Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Thomson.
Katie, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m Katie Thomson. A Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Nutrition. I’ve spent 15 years in the food industry leading health and wellness initiatives and consulting for brands like Starbucks, Red Robin, and Naturebox.
In 2008, I became a mom. I cruised the aisle for baby food options and was fed up by what I found, so I left my dream job at Starbucks to set out to create a better solution for parents.
I met Kendall at our childen’s elementary school when our kids were entering Kindergarten. Over the next few years, we had the opportunity to work together in volunteer roles at the school — including running the school lunch program and developing a nutrition education & wellness program for the school. We were the perfect team. And I knew she would be the perfect partner to launch Square Baby. One day I got the guts up to ask — felt like a “will you be my business partner?” proposal. SHE SAID YES! And then we got to work the next day.
We created Square Baby® to solve for every pain point we had when feeding our kiddos. We were disappointed with the options on the market — often unbalanced, misleadingly marketed, and a sea of uninspiring, shelf-stable, muted flavors.
We didn’t want the next generation of babies growing up on so. much. applesauce. PSA: did you know many baby food pouches have the same grams of sugar as a bowl of LUCKY CHARMS? Mind. Blown.
Babies deserve better.
Our handmade meals are made with whole, organic foods — gently cooked, pureed in small batches, quickly frozen, and delivered right to your doorstep.
With my Dietitian hat on, I created the Square Meal System™ — where every Square Meal is perfectly BALANCED with organic veggies, fruits, whole or sprouted grains, and various protein sources. We even add healthy fats, herbs and spices for optimal nutrition and palate development. Balance is in the numbers! Our meals have HALF THE SUGAR as most pouches!
Our foolproof, interchangeable system means that ANY 2-3 Square Meals per day offers 100% Daily Nutrition!
But wait, there’s more! Our meal plans are customizable — vegan? dairy-free? vegetarian? meat-eaters? looking for extra iron or omega-3’s? We got you!
And most importantly, we are the ONLY fresh baby food company offering a comprehensive allergen introduction option for each of the Top 8 Allergens. That’s right! As a science-based company, we are following the research and offering options like Peanut Pumpkin Pie and Salmon Mash. Because the research has shown that introducing babies to allergenic foods early and often can help prevent food allergies from developing by up to 80%!
About Us? My co-founder, Kendall & I are self-starters & go-getters. Hairnet wearers & innovative dreamers. Unassuming negotiators & carpool moms.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a company is never a smooth road — you just have to prepare to learn and fail fast, be nimble, work your tail off, and be resilient. There are so many major hurdles to overcome, but I see it as part of the process. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Our first challenge was raising a round of funding to launch the company — selling your vision, dream, and team is an incredible and exhilarating experience but can be a challenging and disheartening process. All of the feelings! Ultimately, after 100+ pitches, you find the right partners/investors that believe in you, your vision, and your plan. We are so grateful for our early investors! Without them, we’d still be a brand idea in a deck and a beautiful business model.
We launched with 20 different meals and a custom subscription website, so right out of the gate, there was a ton of planning, modeling, building, trademarking, FDA and USDA certifications, etc. Once we were ready to launch, it was pretty smooth sailing because we’d spent two years planning. We already knew what phase 1, 2, and 3 of our company would likely look like and which partners we’d scale with. That said, nothing goes 100% to plan, so you just have to go in with the mindset of “we’ve planned as much as we can, now we just need to go… and pivot as necessary.”
Please tell us about Square Baby.
As a mom and food industry dietitian, Katie Thomson, MS, RD was fed up by the fruit-heavy, unbalanced options on the market for her baby. Many pouches were especially applesauce-heavy — containing as much sugar as a bowl of Lucky Charms! And why was it so hard to find quality proteins, healthy fats, and fresh veggies?
Square Baby is the first baby food company to offer 100% Daily Nutrition for babies. Organic meals are made fresh and delivered frozen right to your door! Rooted in nutrition science, Square Baby developed the Square Meal System™ offering customized meal plans for each age and stage of development, so parents can rest assured their baby is receiving balanced meals with 100% of their daily recommended servings of fruits, veggies, whole grains and protein — taking the guesswork out of feeding baby! And proof is in the numbers: Square Meals have 1/2 the sugar and twice the protein, fiber, and healthy fat as most pouches! Boom.
Square Baby offers 23 meals ranging from smooth, single-ingredient purees for baby’s first bites to thicker nutritionally-balanced purees with a range of ingredients and adventurous flavors for palate development. We are one of the only companies offering premium animal proteins like organic chicken bone broth, eggs, shrimp, and salmon. We also offer plant-based proteins like nuts, soy, sprouted green lentils, and beans.
Beyond the balanced meals, 100% daily nutrition, and customized meal plans, we are incredibly proud to be the ONLY baby food company offering fresh purees with all eight allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, egg, fish, shellfish, and dairy). As a science-based brand, we are following the research and recommendations — because studies have shown that offering allergens EARLY and OFTEN can help prevent food allergies from developing by up to 80%. Early Allergen Introduction is a key differentiator for us and a commitment we are so proud of.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of the experiences that still feels so close to my heart is ski racing as a child. Skiing taught me so much and shaped me into the woman, entrepreneur, and mom that I am. There are so many lessons I take from my racing days: Surrounding yourself with the best competitors challenges you to be your best. Seek and conquer what scares you. Push yourself to do what you don’t think you’re capable of. Be aggressive, lean forward, and attack the mountain or it will attack you. If you make a mistake, get up fast, hike if you need to, and hop back into the course. Never quit.
Appreciate the beauty of each day. If it’s cold, windy, and dumping snow — appreciate the fresh powder. If it’s warm and sloppy snow — appreciate the sunshine. Attitude is everything. If you believe you can do it, you can. If you tell yourself it’s too challenging, you’ll never rise to the occasion.
Now, as a parent to two boys on Ski Team, I see the lessons they are learning. Brings such joy and pride to this mama!
Pricing:
- 4 different subscription levels at SquareBaby.com — meals range from $4.98-5.64
- $79 for 14 meals; $149 for 28 meals; $219 for 42 meals; $279 for 56 meals
Contact Info:
- Address: Square Baby
2 Theatre Square
Ste 112
Orinda, CA 94563 - Website: www.squarebaby.com
- Phone: 4154835736
- Email: katie@squarebaby.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarebabyfood/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarebabyfood/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SquareBabyFood
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/squarebaby/
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