Greenhero
#22 – A journey from her kitchen to Whole Foods w/ Co-founder of No Evil Foods Sadrah Schadel
Today’s guest on the Greenhero Podcast is co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at No Evil Foods, Sadrah Schadel. She guided her company's growth from farmer's markets to a national brand fueled by her commitment to animal welfare, social good, and creating killer culinary experiences through simple ingredients. She utilizes the visibility and success of her company as a vehicle to drive transformative impact on social and systemic inequalities, leading No Evil Foods to become the world’s first Certified Plastic Negative plant-based meat brand and a Certified Fair Chance Business. Sadrah provides thought leadership as a Board Member of the Plant Based Foods Association and serves on the Advisory Committee of Inclusive Hiring Partners. She inspires others by telling the authentic story of what it takes to craft a revolution at speaking engagements and summits around the country.
Sadrah and her siblings were all raised vegetarian–something uncommon (to say the least) in the 80s. She’s followed that lifestyle now for 40 years, being vegan for the last 8 consecutive years. As far as transitioning that lifestyle into something that supported her, it came down to aligning her values with her work. Her partner and co-founder, Mike, while working in restaurants, realized that they wanted to make a bigger impact with what they were doing on their homestead by becoming as sustainable and self-sufficient as possible. What they found was that they still purchased much of their plant-based meats, which left them with little flexibility, variability, and versatility in what they ate. So, they sought to create a product that would serve them personally. Ultimately, though, they knew they loved connecting people around food and saw opportunities to help make their community healthier.
Their goal is to preserve cultural culinary traditions and retain that meaty texture that is found in traditional products. Food is how we communicate, she says, and making sure that isn’t lost in their work is key.
A major cause for people to turn away from plant-based eating happens when consumers get down to the nuts and bolts of the plant-based products they are eating. When they see that these products really aren’t that much healthier, they tend to revert to what they know. No Evil Foods fits into the space of consumers who are looking for a healthier product with a meat experience. The challenge there is the stigma around plant-based foods being over-processed and having massive ingredient lists. These items are an indulgence, Sadrah says, like something you’d eat out at a restaurant. No Evil Foods brings plant-based eating home. It’s about creating diversity—there are plenty of burgers and nuggets, but that isn’t an everyday meal. This leaves room for category management, differentiating different plant-based products to help consumers understand the foods better.
Things you’ll learn
Plant-based eating is not new. There are cultures that have been eating plant-based for thousands of years.
A major cause for people to turn away from plant-based eating happens when consumers get down to the nuts and bolts of the plant-based products they are eating. When they see that these products really aren’t that much healthier, they tend to revert to what they know.
The philosophy at No Evil Foods is to create clean ingredients that are high protein and nutrient-dense, texturally rich, enjoyable, versatile, and reflect the way that people are cooking in their kitchens so that they have an opportunity to eat more healthfully to eat in a way that's more sustainable.
LINKS
@noevilfoods
Today’s guest on the Greenhero Podcast is co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at No Evil Foods, Sadrah Schadel. She guided her company's growth from farmer's markets to a national brand fueled by her commitment to animal welfare, social good, and creating killer culinary experiences through simple ingredients. She utilizes the visibility and success of her company as a vehicle to drive transformative impact on social and systemic inequalities, leading No Evil Foods to become the world’s first Certified Plastic Negative plant-based meat brand and a Certified Fair Chance Business. Sadrah provides thought leadership as a Board Member of the Plant Based Foods Association and serves on the Advisory Committee of Inclusive Hiring Partners. She inspires others by telling the authentic story of what it takes to craft a revolution at speaking engagements and summits around the country.
Sadrah and her siblings were all raised vegetarian–something uncommon (to say the least) in the 80s. She’s followed that lifestyle now for 40 years, being vegan for the last 8 consecutive years. As far as transitioning that lifestyle into something that supported her, it came down to aligning her values with her work. Her partner and co-founder, Mike, while working in restaurants, realized that they wanted to make a bigger impact with what they were doing on their homestead by becoming as sustainable and self-sufficient as possible. What they found was that they still purchased much of their plant-based meats, which left them with little flexibility, variability, and versatility in what they ate. So, they sought to create a product that would serve them personally. Ultimately, though, they knew they loved connecting people around food and saw opportunities to help make their community healthier.
Their goal is to preserve cultural culinary traditions and retain that meaty texture that is found in traditional products. Food is how we communicate, she says, and making sure that isn’t lost in their work is key.
A major cause for people to turn away from plant-based eating happens when consumers get down to the nuts and bolts of the plant-based products they are eating. When they see that these products really aren’t that much healthier, they tend to revert to what they know. No Evil Foods fits into the space of consumers who are looking for a healthier product with a meat experience. The challenge there is the stigma around plant-based foods being over-processed and having massive ingredient lists. These items are an indulgence, Sadrah says, like something you’d eat out at a restaurant. No Evil Foods brings plant-based eating home. It’s about creating diversity—there are plenty of burgers and nuggets, but that isn’t an everyday meal. This leaves room for category management, differentiating different plant-based products to help consumers understand the foods better.
Things you’ll learn
Plant-based eating is not new. There are cultures that have been eating plant-based for thousands of years.
A major cause for people to turn away from plant-based eating happens when consumers get down to the nuts and bolts of the plant-based products they are eating. When they see that these products really aren’t that much healthier, they tend to revert to what they know.
The philosophy at No Evil Foods is to create clean ingredients that are high protein and nutrient-dense, texturally rich, enjoyable, versatile, and reflect the way that people are cooking in their kitchens so that they have an opportunity to eat more healthfully to eat in a way that's more sustainable.
LINKS
@noevilfoods