Think the look and smell of a simple jar of pureed broccoli is downright awful? I never gave it much thought until about six years ago when I was feeding the contents of one to my baby.
The color resembles mud more than actual green vegetables (which should be a healthy, vibrant green). And if the color and aroma are somewhat disheartening, then the flavour – or lack thereof – can only be described as abysmal.
It was that jar of food that changed my life. I remember thinking to myself that baby food shouldn’t have to taste like this. When we start our kids on solids, we’re in the first stages of developing their palate for life.
I knew I couldn’t be the only parent who felt that way: frustrated with a lack of choice, yet looking for something convenient. We often resort to packaged foods because of time limitations, however the quality of packaged baby food has not been what it should and could be.
I love wholesome food and strongly believe babies deserve to experience flavourful foods, while moms should feel good about what they are feeding their babies. My mother was a firm believer in fresh, whole foods and rarely fed us anything she hadn’t prepared herself from scratch, so my sister Jill and I began developing recipes based on the foods our mother had fed us.
Simply put, if the food doesn’t taste good, then it’s not good enough for my child, or anyone else’s for that matter.
One of my favourite challenges is creating great-tasting recipes without relying on the addition of sugar, salt or any other additives. I take many things into consideration when developing new foods: ensuring flavours and textures are as delicious and appealing after processing as before, the availability of ingredients and choosing ones that are in-season, selecting combinations of fruits and vegetables go well together, and of course, nutritional benefits.
In 2006, we began selling our food under the name Baby Gourmet at the Calgary Farmer’s Market and received an overwhelmingly positive response. We developed a word of mouth base from the first weekend at the market and it continued to gradually grow week by week.
I had faith in the quality of our product and wanted to make it available to as many moms as I possibly could, so national distribution was the next logical step in the growth of the company. Almost exactly to the two-year mark, we discontinued our operations at the farmer’s market, positive results in hand, and pursued mass production.
Over the past several years, I’ve worked to balance the above with one of my greatest joys – cooking for my family. My kids don’t always love everything and are quick to point out issues such as if food is too spicy, but typically they’ll try anything.
That is what I ultimately hope to accomplish with Baby Gourmet. I hope our products can open young children up to a broad range of healthy foods they’ll appreciate well out of their childhood years, as well as show parents they don’t have to sacrifice great taste and quality for convenience.
I think children and parents have responded so well to our products because they taste great and are the ultimate convenience. Baby Gourmet is the best of both worlds and parents love they can feel good about what they are feeding their babies and because their babies love to eat Baby Gourmet. A happy baby is a happy parent!
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