Well being Bear elevating oatmeal with handy innovation
LAS VEGAS — Lisa Matar attended the 2019 Winter Fancy Meals Present in San Francisco to do analysis for an thought she had for a meals enterprise. In 2023, she was exhibiting on the present in Las Vegas selling her thought because the founding father of the Well being Bear Meals Firm, Monte Sereno, Calif., a producer and marketer of handy oatmeal-based meal resolution cups. From thought to actuality, Ms. Matar’s marketing strategy has advanced, due to the pandemic and different market forces which have made her adapt.
“My authentic plan was to promote on-the-go merchandise at corporations in Silicon Valley,” she stated throughout an interview on the Winter Fancy Meals Present in mid-January. “I noticed this as extra of a foodservice enterprise, however that clearly got here to a grinding halt with the pandemic, and we transitioned our efforts to Amazon and another platforms.”
At this time, the corporate has three stock-keeping items which are marketed and distributed all through Northern and Southern California by UNFI. Along with Amazon, Well being Bear’s merchandise are marketed and distributed by such on-line platforms as Pod Meals and Mabel.
The premise behind Ms. Matar’s enterprise is to raise oatmeal however in a handy, no sugar software.
“I assumed oatmeal was boring,” she stated. “I saved questioning why everybody was copying one another? Can’t we be inventive?”
Taste varieties at the moment accessible embrace coconut, cardamom and dates; blueberry, almond and lemon; and plain.
“It’s not exhausting to look in your spice cupboard to see what you possibly can put in your oatmeal,” she stated. “That’s the way it began – I needed to supply completely different flavors utilizing elements individuals are accustomed to and that they most likely have of their kitchen.”
Whereas the flavors could also be distinctive, Ms. Matar needed to promote a product that was approachable.
“There are numerous merchandise on the market won’t be so simply a sure, ?” she stated. “This (Well being Bear) is absolutely easy to say sure to. Everyone eats breakfast, and lots of people need wholesome meals.”
With some competing oatmeal merchandise being formulated with sugar, Well being Bear is sweetened with monk fruit. Different elements within the formulations embrace chia, flax, hemp and pea protein, which implies the merchandise have as much as 12 grams of protein, no sugar and are excessive in fiber, stated Ms. Matar.
It’s early days for the enterprise. Ms. Matar stays the one worker, however she works with a copacker, advertising and marketing providers firm and brokers. She additionally has not sought exterior funding from enterprise capital traders.
The largest problem she faces is including scale with restricted sources.
“What’s good about this model is it’s handy and versatile,” she stated. “I can proceed to broaden in retail, I can concentrate on e-commerce or I can take the concept to foodservice. It’s principally a grab-and-go choice that may slot in numerous locations and I would like to determine what will likely be subsequent.”
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