Inside Once Upon a Farm: From 2015 to Now Into a $100 million business
Startup Type:
Headquarter: Berkeley, USA
Current Status: Active (private; products available in 10k+ stores)
Founders: Cassandra Curtis, Ari Raz, John Foraker, Jennifer Garner
Founded Year: 2015
Investors: CAVU Venture Partners, S2G Ventures, Brittany Capital
Funding Raised: $100 million
What Is the business model of Once Upon a Farm?
Organic baby and children’s food company that produces cold-pressed fruit and veggie blends and dairy-free smoothies, sold via retail and direct-to-consumer, emphasizing fresh, refrigerated products over shelf-stable purees
How Once Upon a Farm got started?
Founded in 2015 by moms wanting better baby food, the brand took off when actress Jennifer Garner joined as co-founder and brand ambassador in 2017, they pioneered HPP to keep purées refrigerated and more nutritious, launching in premium groceries and via subscription delivery
what growth strategy has Once Upon a Farm followed?
Leveraged Garner’s celebrity and an appealing farm-to-family story to gain trust and retail placement, focused on omni-channel growth and expanding the product line to increase share of the children’s food market, becoming a top fresh baby food brand in the U.S.
what are the top products/features of Once Upon a Farm
Once Upon a Farm cold-pressed baby food pouches, Dairy-Free Smoothie blends, organic Applesauces, subscription meal plans
what was the biggest challenge faced by Once Upon a Farm?
Scaling production and cold-chain distribution for refrigerated baby food (which is more expensive and complex than shelf-stable jars) and competing in an industry dominated by big legacy brands, all while educating consumers on the benefits of fresh food for kids