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Company Stories
Talking Organic with Sarah Michelle Gellar — Hollywood Actress, Best-Selling Author and Co-Founder of Foodstirs
With celebrities rushing to invest in organic food companies these days, Sarah Michelle Gellar truly stands alone.
This long-time Hollywood actress isn’t writing a check, fading into the background and hoping for a payout several years down the line. She is doing the exact opposite.
Sarah Michelle Gellar is helping to run and is playing an active role in building one of the hottest organic food brands in the industry. Along with her two other co-founders, CEO Galit Laibow and COO Greg Fleishman, Foodstirs is redefining the healthy baking category by using the best organic and Biodynamic ingredients available.
In addition to her acting career and responsibilities at Foodstirs, this Emmy Award-winning actress and mother of two recently released Stirring up Fun with Food: Over 115 Simple, Delicious Ways to be Creative in the Kitchen, her #1 best-selling book. Organized by the month, Stirring up Fun with Food succeeds because of its approach — providing engaging “food-crafting” ideas that help kids develop self-confidence, creative thinking, and even math skills in the kitchen.
I recently caught up with Sarah Michelle Gellar, and as you can imagine, we talked about all things organic.
How and when did you first start eating organic food?
I’m fortunate to live in a city where organic food is broadly accessible. And while I’ve always been fairly conscious of the foods I eat, having children deepened my commitment to a completely organic lifestyle. As a mom, I want to give my kids the purest, highest quality food possible. Organic and even Biodynamic make this possible.
Before you launched Foodstirs, what did you feel was missing in the marketplace? What was the moment when you knew you had a viable idea?
Before we launched Foodstirs, there was this extreme polarity within the baking category: chemical-laden mixes on one side and gluten-free/paleo-focused on the other. There were no accessibly priced mixes that offered convenience, from-scratch taste, and made from the purest, most conscious ingredients available.
Hence, we created Foodstirs to solve this problem that parents and anyone who is into clean baking had. We knew we had a viable idea when retailers came knocking on our door. That and when we received a phenomenal response from consumers.
Many people may have the perception that as a busy actress, you are simply the face of the brand. However, that is absolutely not the case. You are actively involved on a daily basis. What does a typical day look like for you at Foodstirs?
This is completely true! I came aboard with the intent of doing more than being the company spokesperson. I have a set of accountabilities that are the same as any other co-founder of a food company. As the chief brand officer, the main areas I focus on are anything related to the marketing, communications, and design of the brand.
A typical day has me planning our partnership promotions, social media content, and innovating recipes with our in-house chef for selling online or at retail. Plus, as a co-founder, I am involved in every aspect of the business, including our many retail sales presentations and fundraising efforts.
It’s a lot, but such is life of an entrepreneurial start-up.
What are some of the similarities between running an organic food company and being an actress in Hollywood?
In both industries, I’ve learned that you’ll hear “no” a million times before you get that “yes”, which changes everything. Both fields are highly competitive, so you need to be smart, relentless and resilient if you’re going to succeed.
The best part about being organic food entrepreneur is……
That lovely “feel good” feeling that comes from knowing we are truly making a positive impact on the food system and the way people eat. There is no better email to get than one from a consumer who says we helped them throw a fantastic birthday party using one of our mixes.
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If you have children and are looking to get them more engaged in the kitchen, be sure to check out Sarah Michelle Gellar’s new book Stirring up Fun with Food.
Also, you definitely don’t want to miss Foodstirs’ organic pancake, brownie and cookie mixes. They have been a massive hit in New York City!
(Disclosure: Foodstirs is a sponsor of Living Maxwell)
