Organic Frozen Baby Food? And Bloggy GiveAways! Interview with Heather Stouffer, Founder of Mom Made Foods, LLC

February 15th, 2008

Many new Moms make a list of all the things they are going to do for their baby. Making home made baby food is often near the top of that list. But a lot of these new Moms find that time gets the best of them, and they simply can’t follow-through on everything they’d like to do. So they end up like yours truly, with an unopened “frozen baby food ice cube tray” collecting dust on top of the fridge, and jars of organic baby food sitting inside the kitchen cabinets.

Now there’s another option. Back when I posted about a sale on organic baby food, I heard from several companies making frozen organic baby food. Frozen organic baby food didn’t exist five years ago when I had my first born, and last year I left the grocery shopping to Darling Husband (DH), so I wasn’t aware of this new option until I heard about it through the OrganicMania community.

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Following is an interview with Heather Stouffer, founder of Mom Made(Tm) Foods LLC and another “Organic Mommypreneur” in the spirit of Karen Gurwitz of Mothers & Menus, who was interviewed here as well. OrganicMania was curious about why a mother would choose frozen baby food, and Heather was more than happy to discuss this, along with a host of other interesting issues about organics and feeding a growing baby.

OrganicMania: We all grew up eating jarred baby foods. In fact, the icon of a happy baby was the perfect little “Gerber baby food baby.” What made you decide to look beyond the conventional, beyond jarred baby foods?

Heather Stouffer: When my son Emory, who is now nearly three, was a baby, I found it difficult to find the time each day to prepare home made baby food. I couldn’t find any freshly made, store-bought alternatives that I felt good about feeding him. So I started to think about making my own brand of frozen organic children’s foods. My brother is a professional chef, and he helped and inspired me.

OrganicMania: Why did you choose to focus on frozen baby food? What is it about frozen baby food that is special?

Heather Stouffer: My goal is to produce organic food products for children that are as close to homemade as possible. Freezing is our “preservative.” Research has shown that frozen food can be as healthy or even healthier than fresh food, depending on how long it takes fresh food to get from the farm to your table. It can be quite time intensive to go from the farm to a distributor to the store produce section.

This is in contrast to frozen food, which is picked at peak harvest and then either directly frozen or gently cooked, for example, blanched, to capture peak freshness, and then frozen. Of course, if you’re talking about locally bought produce from a farmer’s market versus frozen, the frozen food might be less fresh, but still pretty close to being on par with fresh food.

But then if you compare it to jarred food, there’s a big difference. The jarring process is very intensive. In order to jar food, you need to cook it at extreme temperatures. You can actually see the color change. The food is cooked to death, and natural nutrients are lost in this process. You see the difference in the color and the loss of texture. Jarred baby food has a “yuck factor” for parents when they feed it to their babies.

I believe babies and young children starting their journey into a lifetime of eating, should be fed the very best from the start – foods that we would welcome tasting along with them.

OrganicMania: So you’re suggesting that frozen baby food tastes better and is more nutritious than jarred baby food?

Heather Stouffer: Yes, it’s sheer delight. We freeze Mom Made products immediately after they are prepared. So it tastes like I’m biting into a fresh Bartlett pear right off the tree, and it tastes like a real sweet potato. It tastes like real food that adults eat, unlike the way jarred baby food tastes.

It sounds simple but after parents taste our food, I often hear them say something like “ooh, yum, it tastes just like a real apple!” It makes me laugh because it’s as though they expected it to taste awful. The great taste of Mom Made Foods means baby has a better experience learning to eat than is typical with jarred foods. It’s better for your baby too.

OrganicMania: You could have chosen to make conventional frozen food, which still would have been a new option for babies and would have provided the taste advantage you describe. Why did you choose to make an organic baby food?

Heather Stouffer: Your baby’s first year is the most important for growth and development. Organic food is best because your baby’s brain, immune system, and hormone system are still developing. Many non-organic fruits and vegetables contain pesticides and toxins, which can affect how our little ones grow and develop. Plus, organic food is better for the environment than conventional food, because farmers use natural methods like crop rotation and composting instead of chemicals.

OrganicMania: How much does Mom Made Foods cost as compared to jarred organic baby food?

Heather Stouffer: The retail price is $3.99 for two 3.5 ounce containers. The price difference with jarred is in the quality and care we put into making each individual serving. We use only fresh ingredients in our products and do not add any fillers, preservatives or junk.

[Editor’s note: This compares to the prices noted in this post of the non-sale price of $1.05 for a jar of Earth’s Best baby food, so this would be $3.99 versus $2.10 for roughly the same quantity of jarred organic baby food].

OrganicMania: Quite by accident, I’m starting an interview series focusing on what I call “Organic Mommypreneurs.” You’re the second interview, with more to come. Why do you think so many Moms are starting organic businesses?

Heather Stouffer: I have found that the organic message hits home with many of us moms once we are pregnant and have children. All of a sudden you’re responsible for this other little person. It’s something Moms are focused on, and so we identify the gaps in the market.

OrganicMania: How do you do it all? What advice do you have about combining motherhood and entrepreneurship?

Heather Stouffer: Focus is critical. At any one time, there are 67 things that need to be done. You need to pick out the top three strategic projects that you are doing and focus on them. Then, at the end of the day, if you didn’t get to a task that impacts one of your strategic projects, you need to ask yourself, what did I get done today? It can be really difficult some days…some days more than others.

Also, I always advise other entrepreneurs to seek out and maximize the existing resources for small businesses. You need to be able to pick up the phone and call people, which can be scary sometimes. But you need to get the word out there about what you are doing and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

OrganicMania: What’s next for Mom Made Foods?

Heather Stouffer: Right now, our products are distributed in the Mid-Atlantic region, but we’re in discussions now with national retailers. We’ll be launching new products and massively expanding our distribution this year.

Update 5/29/08Full disclosure: Lynn’s consulting biz, Miller Strategic Marketing, is now working on an assignment for Mom Made Foods. At the time this post was written back in February, there was no relationship between us. Pretty cool, though – we met through OrganicMania and now will be working together!

Editor’s Note:

And leave a comment to win Bloggy Giveaways of a Mom Made Foods rebate coupon for $3.99, a baby spoon, and for those of you who aren’t yet convinced, my two trays of unused baby food/breast milk storage cubes – a $12 value! (I’ll even wipe the dust off the $12 price label!) I have 10 coupons to give away, so leave a comment with your address (no fears, the comments don’t show up till I enable them, so I’ll delete your address before posting your comment to the blog!) . I’ll mail the coupons out to you. The winners will be contacted by email.

Photo Credit Family Picture: Wirken Photo

— Lynn

Copyright 2008 OrganicMania


17 Responses to “Organic Frozen Baby Food? And Bloggy GiveAways! Interview with Heather Stouffer, Founder of Mom Made Foods, LLC”

  1. Megan on February 20, 2008 6:51 am

    I am currently pregnant and am trying to convince my husband to feed our baby only organic food. His gripe is that it is too expensive, but I think the benefits are priceless. Anything free or discounted will help me “win” our debate! 😉

    I know I am a day late, but since I don’t see any other comments, maybe I have a chance ?

    Absolutely, Megan! Please email your address to organicmaniapr at google dot com
    Where do you live? I may have some tips for you on where to find things a bit more inexpensively! Best wishes for the pregnancy! — Lynn

  2. Mary Allen Edgerton on February 22, 2008 9:57 pm

    Lynn-
    Wow! Thanks for some phenomenal information! I think I will be starting solids in about a week or so and I have been concerned as to what I will do – I am honest enough to admit that I just won’t have the time to make everything from scratch!! Your site is fabulous – I love the information and will go back often!

    Thank you! Thank you!
    -Mary Allen

    Mary Allen, you made my day with this heartfelt comment. I know how hard it is to have time for anything with a little one, least of all commenting on blogs! I’m glad you found this helpful. — Lynn

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  4. Rebecca on April 9, 2008 1:15 pm

    Frozen Baby is all I give my son.. I get a local Baby food at Whole Foods called Fifibear’s Brasserie. I like them because they have a wide selection of chicken dishes to choose from and it’s all organic ..

  5. Renae on July 15, 2008 11:26 pm

    Frozen organic baby food is a must for me and my baby. It takes time to prepare and cook fresh foods, and i dont like jar foods anyway. Being a working mother there is little time for preparation and frozen foods are much quicker to prepare.

  6. Kate Carder on August 1, 2008 8:42 pm

    I grew up the daughter of an organic farmer. As a single mom of three girls, I have had such a hard time finding the time to make the food for my 8 1/2 month old baby. I would love any and all info you can give me regarding this food…and any coupons as well! :) I live in Milwaukie (Portland) Oregon if that helps. Thanks!

    Hi Kate, Mom Made Foods are now available at SuperTarget. You can visit their website (http://www.mommadefoods.com) and check for rebate coupons. Or follow them on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mommadefoods

  7. Therese on October 27, 2008 7:05 am

    Good for people to know.

  8. OrganicMama28 on November 20, 2008 4:15 pm

    Great article. This is very useful information. Green living has been my choice for our baby and my family. I have written a short article with a list of some of the best places to find organic products for baby and mom. You can check it out here: http://organicmomandbaby.blogspot.com

  9. Rebecca on January 3, 2009 3:32 pm

    Frozen organic baby food is great ! Ffibear’s is a great alternative with chicken , beef and fish. They are available at Whole Foods in the freezer section. Provence Chicken is the most popular- Yum! http://www.fifibears.com

  10. Mamashares on January 23, 2009 1:49 pm

    What great information. I also like to add -for parents who feel that they do not have time to cook baby food- that often during the cooking process I pull out some meat and vegetables, and blend it then and there. This saves time because the ingredients are readily available. The food is still warm so I feed some directly to my baby and save the rest for the next day or two…no more than three days.

  11. Sarah on February 18, 2009 12:46 pm

    I’m so glad I found this forum from my google search for happybaby frozen food! I didn’t know there wer other potions out there!

  12. nancy mills on February 25, 2009 12:58 pm

    Hello everyone,

    Baby health is so important – we all want to avoid chemicals in our food, milk and our household while being pregnant. It is very important. There are alot of chemicals in skincare today, and pregnant women should only use chemical free or Organic face creams.

    Your skin is an organ – that you are sharing with your unborn child. Any chemicals applied to your skin will feed the growth of your child. And please do your research on the internet regarding chemicals in skin care products.

    My personal recommendation, is the Made from Earth product line. They are completely chemical free and organic, and their products have a shelf life of 6 months, because they are not presevred with chemicals, but they do use quality ingredients. I used their 3 Berry Face Serum while I was pregnant, and its a great face cream I highly recommend.

    Best of luck to everyone!

  13. lori on March 2, 2009 4:26 pm

    This is a great interview!
    I want to add that, while organic produce and products seem pricier… they are more nutritious AND, extra bonus, they taste better! It would cost the same to get the same nutritional value from conventionally grown produce… you’d just have to eat and buy more.

    Minnesota babies have another frozen organic (and locally sourced) baby food – mine…
    Sweet Cheeks Baby Food!
    My goal is to hopefully influence those tiny palettes to crave simple, fresh and good tasting food.
    Happy, healthy babies have Sweet Cheeks!

    Thanks for your compliment, Lori! Good luck with your baby food company. What a sweet name! I’ll always be partial to Mom Made, especially since they became a client of my consulting business after that interview ran….But I love to hear about any way it’s easier for Moms to get their kids off to a healthy start! Good for you! — Lynn

  14. inmobiliaria madrid on November 26, 2009 5:15 pm

    This interview is really awesome. I am so much benefited by reading this. You are absolutely right, frozen baby food are almost as similar as home made. Thanks a lot, hope to read some more informative interviews.
    .-= inmobiliaria madrid´s last blog ..Encontrar departamento: misión imposible =-.

  15. Kristen on February 5, 2010 4:41 pm

    At any time you can feed your baby organic food I am in full support. But, like anything, it is all about moderation. As long as they are getting healthy clean foods, your child will be happy and healthy.

  16. Kristen on February 20, 2010 1:39 pm

    I live in MN and there is a great company named Sweet Cheeks and they do fresh organic food that they freeze and deliver to you. Great food and a great concept.

    I am pretty sure I missed the competition but ante to throw it out there.

  17. only organic baby food on April 16, 2010 5:00 am

    Your child will be happy and healthy, as long as they are getting healthy foods.

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