Camila mcconaughey baby food
Here’s How Camila Alves McConaughey Changed the Baby Food Game – SheKnows
Like many game-changing ideas, the concept behind Camila Alves’ organic baby food company, Yummy Spoonfuls, was born out of frustration. Alves — who shares three kids with her husband, Matthew McConaughey — recalled living in a trailer on a film set in 2004 with dirty dishes piled to the roof, struggling to find clean food options for her children, one of whom was an infant.
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“I’m sitting there going, ‘What’s going on? Why is it so hard to open the freezer and go in the store and pick up the most pure baby and kids food?’” Alves said at SheKnows Media’s BlogHer18 Health conference in New York on Wednesday, Jan. 31, where she emceed The Pitch, which celebrates and elevates female entrepreneurs. “If I’m struggling this much with creating something in my own home, I’m sure there are a lot of moms out there who have the same struggle of giving their kids the most pure, most nutritious form of baby and kids food. ”
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The revelation led Alves to create one of the world’s first-ever organic baby food companies along with business partner Agatha Achindu. But the process wasn’t without its hitches. When the duo approached existing baby food companies for help, they were met with pushback. “We talked to over 100 places that made kids food, and their response to us, which was crazy at the time and is still crazy to me today, was always, ‘Why do you want to do that? Why would you want to do something that’s clean? What’s there now?’” she said.
The response only fueled Alves’ motivation to push for cleaner, healthier food options for children. “I was like, ‘You’re telling me I need to put corn syrup in baby food to go through a pipe and that’s OK to you?’” Alves said. “You can’t modify your pipes to make it work so we don’t have to put poison in our kids’ food?’ It didn’t connect.”
Two years later, Alves helped to change the kids food industry for the better by launching Yummy Spoonfuls.
But the battle isn’t over yet. To ensure organic food companies continue to thrive, Alves encourages customers to buy organic and show their support for those companies. Though she admitted that eating organic can be pricey, she explained that the more pure food that’s purchased, the more space stores can make to support those companies and the cheaper they’ll eventually become.
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“You dictate what goes on the shelves or not,” she said. “If you keep buying the bad stuff, then the big stores are going to go ‘Well, this is selling the most. I’m going to give them double the space.’ And if they get double the space, they keep putting crap into the food that we’re getting because they’re making it really cheap and doing it how everyone wanted because we’re buying it.”
She added, “The reality is, the better numbers that the companies who are doing it right have, then the cheaper they can make the products.
If they sell more, they can buy more raw materials, their prices are going to be lower.”
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But that doesn’t mean Alves expects customers to eat 100 percent pure all the time. Instead, she wants people to look at food and the way they’re buying and consuming it more honestly, which will hopefully force companies to be equally honest about the products they make and sell.
“All I’m asking is for us to be honest with ourselves and companies to be honest as well because I’m kind of tired of the bullshit,” she said. Hear! Hear!
Watch Alves discuss supporting female entrepreneurs at BlogHer ’18 above, and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Agatha Achindu, Camila Alves McConaughey Talk Mompreneur Life With Yummy Spoonfuls
Agatha Achindu and Camila Alves McConaughey from Yummy Spoonfuls
Yummy SpoonfulsEntrepreneurship was a happy accident for Agatha Achindu.
Frustrated with low-quality children’s food, Achindu was inspired to start a free health workshop for moms. She had no way of knowing that her humble workshop, with its mission to teach parents how to make nutritious and delicious food for kids, would lead her down the path to entrepreneurship. Agatha Achindu founded Yummy Spoonfuls in 2006, a frozen organic baby and toddler food company. She also found a like-minded business companion in Camila Alves McConaughey, who joined Yummy Spoonfuls as co-owner and chief brand director in 2014.
The more I speak with entrepreneurs working to change the landscape for frozen kids’ meals, the more excited I get to hear the story of their 'why' in business. I got the chance to chat with Achindu and Alves about the company’s growth over the last 10 years, how they juggle motherhood with mompreneurship and what it’s like to leave work at 3 AM covered in peas.
Deborah Sweeney: What inspired you to pursue entrepreneurship in the toddler/kids food space?
Agatha Achindu: I never intended to go into business; all I wanted to do was make a difference in my community..jpg)
I was frustrated with the low-quality commercial food that was in the market, especially for children, knowing the direct impact it has on their health. I started hosting a free health workshop where I taught moms how to make delicious, nutritious food for their children, make it free of harmful toxins and read food labels when they are buying pre-made food. Word got out about my workshop, and I found myself hosting cooking classes at local hospitals. My little workshop grew to 300 mamas which later turned to 45,000. Over time, I noticed a few of the parents would come back for group cooking. They had already took the class, but were signing up so they could take the food that we cooked home with them. That was when it finally dawned on me that these parents wanted and needed a way to get healthy, home-cooked food for their little ones more conveniently. Then, in 2006 I took the leap and founded Yummy Spoonfuls.
Camila Alves McConaughey: I have three kids, ages 6, 9 and 10, and every time I would start introducing one of them to solid foods, I would think to myself, “I need to start doing this as a business!” It is time consuming to maintain a healthy lifestyle just for yourself — with work, life and meal prep — so when you add children to the mix it can be overwhelming.
What really got me to embark on the journey full-on was seeing how limited the options are parents in terms of getting good nutrition for their kids without chemicals, additives and preservatives. In my travels I saw that that most American parents don’t have access to better, healthier, affordable options, so that spurred me on my mission to provide a solution for families and growing children.
Sweeney: How does Yummy Spoonfuls stand out from existing kids’ food products?
Alves McConaughey: Yummy Spoonfuls provides busy parents of growing toddlers with an organic, wholesome, tasty and convenient mealtime solution. Each Yummy Spoonful was created from scratch in our kitchen to give your child fully balanced, super delicious, secretly nutritious flash frozen meals — just like you would make and batch yourself, if you had time.
Achindu: Our recipes are made specifically to meet the developmental and nutritional needs of toddlers and kids one to 5 years old.
Alves McConaughey: And all Yummy Spoonfuls products are available at Walmart stores nationwide as part of our mission to make wholesome, delicious foods accessible for every family.
Sweeney: How does Yummy Spoonfuls help satisfy the need for the best mealtime options for children?
Yummy Spoonfuls Chicken Sweet Potato Bites
Yummy SpoonfulsAchindu: The vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found in food are the front-line defense against a lot of preventable childhood illnesses. Nutrition plays such a vital rule in the overall health of children, and their ability to fight off illness is determined by the functioning of their immune system. A weakened immune system can result in an increased susceptibility to virtually every illness, from recurring colds to ear infections to allergies and everything in between. Children need food for maintenance and growth. A child’s wellbeing is literally only as good as the nutrients we serve them.
The diet of the average American toddler consists of high-fat, too much sugar, empty calories, high-sodium and little nutrients food. Yummy Spoonfuls is changing the way we feed our children one healthy Spoonful at a time, making food that is developmentally appropriate for kids from scratch using the freshest organic ingredients, free from harmful toxins, and bursting with deliciousness and nutrients. We’re providing healthy, convenient options for busy parents who don’t have the time to cook for their children. I hope for a world where parents will never have to compromise the health of their children or feel guilty about reaching for a convenient frozen food after a long day. That’s why we make wholesome foods and immediately flash-freeze it like we all would do in our own kitchens to lock in nutrients, flavor and texture.
Alves McConaughey: There’s also the fact that there are so many food options for babies, but once our little ones hit the one-year mark, we get busier and those options dwindle to mac ‘n cheese and chicken nuggets.
Each Yummy Spoonfuls Bowl and Bite contains high amounts of calcium to help build strong bones and teeth, at least 65% of the daily recommended amount of protein to satisfy hunger and develop muscles, and omega-3 fatty acids for healthy brain, heart and eye development.
Sweeney: Agatha, what were the biggest challenges you faced during the first few years in business?
Agatha Achindu, Founder of Yummy Spoonfuls
Yummy SpoonfulsAchindu: I left a very lucrative career in the IT business to start Yummy Spoonfuls, so the financial aspect posed the greatest challenge. There were other difficulties, for sure – juggling the tasks and responsibilities with no staff, balancing work and family life and learning the ins and outs of the business. I often felt like I could not say “no” because when I was just starting out, I was very anxious to gain exposure for my new business. I was afraid to say no to speaking invitations, demos and product donations because I thought my business would suffer.
Essentially, I was working myself to death. Learning to say “no” made a huge difference for me. Now, I’m very hesitant to over-commit. I learned I can always revisit an opportunity.
Sweeney: You also went on a five-year search to find a business partner. When did you meet Camila and decide to bring her on the team?
Achindu: My husband Georges and I knew we would eventually need funding to scale up our business. Yummy Spoonfuls was sold in upscale retailers like Whole Foods (Southern region), Dean and Deluca, a few natural independent stores and nationwide via Amazon. Our brand quickly caught the attention of celebrity clients and affluent parents who loved the product. This wasn’t what I had envisioned for Yummy Spoonfuls. I wanted my brand to be accessible to all. I believed with all my heart that every child deserves access to homemade food, regardless of financial status. Good-tasting, nutritious food should be a birthright, not a privilege because it plays such an important role in their health and wellness.
I started my search for growth capital and learned quickly how difficult it was to raise money as a minority, let alone a black woman. This was despite the fact that Yummy Spoonfuls was voted best organic baby and toddler food in the nation by a leading national parenting magazine in 2009, and that we were selling off the shelves and couldn’t make food fast enough to meet demand. I prayed hard for a passionate partner who shared my vision and mission.
In late 2014 I flew to Los Angeles to meet with Camila, and it was a total meeting of the minds. We talked for hours about our childhood experiences growing up in Brazil and West Africa, playing in our families’ gardens, eating freshly-harvested food and helping to cook big family meals. Camila understood, because we share the same vision: All children deserve nutritious, made-from-scratch food, with nothing else added – the type of food missing in the American food supply chain. My partnership with Camila was born over a handshake in a taco house in Malibu, California.
It was that simple.
Sweeney: What initiatives have you both spearheaded together for Yummy Spoonfuls?
Achindu: For 10 years, I did everything for Yummy Spoonfuls. I was the chief cook, sales, marketing, customer service, accounts receivable and payable, logistics, buyer … If you can think it, I was it for my brand. Today, I am thankful that I don’t have to wear so many hats. We have an amazing team in place starting with our CEO John Pearson. My main focus continues to be product development. I am constantly whipping up new recipes to grow our portfolio. I am also always on the road creating awareness through education with speaking engagements where I share the WHY behind Yummy Spoonfuls.
Camila Alves McConaughey, Co-Owner and Chief Brand Director of Yummy Spoonfuls
Yummy SpoonfulsAlves McConaughey: I played a fundamental role in scaling the company to nationwide distribution. Between raising money, initiating relationships with retailers and closing accounts, helping with packaging innovation and design and marketing and public relations.
One of our biggest success stories was finally being able to produce food with ingredients that met our high standards. In the beginning, Agatha and I talked to over 100 co-packers (no exaggeration!) who were making packaged foods catered to kids. Not a single one would make the food we wanted without preservatives. We had to go and convince a co-packer who made adult foods to build a whole other wing just for ours, and with that we had to source equipment from the Netherlands to build the whole production line. It was an amazing learning experience! Agatha and I used to literally walk out of the building at 3 AM covered in peas after working on recipes. It wasn't easy, but we did it! I am forever grateful for that company that went all-in with us on that first challenge. Without them, we wouldn't have been able to launch like we did in 1,500 stores with 33 different products!
Sweeney: How do you both balance motherhood with entrepreneurship?
Alves McConaughey: It is definitely challenging to balance the two, but the most important thing for me is to have my priorities straight.
My priority will always be my family, so no matter what I have going on with work or anything else, I will always center myself around what they need. Even if I can’t be physically present because I have to be out of town for a meeting, I get creative to make sure they have what they need and are happy. There is a lot of planning, prep and freezing food that happens before I travel!
Achindu: I take it one day at a time. I have been a mother and a business owner long enough to know that there is no balancing secret. You can’t plan for the mayhem that is entrepreneurship and or motherhood; everything has a tendency to happen all at once. I am very purposeful in seeking joy in everything, the good, the bad and the ugly, because I know the God I worship is purposeful, and it is all part of my journey. I would say my secret is always looking at the glass half full.
Yummy SpoonfulsSweeney: Agatha, if you could go back to the moment before you started Yummy Spoonfuls what business advice would you give yourself? Camila, what advice would you give yourself before you became a business partner with the company?
Achindu: Not to use personal money to fund our company, and that the best time to loan money is when you have money.
When I left my job to start Yummy Spoonfuls, I was credit worthy, so I funded using my own resources. I believed that if I needed money down the road, I would simply go to the bank and borrow the funds. Access to credit had never been an issue, so it never crossed my mind that I would not be able to take out a loan. A few years later, I had gone through all of our own money and needed more to keep going. By that time, I was in a very different position. I had no steady income, and my husband and I had spent all of our savings. Our only asset was our house. Lenders turned me down for business loans because I was no longer credit-worthy, having bootstrapped the business for years. There was no way to collateralize a loan at that point. Rather than using up all of our personal resources, I could have leveraged my healthy financial position to secure funding before I even left my corporate job. This is sometimes referred to as “The Magic of OPM – Other People’s Money.”
When you’re passionate about your idea, it’s easy to think that using your own money is the only way to go.
Your passion can be used to capture the magic of OPM, because that enthusiasm is a powerful selling tool – much more powerful than the desperation that you feel when the money runs out.
Alves McConaughey: Know your partner(s), stay true to your goals and, most importantly, keep things drama-free! When you keep the focus on what's really important to you and for your company, you can better achieve success.
Model Camila Alves - wife of Matthew McConaughey
Popular actor Matthew McConaughey and model Camila Alves recently celebrated another anniversary. For 10 years of marriage, they managed to do quite a lot. The spouses consider their beloved children to be their most important achievements, and the couple has three of them. And if a lot of facts are known about the life of the actor, then the public knows almost nothing about his beautiful wife Camila Alves. In the article you will get acquainted with the biography of the model, learn about her acquaintance with Matthew, as well as about her self-realization in the modeling business.
Childhood
Camila was born in 1982 in Brazil. Her father was a farmer who loved to travel. This passion was subsequently passed on to his daughter. The girl's mother was a designer. Her love of fashion was also passed on to her daughter. In general, her family was quite prosperous and lived a calm, measured life. However, when Alves was 15 years old, the passion for long trips passed down from his father made itself felt. Camila decided to go to visit her own aunt, who lived in sunny Los Angeles. The young girl liked life in the United States of America so much that she decided to stay here. But isn't it madness to remain in a country without knowledge of the language and citizenship? Camila considered that these difficulties were temporary, and by overcoming them, she would be able to succeed.
Life in America
Having stayed in Los Angeles, the girl immediately realized that in order to live in prosperity, one needs to work hard and hard here. She did not shy away from dirty work, so she took on any paid occupation.
She worked as a waitress in cheap eateries, and as a cleaner in disadvantaged and dangerous areas of the city. Despite the lack of knowledge of the English language, she decided to start learning it by all means. Working and learning the language, Camila managed to gradually escape from monstrous poverty and get closer to her main goal. And her goal was to live the "American way of life."
Work as a model
Hard-working Camila Alves has a very impressive appearance. Growing up, the girl herself began to notice that outwardly she fully corresponded to all model parameters, so she wanted to try herself in the world of fashion and beauty. At the age of 19, Camila decided to move to New York. Luck smiled at the girl with good external data almost immediately. She was noticed, and the endless casting race, in which most of the novice models participate, bypassed her.
Camila Alves began to be invited to fashion shows as a catwalk model, as well as to various photo shoots, and was offered work in advertising.
The Brazilian beauty finally found what she was striving for.
Own business
Despite her apparent success in the modeling business, Camila wanted something more. And then in 2005 she decided to join her mother's design business. The big name of Alves and the talent of her mother made it possible to create a personal brand Muxo. Together they were engaged in the development and creation of original handmade bags. Women wanted their bags to combine convenience and sexuality. The result was highly acclaimed by critics. Alves bags sold like hot cakes.
Meeting Matthew
In 2006, the already popular Brazilian model and newly minted designer Camila decided to celebrate her birthday on a grand scale in a luxury restaurant in Los Angeles. By chance, the conqueror of women's hearts, the handsome actor Matthew McConaughey, was in the same place. Young people saw each other, and sympathy broke out between them. After exchanging phone numbers, they parted ways. But not for long, because they soon met again, and then they began a romantic relationship.
Relationship with her future husband
Camila Alves's personal life has become the property of the tabloids. It seems that only the lazy at that time did not write that the heartthrob Matthew found the love of his life. However, it was the pure truth.
The actor himself, giving an interview, spoke about his new passion with such trepidation and tenderness that no one had any doubts about the sincerity of their feelings. In 2008, a joyful event happened in their family - the couple had a boy who was given the unusual name Levi. McConaughey was simply beside himself with happiness, but he was in no hurry to marry the mother of his baby.
The birth of a daughter and another son
Two years after the birth of her first child, the Brazilian model Camila Alves gave the actor a second child - daughter Vida. The press incessantly discussed why Matthew never made a marriage proposal to his beloved. And only a year after Vida was born, he invited the model to marry him.
The wedding was scheduled for the summer of 2012. The celebration was quite magnificent and loud. And after 6 months it turned out that on the wedding day, Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves already knew that they would have a third child. Son Levingston was born at the end of 2012.
Today Camila is engaged in raising children and modeling career. She enjoys taking part in filming and fashion shows.
How Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves met
Matthew McConaughey turns 53 on November 4th. In honor of this significant date, we tell how the actor met his other half and what is the secret of their happy marriage - the couple have been together for 10 years!
Mariana Pankina
Tags:
Evergreen
Love story
Like in a movie
The acquaintance of the couple was, one might say, cinematic.
Camila and Matthew first saw each other in a bar in Los Angeles in 2006. Alves did not recognize the well-known actor in the bearded guy and was not too inclined to dialogue with him. “When I first met, I didn’t know who he was. At that time, he wore a very long beard, and he had this Rastaman cap on his head, ”the model recalled.
Matthew said that Camila immediately struck him with her beauty. He invited her and her friends to join his company. In the end, the girl accepted his invitation, although she did it without much enthusiasm. Remaining herself, she spoke in her native Portuguese, giving McConaughey a linguistic test. But he turned out to be a tough nut to crack and answered her in the same language.
When Alves said that she was going to leave home by taxi, the actor offered to stay with him and gave her a guest bedroom. McConaughey recalled that he twice tried to get into the girl's room, but she kicked him out.
A few days later they had their first official date.
Matthew invited Camila to his Malibu apartment and cooked dinner for her. Then he realized that he only wanted to go on dates with this girl, and since then they have not parted again.
Family life
Two years later, the couple had their first child, son Levi. Two more years later, their daughter Vida was born. In 2011, Matthew and Camila announced their engagement, and a year later they tied the knot. Their wedding took place in the city of Austin (Texas) - native to McConaughey.
A few months after the marriage, they became parents for the third time - the couple had a son, Livingston.
It is interesting that both of them were in no hurry to get married. Alves admitted that she was not one of those girls who dream of a wedding. “I told my parents not to expect me to get married,” the model shared. But when she got married, she realized how important the ceremony was to her.
