The acclaimed actor shared a video on her Instagram page showing different milestones of the company.
In Locust Grove, Oklahoma, a century-old farm owned by Jennifer Garner has become the prime spot for growing the raw materials for her company, "Once Upon a Farm." A few days ago, Garner took to Instagram to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the company. Being the Chief Brand Officer of the company, Garner handles all the public aspects of the job.
The video montage posted by Garner to mark the occasion takes you through some of the company's milestones, right from their first strategy meeting in 2017 to the product being spotted in Canada. The video also shows how Garner has a hands-on approach, delving into the farm's day-to-day activities, and the brand's business aspects as well as ensuring her presence at pop-up events and more.
In an interview with Forbes last year, Garner recalled, “I know that when my first child was born and I was confronted by the baby food aisle, I just said, 'Oh hell no.'" The actress continued, “It’s just gross. I’m just so spoiled with fresh, organic produce and salads and greens and all kinds of goodies and I couldn’t even believe that there’s a cooler for fresh pet food but it’s not even a possibility to have any can or jar that you open of baby food that doesn’t look just like goo or mush.”
“I was a working mom. I remember I was making this movie 'The Kingdom' and I was nursing and pumping and coming home from fighting in a movie all day to try to carry enough food for the next day and it just didn’t make sense to me," Garner said. "When I found out that this tiny little company "Once Upon a Farm" existed, I got so excited because it just was like, 'Yes, this would’ve solved a problem for me and I so badly want to help other moms solve this problem.'” Partnering up with Cassandra Curtis and Ari Raz in 2017, Garner and John Foraker, an investor and CEO, built the company from the ground up.
Soon after she started the company, Once Upon a Farm received a 1,000 Day Promise Certification from the Clean Label Project for their new Advanced Nutrition Blends. Garner shared, “Our new 1,000 Day Promise, it came about because "Once Upon a Farm" pioneered fresh baby food.”
“We want absolutely the best for our kids. We really believe every mom makes an inherent promise the minute she has a new baby to do right by them," she added. "We want to make that promise as easy to keep as possible for all moms. In order to deliver on that, you’ve got to have full transparency with the company and that’s something that "Once Upon a Farm" has stood for from the beginning.”
The farm has also partnered with Save the Children and pledged to give nutritious foods to 1 million children in rural America by 2024. “It’s the very farm that my mom grew up on that inspired my work with Save the Children, that inspired me wanting to join a company that would help kids like the kids that Save serves,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
Catering to babies, toddlers, and grown children, the company serves fruits and veggie blends, dairy-free smoothies, and overnight oats. The products have become popular enough to turn into a staple in the Garner household. “Last night, my teenager texted me and said in order to get through this chemistry homework, I’m going to need a pouch,” Garner shared. “And I took her Overnight Oats, which I know are her favorites. And she said ‘Mom, I consider Overnight Oats a meal. I need a pouch that’s a palette cleanser, so I need Wild Rumpus Avocado’ and I was like 'Oh my gosh, 16 [years old]!'”
“I’ve never been involved with a company at this level where I’m in to win it on a day-to-day basis and inserting myself in places I don’t even belong, just because I get to (laughs) and because John is kind enough to let me in," Garner said. "I’m so just driven by the mission, driven by the partnership with John, and by this incredible team that we have put together, and super excited about the future.”
References:
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Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Eugene Gologursky
