Jenny Schatzle

Joju Foods

 

Why Dana Ark & Christine Elfalan Launched a Homemade Organic Baby Food Company in Covid.

EPISODE: 16   |    DATE: November 12, 2020

 

We have thousand dollar strollers and wet wipe warmers and smart bassinets but our baby food is the same as it was 20-30. We can do better for our babies.

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Key Takeaways

  • The baby food industry hasn’t changed in 20-30 years.
  • The way that most store-bought baby food is made strips the nutrition from the food, leaving our babies with basically just dessert.
  • Christine and Dana wanted to create nutrient dense, healthy, great tasting baby food free of preservatives that they and their fellow mamas could feel good about feeding their babies.
  • Most parents don’t want to eat their children’s baby food because it doesn’t taste good. Dana is the mastermind behind Joju Foods flavors and both she and Christine wanted to create food that’s good enough for even the parents to eat!
  • When it came down to creating Joju Foods, Christine and Dana researched and came up with 3 tiers in deciding what makes a good baby food:
  • Most baby food companies buy their purees from other companies and then marry those purees together to create their own flavors. In most cases, the purees are being shipped from many locations, so not only is the nutritional content of the food stripped (because of that and also because of the extreme heat it takes to puree), but also the environmental footprint of that food is a factor.
  • In order for the baby foods you buy on the selves to be stable, they must have preservatives in them.
  • Joju Foods baby food is made the way a mother would make her own baby food: They use organic, fresh fruits and vegetables, cut, washed, peeled, cored, diced, then steamed and blended. They make the food on Friday and deliver it on Saturdays, right to their customer’s doors! 
  • Joju Foods is the freshest organic homemade baby food and is literally made by moms, for moms!
  • They have a jar program to help the environment where you place your old jars in your cooler bag and put them at the door on Friday night, and they will take the old jars when they deliver your new cooler bag filled with fresh purees on Saturday morning.
  • Joju Foods is a sustainable, locally owned, mom owned, organic business you can feel great about spending your money on.

About Dana & Christine

Dana and Christine are friends, neighbors and business partners. Their husbands surf together, their kids play together and they make baby food together.

Being Southern California natives, Dana and Christine were exposed to various cuisines growing up. They are both passionate about food, but are also incredibly mindful about health and wellness. When they became moms, both Dana and Christine wanted to share the same excitement about food with their kids while ensure they were getting healthy, well-balanced meals. 

This inspired their company, Joju, an LA-based baby food company. Dana and Christine launched Joju in April 2020, making and delivering fresh organic baby food to mom and dads around LA. 

CONTACT INFO:

Website: https://www.jojufoods.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jojufoods/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jojufoods/

Joju Foods Recipes

Omega Squash

(Butternut Squash, Apple, Ground Flaxseed)

  • 2 apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and roughy chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (use ground flaxseed as it is easier on baby’s digestive system instead of whole flaxseed)

Instructions

  1. Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Place apples and butternut squash into a steamer basket over boiling water, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. All ingredients will be done when they can easily be pricked with a fork.
  2.  Let cool slightly. Reserve steamer water.
  3. Transfer all ingredients into a blender or food processor, add ground flaxseed and puree for 1-2 minutes adding water from the steamer basket in 1/4 cup increments until you have reached your desired consistency. You can also reach your desired consistency by adding breastmilk, formula, chicken broth, beef broth or veggie broth. We like homemade broths with no added salt. 

Sunshine Jar

(Carrot, Pear, Hemp Seed, Ginger)

  • 1 Cup of pears, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
  •  2 Cups carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon hulled hemp seed
  • ¼ tsp fresh ginger, grated 

Instructions

  1. Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Place carrots and pears into a steamer basket over boiling water, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. All ingredients will be done when they can easily be pricked with a fork.
  2. Let cool slightly. Reserve steamer water.
  3. Transfer all ingredients into a blender or food processor, add grated ginger and puree for 1-2 minutes adding water from the steamer basket in 1/4 cup increments until you have reached your desired consistency.
  4. Stir in hemp seed and enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening!

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And remember, mama you’re doing GREAT!