foraker’s search for a company that was making headway in this particular market led him to discover the amazing products Curtis was making at Once Upon A Farm. It didn’t take long for Foraker to recognize the amazing opportunity that existed and he made the decision to become one of the company’s largest investors, doing everything he could to help the brand become a success.
Around that same time, Garner and her manager were searching for a business opportunity to join in the early stages. They had been looking for a while when a friend mentioned Once Upon A Farm. After the initial conversation it was a no-brainer. Garner immediately recognized how these products offered a solution to a struggle she experienced with her own children when they were younger. And seeing Foraker’s name on the angel investor list only solidified her gut instinct that this was a business worth backing. After one call it was decided that the three of them would join forces to take Once Upon A Farm to the next level.
As a co-founder and chief brand officer of Once Upon A Farm, Garner is fully immersed in the company and its mission. Whether she’s working with the sales and marketing teams, taste testing new products, or enhancing community engagement — Garner truly cares and takes part in it all.
“When it comes to raising the level of nutrition for all kids, our hearts come first. It’s great that families are able to purchase Once Upon A Farm products from Whole Foods but making those same products accessible to children living in food deserts is even greater,” said Garner. “We want to ensure that nutrition is heading in the right direction for kids across America.”
This speaks to the fact that while most companies pride themselves on their unique selling points, Once Upon A Farm sets themselves apart with their unique selling priorities. Their unwavering commitment to sourcing USDA Certified Organic and NON-GMO Project verified ingredients has made them the first baby and kids food brand to receive the Clean Label Purity Award. What this means is that when Once Upon A Farm’s products were tested for the presence of over 400 different contaminants including heavy metals, chemicals, pesticides, and other toxins, Clean Label Project determined they met their highest purity standard.
However, it’s about more than what’s not in the food — the quality of ingredients that are being used is equally as important. Once Upon A Farm recipes are free from preservatives, added colors or flavors, refined sugars, or words that are impossible to pronounce. The company consistently delivers the highest quality and taste by partnering with trusted organic farms, including Garner’s family farm. Keeping in mind that the world is constantly evolving, Once Upon A Farm makes sure to re-evaluate their process based on the latest studies in order to continue creating products that meet or exceed current requirements. When you have something mom and dad feel amazing about and kids love, you know it’s a winner.
“The consumer response has been absolutely phenomenal from the very beginning. When I first started out sampling at farmer’s markets or making deliveries out of my van, parents were so appreciative,” said Curtis. “They loved that we had incorporated veggies into every product and found a way to make it taste great. It was the convenience without compromise they had been looking for all along.”
The very first product that Curtis created in her kitchen was the green kale and apple fruit and veggie blend. The initial recipe and iteration of that blend is the same one used today and it happens to be the best selling product in the entire Once Upon A Farm portfolio. A number of the current SKUs are the original ones Curtis made for her daughter, proving that tasty nutrition stands the test of time.
With all the beneficial attributes, what matters most is that kids love Once Upon A Farm, which makes parents love it even more. And as they continue to innovate and develop new products, the brand has proven its innate knack for identifying opportunities and challenges begging to be overcome.
It always made perfect sense for someone to tackle the dry baby food market and to make sure it’s as low as possible in lead, sugar, preservatives, colors, etc. Staying true to their reputation, the company delivered a delicious solution with the introduction of Once Upon A Farm Organic Baby & Toddler Pantry Snacks, which includes Fruit & Veggie Puffs, Coconut Melts, and Tractor Wheels™ Toddler Soft-Baked Bars.
As pioneers in the kids fresh snacking space, the company released their Refrigerated Oat Bars around the same time. These first of its kind bars are made with real fruit and veggie, fueled with 100% whole grain oats and drizzled with a no-added sugar icing that is a whole new level of yummy. Parents have quickly realized they can’t go wrong with any of the three delicious varieties: Strawberry, Banana Chocolate and Apple Cinnamon.
And last but not least, they have most recently added a line of new A2/A2 whole milk shakes and smoothies made with organic grass-based dairy. With the intention of filling the gap that exists in the current overly sweetened dairy products for kids, these no-sugar added creamy pouches of goodness come with countless benefits.
“A2/A2 milk is becoming increasingly important as parents are finding it’s easier for their children to digest than regular milk, which has an A1 dairy protein,” said Curtis. “Parents are also really looking for ways to ensure their kids are getting the many nutritional benefits for growth and development offered by dairy products such as Vitamin B12 and calcium…our milk shakes and smoothies make achieving that goal easier.”
Everything Once Upon A Farm does keeps little ones and their parents in mind. As business partners and fellow entrepreneurs, Curtis, Foraker, and Garner have many things in common with one of the main ones being their passion for making a positive impact on a larger scale. So it should come as no surprise that they were the first fresh baby food brand made available for the WIC™ program. Actively working to gain authorization in additional states, their values have continued to fuel actions, including their A Million Meals program in partnership with the non-profit Save the Children. Together, they’ve pledged to distribute 1,000,000 nutritious meals to children in food-insecure communities across America.
Once Upon A Farm has a great partnership with Save The Children. Garner has been working with that organization since 2008 and has been a board member for most of that time. The organization serves kids who are growing up in poverty, live in underserved communities or completely lack access to resources for nutritional food. Garner recalled the humbling experience she had while in Central Valley California. One of the local food bank employees came to ask Garner if she knew that Once Upon A Farm was feeding babies up and down the entire valley. Realizing the only fresh fruit and vegetables these children get is because of the company Curtis, Foraker, and Garner had worked so hard to build was the most incredible feeling.
“Our mission is to drive systemic change in childhood nutrition for a happier, healthier and more equitable world. Very few companies get to where we are in this space despite lots of brilliant people trying,” said Foraker. “I’m most proud of the fact that we built a really strong brand that consumers trust and that is making their lives better — and we’re just getting started.”
Without a doubt, new products and categories are in the future for Once Upon A Farm as they continue to pave the way for what’s possible in the baby and kid food industry. It will be everything consumers have come to know and love about the brand, only with a wider reach. At the end of the day, Once Upon A Farm is driven by their belief that every child deserves a happier and healthier ever after.
To learn more about the Once Upon A Farm story and mission, check out their site.
Looking to purchase any or all of the Once Upon A Farm products? Visit their online store.
