Foodstirs Video “More Flour To Ya”
Sarah Michelle Gellar, along with business partners Galit Laibow and Greg Fleishman, has launched the start-up Foodstirs, which intends to, as Sarah put it, “stir up the food community; we are a hip group of people starting a baking revolution”. I caught up with Sarah to discuss her passion behind Foodstirs and what goes on behind the scenes of a new start-up.
How did the idea to launch Foodstirs come about?
It was initially inspired by our children. We obviously live in a very connected world, digitally speaking, but I worry that ultimately we are getting more and more disconnected. One of the moments, as family, as friends, where you really connect and make meaningful memories, seems to be around food. Whether its dining or cooking, that’s where the magic happens. Galit and I were always very interesting in baking shows, but had no idea where to start, and Pinterest was too overwhelming for someone new to the industry. We went to the grocery store to get a mix and we were shocked that, when we got to the baking aisle, it was all of these antiquated, legacy brands that were filled with dyes and chemicals at one end of the aisle, and at the other end of the aisle were gluten-free, taste-free, desserts. We dived deeper into the category and realized it was a five billion dollar category dominated by these legacy brands with the same packaging as when my mom was a child. And we thought that was so odd, and decided we can do this. We needed someone with consumer packaged goods experience, and we found Greg, and here we are.
What should we look for in a dessert packaging label?
For one thing, you should never need a red dye in a yellow cake. For us, we use biodynamic sugar which is the most regenerative form of agriculture there is, we use multigenerational heirloom wheat and Fair Trade chocolate.
What has been the process of starting this business?
Like any start-up, you have to be willing to learn and do the drudge work. It’s 25 hours a day, 8 days a week. It’s another child, and it’s a learning curve. I might know how to market and strategize a brand, and I know what the consumer wants, but digital marketing was something I knew nothing about. So I had to learn email coding and digital targeting, and retrain the way I think, even about packaging in general. You start looking at things in a different way.
The baked goods that Foodstirs sells are visually beautiful; it’s amazing that they are also easy to make.
That’s what we all want - to put our food on Pinterest and Instagram and be proud of what we made. That’s the power of confidence. It doesn’t have to be store bought; you can make it at home and it can still look like that.
Is cooking a newer venture for you?
I definitely got into it much more recently. I grew up in New York City so I made great reservations, and then I married someone who went to culinary school. I wasn’t bad at cooking but I didn’t do it that often. But, once I had children, I realized that not only is it a learning moment, it’s fine and gross motor skills, its math, its science, its vocabulary, and its those bonding moments. And I thought ‘I’d better get in there or I’m going to miss out on these moments.’
Have you tested your products on your children and what are some of their favories?
The first thing we do when we are coming up with a new mix is we try it at home, and then give it to our friends and family, and then the food community and then we bring it out to market. We have some great innovation coming out in 2018 and my kids are always excited about the newest thing, but they are also really into pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Pumpkin is in the air!
Does the launch of this Company mean that we won’t be seeing you on the television screen?
Right now, this Company is my baby and if I want it to succeed I need to be here. This is not a part-time job. But that’s not to say that a couple of years down the line that might change. But that’s the beauty about the digital world we live in, I still get to be creative on facebook and other social networks, so I’m not lacking for creativity.
What’s one piece of advice you’d like to give aspiring entrepreneurs?
I always say, ground yourself with people smarter than you. We have a great board of advisors that we look to; really learn from the people around you and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Anything else you want to share?
Just the idea that you deserve the best taste, the best ingredients, at the best price. There’s nothing wrong in indulging in treats, but its about indulging in something that’s worth it. The worst thing in the world is when you indulge and it doesn’t taste good, or its chemical. Life is short, enjoy treats.