700 Jessica Sturzenegger: Founder & CEO of Amara
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I am unwilling to give up, that I will start over from scratch as many times as it takes to get where I want to be. You just want to make sure you will get knocked down, but just make sure you don't get knocked out. So your only choice should be, go focus on what you can control. Hi everyone and welcome to the Kara Golden Show. Join me each week for inspiring conversations with some of the world's greatest leaders,

We'll talk with founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and really some of the most interesting people of our time. Can't wait to get started. Let's go. Let's go. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to The Kara Golden Show. Today's guest is someone who's reimagining what healthy food for kids should look like and changing the category for the better. I'm joined by Jess Sturzenegger, founder and CEO of Amara. Amara,

Mara has gone from an idea to a top baby food brand by providing clean label products, no added sugar, nutrient-rich foods that actually taste amazing. They really focus on baby, toddler, but I have to say that

I enjoy it as well. So it's a yummy, yummy addition to anybody's day. So blends, baby blends and toddler blends to smoothie melts and oat bites, lots of things, great things going on at Amara. So I can't wait to hear more about Amara.

Jess, how she's building this company, what her journey was, and how she's dealing with basically scaling a high-growth CPG brand in a very competitive space, what it takes to win with both retailers and parents, and how...

free diving shaped her resilience as a founder. So Jess, welcome to the show. So excited to finally meet you. Thank you, Karen. I have to say it's like a pinch me moment because when I was starting the company, you were like literally a local celebrity and obviously national, but with Hint in San Francisco. So I'm really excited to be here. So excited. Well, thank you for the kind words. Really nice. So, okay. So let's start at the, uh,

with the brand and I guess at the beginning, what is Amara? This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Range Rover Sport. You know that old saying, it's not what you say, it's how you say it. Well, I believe it's also how you show up because in business and in life, you have to lead with presence, power and adaptability. That's exactly what the Range Rover Sport brings to the table. It's a force inside and out.

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So Amara, we make healthy snacks for zero to seven years old so that they can eat better, feel better and think better for the rest of their lives. We're a big believer that what you eat actually determines how you think, feel and perform later on in life. The products that most people probably recognize is Amara. So we do these toddler snacks.

that everybody eats, you know, but really targeted at the target market. So like one to three, four years old, fruits and vegetables with no added sugar. And then if you imagine it, it's like, imagine fruits and vegetables blended. You should know what that sound is.

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Americans love using their credit cards, the most secure and hassle-free way to pay. But D.C. politicians want to change that with the Durbin Marshall Credit Card Bill. This bill lets corporate megastores pick how your credit card is processed, allowing them to use untested payment networks that jeopardize your data security and rewards. Corporate megastores will make more money, and you pay the price. Tell Congress to guard your card.

Because Americans lose when politicians choose. Learn more at GuardYourCard.com. Plan on flying? In order to board domestic flights, your driver's license or state-issued ID must be a Real ID. Learn how to get your Real ID today at TSA.gov slash Real ID or visit your local DMV. With no, nothing else. So it's just whole fruits and vegetables. And then it comes out to like this little Hershey kiss.

That looks like this that melts in your mouth. And it just, it's a really clean snack for kids so that they can actually eat things that don't have all the added sugar in them. So, and today you can find us, you know, you can find us nationwide. You can find us most recently in target and Walmart. You can find us in clubs nationwide at Costco. You can find us in sprouts, whole foods. And then, you know, where we started the local grocers stores in California. Yeah.

I love it. So how did you come up with this idea to start Amara? And was there a moment when you knew that the current options that were out there just weren't cutting it and you just hit go? Yeah, well, I think that's a great question. I think for me, it was really, and I think most consumers know that they should be eating healthy food. I mean, I knew I should be eating healthy food. I was born in Switzerland. So like food was very much a part of like,

how I grew up. It was, you know, we had long dinners in the US, like just, it was very much a part of

everything we did. But when I became like went out to the real world as a young professional, I found that I wasn't eating very well. And just because, you know, I would start the day well, but then between like one meeting to the next, like we're all in it. And back then it was in person. Like I just didn't have the time. And so I was eating a lot of packaged foods. I really, I wasn't feeling very good. I realized it's just like kind of hippie dippy. You are what you eat very much rooted in science. And that's when I was like, wait,

wait, there's something here. And obviously being an SF, like, you know, trying to figure out what worked for me, like a lot of early days of biohacking, like really understanding what impacted me and how it impacted me was where it all started. And it was really just because I was like, I want to be eating healthy. Like all of us want to be eating healthy. But like... You should know what that sound is.

There's nothing like that cha-ching from Shopify. It's more than a sale. It's the sound of momentum, of turning vision into reality. When I launched this podcast, I was figuring it out as I went. Scripts, gear, scheduling, branding, the whole thing. Every day brought new challenges and the to-do list, never ending. But when you're building from scratch, the right tools change everything. For millions of entrepreneurs, that tool is Shopify.

Shopify powers millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e-commerce in the U.S. from household names to brands just getting started. Here's what Shopify can do for you. Launch your store with hundreds of ready-to-use templates,

build a beautiful online store that fits your brand style, accelerate your content. Shopify's built-in AI tools can write product description, page headlines, and even enhance your product photography.

Market like a pro. Create emails and social campaigns that reach your audience wherever they are, scrolling, strolling, or shopping. Get expert support. Shopify helps with everything from inventory to international shipping to returns and beyond. If you're ready to sell, you're ready for Shopify. Turn your big business idea into...

with Shopify on your side. Sign up for your dollar per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com slash Cara. That's shopify.com slash Cara, shopify.com slash Cara.

Americans love using their credit cards, the most secure and hassle-free way to pay. But DC politicians want to change that with the Durbin Marshall Credit Card Bill. This bill lets corporate megastores pick how your credit card is processed, allowing them to use untested payment networks that jeopardize your data security and rewards. Corporate megastores will make more money, and you pay the price. Tell Congress to guard your card.

because Americans lose when politicians choose. Learn more at GuardYourCard.com. Plan on flying? It's time to upgrade to a real ID. Because in order to board domestic flights, your driver's license or state-issued ID must be a real ID, or you'll need another acceptable form of identification.

So don't wait. Find out how to get your Real ID at tsa.gov slash real ID. That's tsa.gov slash real ID or visit your local DMV and then you'll be cleared for takeoff. The trade-off of eating healthy versus actually

Like doing it is a big one because we don't have time. So that's where it started. And then we actually worked on the how first. So just making sure we could bridge that gap and then decided like, we're going to make packaged foods where it matters the most from zero to seven years old. So that's like really where your gut microbiome, your brain neural pathways, like your preferences for healthy eating are all happening from zero to seven. So we said, we're going to bring snacks and,

that are really easy for parents to use, but also delicious for kids to eat and so that they can feel better. I love it. So what was kind of the initial product, the initial SKU that you launched with? Gosh, so we actually launched earlier. So the technology has always been the same from all of our product lines, but we actually launched with baby food. So we launched with a baby food that, um,

was essentially fruits and vegetables and grains that you mix with breast milk formula and water. And it makes like a puree. And then,

It's ready to go. So again, you had these trade-offs in the category of either going to packaged foods, which oftentimes were like really high heat, repeated heat process that like is much more of like a heated applesauce than anything else and mostly fruit-based or making it at home. And there wasn't much of a middle ground. And that's what we strove to do with something that, you know, could still make all those benefits of fresh homemade food, but without actually having to start from scratch.

Okay, so product development is always a little bit challenging. It's a lot of fun to figure out how to actually produce these products and produce these products so that they're ready to go on the shelf. But how did you figure that out? What were you doing before this?

Oh, gosh, nothing related. It was in finance. So I'd say and what's really interesting, I think, is the how we make it because a lot of products are co-packed. So essentially what that means is that like you want a granola bar, you go to like a granola bar manufacturer and you say, hey, I want a granola bar with like peanut butter and chocolate and sea salt.

And essentially, you know, they give you some flavors, but really they're making it for you. We actually had to start from scratch. So, you know, in the early days, it was me actually ordering apples and making lots of mistakes, which at one point we could talk about, but yeah.

And then it really became like we had to build a network of trusted suppliers because we went really deep into the how it's made. So we were much more of a manufacturing company before we were a sales and marketing company. That came later. So, so interesting. When you felt like it was time to actually get the product on a store shelf, did

did you feel like there was still a lot more to do? I always suggest to founders, like launch a product that is ready enough, right? You're never really going to, it's not going to be perfect, right? And I think that obviously you don't want to make anyone sick or die from having your product, but it's not going to be perfect, right? And so many people who are founders, it seems just...

wait and wait and wait for that perfect thing. Did you feel like the product was good enough to launch or were you sort of agonizing in those moments before launching? So for us, because of the end consumer, like we knew we were going to be feeding young kids, like we had to launch an almost perfect product. So we spent three years in like the development of the product. So I'd say the product hasn't really changed much. Like we spent,

years on the product but I'd say what has changed is like things like packaging which we thought about so much before we launched and things like channel strategy like we launched I remember I launched on Amazon I remember it took me like weeks to put up the listing because I was so nervous of like making it live and then we like didn't have an order for a really long time and I was like what's going on is the system broken like why why are orders not just flowing in so I think that's

like what's changed the most is really the product packaging. And if you look deep enough online, you can see we were a very different brand when we started.

I love it. So Amara has become the number one baby and kid food brand on Amazon and recently ranked number three in food and beverage on the Inc. 5000. What do you think has really driven that kind of growth? That's a good question. It's a lot of pinch me moments. But I think they...

you know, for, for me, it was, I really wanted to make sure one of my mentors told me like, start small, start deliberate, like really understand exactly like how the product works in a really small subset of stores. So when we launched, like we were in a handful of stores, like I'm still able to go to all of them. They were all in Northern California. I was going to them every single day and really understanding like, what does good look like for the category? Like,

why are people buying us? I was just spending a lot of time like asking, I'm sorry to anybody that met me in San Francisco at the grocery store in 2017, but spending a lot of time just asking people, why are you buying this? Like, what's your choice? But really at the grocery store shelf. And so we started small. And so when we actually started growing,

Growing was when we knew exactly what our velocities would be, like why people were buying it, the things, you know, we still have lots to do, but the things were in better spots than when we started and the packaging, a lot of decisions are still made on shelf. So yeah, but we learned really small first.

So what does it take to build trust with parents in a space where food quality and safety are paramount? Obviously, taste is something that is key for any brand. But what do you think it takes to build this trust with parents where they're going to come back in and buy again? I mean, I think we talk a lot about, it's a great question. I think it's something we think

a lot about. I think that for me, it's, they need to know that like there's real people behind this brand. And it's like, you know, I have friends that are in other food industries. Like we test each and everything multiple times. We're testing at multiple levels within the process as well. Because I think it's, you can never be too safe.

But it starts with our suppliers and it starts with the people behind it and the thought that's put into every ingredient. You know, we're not launching hundreds of products because the thought that we put behind each and every product is a lot. Yeah, it's significant. How many SKUs do you have now? We have 15. 15.

15 SKUs. That's amazing. So you started in baby food, but now Amara's product line has expanded. Where does it go? I mean, does it go beyond you started in baby, you went into toddler? Where does it go? Because Amara is building this trust with parents and not just kids.

the children, but also the purchaser. So where does it go overall? Yeah. I mean, we started, you know, I'll answer that by saying like we started with baby because that's where I was like, gosh, you know, my eyes were open once because the science is so strong in terms of like how much it matters at a young age. And so we started there and then we grew. The reason why we grew was that customers were like,

hey, like my kid grew out a baby. Now I'm on snacks. I was like, okay, well, what's out there? And when you look at it, it's like a lot of like gushers and fruit roll ups. And you're like, those are great for a certain, you know, time of day. But like what people are eating just has a lot of added sugar in it. Like it wasn't even hidden. So, you know, the reason why we've grown is because of our consumers coming back and telling us kind of where they want to go. And, you know, we launched a, you know,

we call it like a toddler plus line so there are larger shapes for like the older kid uh earlier this year with sprouts um and yeah we'll just keep following our consumer but really where like what people can come to trust with us is that like we're we're focusing on where it matters the most for gut microbiome and gut and brain neural pathways that's zero to seven but we're also like

you know, very, very, very strict about what we put in our product. So like no added sugars, like first and foremost, but really clean ingredients. Like we're not going to be adding like maltodextrin and kind of all these filler products. You know, it's just, it's only whole foods. So it's nothing that's made in a lab. You know, we're not adding dyes or coloring agents. Like we're actually using like carrots for color, you know? So things like that from product to product, we want to make sure we can stand behind as a brand. Yeah.

You started as a direct-to-consumer brand. Amazon has been a major driver for your business. What do most founders get wrong when trying to scale through direct-to-consumer?

I think it's math. Like you have to understand the math, your LTV, your CAC, like you just, you have to really understand it. And also I think it's really hard to change consumer behavior. So I think we follow our consumer and we really try to meet them where they're at. But I think that,

You really, as a founder, need to know those numbers really well and not lie to yourself. I think like really understanding those numbers is key. Yeah, definitely. So retail partnerships, how many years in did you then branch out and start getting into stores?

So we started, I'd say we started massifying the stores around 2021, I want to say. But we really started, we were always in stores. So like we were always in like the Berkeley bowls and, you know, the Molly stones and kind of the local San Francisco stores. And that's where we learned retail. And then we started growing, you know, you know, a few years later with Sprout and then we launched nationwide with Whole Foods last year. So I think,

We learned with retail, but I'd say we started retail slow and then expanded it from there. So you are also a free diver. I'd love to hear a little bit more about this and how that's shaped your leadership style or influenced how you handle pressure as a founder.

I think I love what I do every day. I think a lot of founders will echo that, that I think it's really hard to turn off because I think that

Like I love every day. The team is awesome. Like everything it's different, you know, you're it's a muscle, so it's different skills. But I think that kind of forcing myself to turn off is really hard. I find that with free diving, you can turn off in a way that I can't. I think some people get it running, but running, I can sell my phone on me. So below the water, it's harder. But for me, it's just, it's a great kind of turn off and really helps me kind of clear my,

and to really think through some things or come back refreshed. Where do you go free diving? Oh, gosh. Well, so it used to be some in the bay and then more destination free diving than anything else. It's harder to do in your day to day. When we were younger in the company, it was a little bit easier to kind of do throughout the work week, but it's impossible now. So it's much more destination free diving. We have a trip coming up in August to Tulum.

Oh, fun. That should be a lot of fun. So when you think about the brand and maybe you look at other baby food brands out there, we all do. We all watch people in our competitive space. But what do you think you guys do that is really difficult for other people to replicate?

That's a great question. Yeah, I think for us, the like making it with only whole foods, it sounds really simple, but it's really because of our technology, we're able to do that. So really whole foods, like no added ingredients. It sounds incredibly simple, but it's very hard. And I think that's something we do, you know, that no one else in the category does. And then I also say this is kind of softer, but the taste is.

because of our inputs and because of the how we make it, our taste is better than anybody else that's out there. You know, there's products now that can kind of say similar things than we, but our taste is better than everybody. So like one of our key strategies is trying to get

We always say the melts in mouth, like get as many melts in mouth as possible because we find that once people taste it, like they just keep coming back for more because it's just, it's a, it's essentially a really tasty snack that happens to be really good for you and your kids.

When you are looking at the storytelling aspect of the brand and connecting emotionally, cutting through the noise, what have you learned, especially about the consumer? And you mentioned this, that they want to know that there's somebody behind the brand. But

When you think about maybe advice that you would give to other founders who are launching a brand, what would you say to the topic of storytelling? That's a great question. It's probably the hardest thing for me to learn was really the storytelling. So I'd say storytelling.

When I started, all I wanted to do was to talk about the nutrient structure and what was happening with the nutrients. But while maybe the biohacking community in San Francisco cared, no one else really cared. Because I think that really they wanted to know why it was good for them. And so I'd say just...

Remember that your consumer is not always you. So the people buying your products might be very different and might have different interests than you. So I think we did a lot of listening. I think the storytelling was the hardest, whether it's from the marketing perspective of the product or...

From the fundraising side, I hired a coach to help me tell the storytelling because all I wanted to talk about was the nutrient structure and numbers. But in the early days of fundraising, no one really wanted to hear about my nutrient structure. But there's a lot more storytelling. I think that's by nature, I'm a little bit more quiet and probably a little bit more reserved. And that was the hardest kind of muscle for me to understand how to do the storytelling. Yeah.

Well, and I think keeping it simple, right? That the consumer doesn't always need to know how everything is made, even though you're proud of it, right? It's more getting people to purchase it and then I think getting them to come back again and again and again. You have to keep the messaging really, really simple, even if they're incredibly in

intelligent, you know, they love your product. I think that the idea that there's some real person behind it and making that story really simple is super key. So when you look at Amara, you're going to be launching some new products. You have some new distribution that is coming up as well. Can you share a little bit about that? Yeah. So, so

Soon, so we're in Whole Foods nationwide, but soon you will be able to launch something new with them that will be available nationwide on shelf in June. So we're very excited about that. And really across the board, we have great retail partners and we'll keep innovating with them.

That's awesome. So you have not shied away from still doing business with Amazon or the direct-to-consumer business. You think that both ways of getting to the consumer is for the foreseeable future the way to actually continue to grow a brand? Yeah, that's a great question. I think it's something we talk about a lot. And for me, what's really important is that we really try to provide a different experience in each channel because we find that the consumer is different in each channel. For me...

you know, I'm personally an Amazon shopper. I barely buy from people's DTC websites, but, but when I do, there's a reason I do, you know, because you have to put in a credit card number and everything. So we really try to understand that reason and then speak, you know, the products that are on there, the experience that is on there is really specific to that customer. That's different than an Amazon customer or different than, you know, somebody that's going to Whole Foods and stores or Costco and stores. Like I think they're different shoppers and we try to make sure that the experience is different throughout the,

It's still the same product, but the experience has to be different.

So what is success for Amara? And when do you know that you've been successful? So I know it's kind of a hard question to think about, especially when you're doing the day-to-day of continuing to grow the brand. But I feel like so often as founders, we don't look at kind of what we've done and what we've created and the milestones along the way. But what is success for you and for Amara?

It's hard. As you said, I think there's always something else. And I think taking those moments to celebrate it, it's really hard to do as a founder. But I think that for me, it's more, we're really careful about what we put in our products, how we make the products. I think for us...

Success for me is when our consumers are fighting the same thing and they're saying the same thing and they're like, no, that's not an Amara product because they don't do that. I think that is really when I feel like we'll have built a brand is when the consumer itself is fighting for the same thing that we hold really dear to our hearts.

I love that. Well, Jess, you have built an incredible brand. It's not easy, especially in a very competitive category. They're great tasting, beautiful products that is gaining, obviously, lots of attention, lots of traction. You should be really proud of what you've done for sure. And everyone needs to check out

Amara and we'll get all the info in the show notes. But please, if you're a parent, a food lover, founder chasing bold ideas, you have to continue to follow Jess and what they're doing at Amara. And of course, purchase the product too. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone building something super meaningful or thinking about the founder journey because Jess is a great, great

inspiration for sure. So thank you again, Jess. And thanks everybody for tuning in to The Kara Golden Show. Until next time. Thank you, Kara. Thanks again for listening to The Kara Golden Show. If you would, please give us a review and feel free to share this podcast with others who would benefit. And of course, feel free to subscribe so you don't miss a single episode of our podcast.

Just a reminder that I can be found on all platforms at Kara Golden. I would love to hear from you too. So feel free to DM me. And if you want to hear more about my journey, I hope you will have a listen or pick up a copy of my Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Undaunted, where I share more about my journey, including founding and building Hint.com.

We are here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Thanks for listening and goodbye for now.