Ohme Foods - Why Healthy Mornings Start with One Simple Choice

Ramon Vela (00:02.188)
Welcome back everyone. Today is going to be a great show. I have with me Jenny Yu, who is co-founder of Omi Foods. Welcome to the show.

Jenny (00:27.618)
Thank you so much for having me.

Ramon Vela (00:29.624)
Well, I appreciate you making time. I know you're busy, you're running a company, you're building a business, and I really appreciate you taking just a little bit of time to share your business and your brand and your journey with our audience. So thank you very much.

Jenny (00:44.716)
Thank you, I'm really excited to share more about Omi with everybody.

Ramon Vela (00:48.514)
Well, I appreciate it. I always like to start off, I have a signature question and it's around gratitude. And for those who are new and listening, I love this question because I'm a big believer in gratitude. I have a meditation practice, but whether you're journaling or meditating or praying or whatever you want to do, gratitude is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety and it's free. So you can access it anytime and it takes a little practice sometimes, but

It's a great tool and I highly recommend everyone consider that if you're dealing with stress. But I also like to ask this question because it occurred to me after I started doing the show that a lot of times people see brands or their products and they see them online or they see them on the shelf and they just think like, it's just another product and they don't really put a face to the corporation or they don't think about the people behind

this product because it takes a lot to bring a product to market. It takes a lot to run a business as you know and you believe sweat and tear and I really want people to know that there's people behind the business that care deeply about the product, about their communities, about their consumers and one way of doing that of getting to sort of humanize the brand is getting to know who you are and one way of doing that is by getting to know what you're grateful for. So with that said,

If you don't mind, can you share a moment or a memory when someone did something for you that just made you feel grateful because it meant that they believed in you, your vision or your potential?

Jenny (02:25.036)
Yeah, sorry. my gosh. Yeah, well, you know, it's a really good question. And as I reflect on whom I'm most grateful for, it's definitely one of my really, really good friends. She definitely like supported all my business from the very start. Like every time, you know, we launched something new, she will always help spread the word about Omi to people around her without me even asking.

Ramon Vela (02:29.134)
That's okay.

Jenny (02:53.388)
But I think the most important is that whenever I run into any trouble or just needed someone to talk to, she's always there to listen. And as the business grows, things can get pretty noisy. You get DMs all the time, emails flooding in all the time. And sometimes it's not easy to step out from those zones and really focus on what you actually want to create with your business.

So every time I run into a situation like this, I would just give her a call. Like I would basically text her at the most randomest time and with a simple message of like, hey, can I call? And she'll always say yes. And you know, with those conversations, I really walk away feeling really grounded and just walking with, with so much clarity because as you probably understand, not everyone you talk to would give you that feeling that your mind is so clear and you will know exactly when you want it or

needed to do. she just, she just have her way of helping me sort through my thoughts and really being on the outside and giving me that fresh perspective on what really makes sense for us. So she's definitely a gift and I just feel super blessed to have her in my life.

Ramon Vela (04:08.445)
Well, that's such a great example. And I will say that there is something that I refer to as a transfer of belief. And that is when you are feeling sort of low and you're feeling down or you're feeling uncertain. And that happens a lot, especially when you're running a business, there's so much uncertainty. You don't know how things are going to work out and you do your best.

But there are moments where you feel a little low. Sometimes you feel like quitting. Sometimes you feel like giving up. I that definitely happens. But to have someone in your life that you can talk to that kind of calms you down, brings you perspective, puts things in context, and reassures you that kind of like, you know what? I can do this. I can make this work. I can be successful. Those are like very precious people. And so you're incredibly

extremely lucky to have someone like that in your life, I would say. And by the way, part of gratitude, at least from my perspective, is whenever you can close in the loop. So do you ever tell her how you feel about her and what she's meant in your life?

Jenny (05:06.742)
Mm-hmm.

Jenny (05:19.97)
Yeah, definitely. feel like I tell her all the time, like every time a call finishes, I will always be like, like, I'm just so lucky to have you in my life. Like, like, I think it's hard to run into someone that you fully trust. That's not like blood related to you. So I always tell her, like, I'm just, I'm just so, so thankful. And yeah, she's, she's literally like the best.

Ramon Vela (05:45.932)
Yeah. Well, there's, like I said, there's the, it's, it's something that you don't really talk about, like an entrepreneurship or you don't learn it at incubators or, or other places like that. But it's something that's crucial to have someone who, you know, can be that rock for you. That could be that emotional, place where you can share your feelings and feel like you can be open and they can.

you know, transfer that belief that they have in you. And by the way, it's great also, like part of the question is, you know, people who believe in you and your vision sometimes even before you do. And so that probably applies to your friend as well. So that's kudos and great to have people like that in your life.

Jenny (06:31.14)
echo that and just to bring back to how you mentioned like do I tell her how much I appreciate her for I think this is definitely like a practice I've gained over the years to always express your feelings because growing up as in like an Asian household I was always like suppressing my feelings a lot like I never really said any like thank you and you know grateful words to her so to anybody actually and I think

I was also influenced by her to say thank you and being able to express my true thoughts. think it's just super important. So I totally echo not just being grateful, but also mentioning it out to your friends is so important.

Ramon Vela (07:15.147)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I think so. Yeah. I mean, that's why I always tell people, have you closed the loop? know, like, you, you know, can you, have you told them how you feel because I think that just makes it even more stronger connection. So that's fantastic. So as I started talking about how things have been, how things are really tough in building a business, I always like to find out from people that moment or that time period when

Jenny (07:22.327)
Mm-hmm.

Ramon Vela (07:46.25)
you were thinking about the business, thinking about the idea, and you decided to take the plunge. There's so many times where people have a great idea and they think, this would be a great business or this would be good. But very few people actually take the next step and actually start the business and do it. So I think it's a special type of person. So I'm always curious, what was it about the idea of Omi

What was the idea of entrepreneurship and starting this with your co-founder? What was the idea, or I should say, what was the thing that pushed you to the next step, that got you off the fence and started the business?

Jenny (08:30.902)
Wow, that's a really good question. think reflecting back, I totally echo like starting a business or starting a challenge in general isn't always a easy thing to do. Like growing up, there are lots of goals that I couldn't really, I didn't believe myself that I could achieve them. And one of them being like,

So I always grew up as like a little chubbier girl or being mocked at school for being a bit chubby, even though I didn't really think I was that chubby at all, but it definitely gave me the impression that I have to lose weight or become more fit and skinny. And I never really thought that is something that I could achieve growing up in my life. And it's really after...

you know, like during the pandemic when I gained like 50 pounds of weight and I started to feel like I wasn't super healthy and my mind is always being muddy and stuff that I made a goal for myself to start shredding those weight and just getting back into like a more healthier version and like wellness minded version of myself. So I started working out and like back in grade

high school I was actually like if there is PE classes, I would definitely not choose those classes because I never really enjoyed fitness growing up. But ever since I started hitting the gym after this pandemic and having that goal of, you know, getting more fit and more healthy and I think I started like the younger, younger self of me or wait, sorry, the younger version of myself.

like the goals that I used to think I couldn't achieve, I started achieving them. And I think that's just gave me like a light bulb moment to be like, hey, like I can actually do this. And this is through like day by day, smaller stepping stones, like every single day, just showing up for myself, hitting those goals. And eventually like I lost all the 50 pounds. even competed in my first ever competition, which is a bikini competition too.

Jenny (10:49.461)
And this whole journey of losing the weight, getting into a more healthier state has motivated me to believe in myself more and to know like, if I have a dream or a vision, I'm actually capable of achieving it. And I think that's how I started the business. Cause I just come into a realization state that if I put in the effort,

I'm capable of achieving this dream.

Ramon Vela (11:20.745)
You know, this is one of those things where I feel that a lot of people can relate to your journey, whether they're entrepreneurs or not. so on one, you know, just as a side note, you really, if you don't already, you should really share this story on social media and other places because I feel that a lot of people have dreams and goals that they want to achieve.

but they feel like how you felt. They felt like I can't achieve it, I can't do it. It's incredibly difficult to lose weight, you know, because your brain and your body creates patterns and you have to break certain patterns in order to achieve your health goals and so forth. It's not easy. So it's very inspirational what you've done. But I also, but like I said, I feel like it's something, I mean, you're sharing it now, but I just think like this is something.

you should always talk about because I think it's very inspirational. I think people can really benefit from that.

Jenny (12:20.567)
Yes, I think I should write a LinkedIn post about it.

Ramon Vela (12:21.997)
You should because I'm telling you, I think this is something that brings another dimension to the brand. so I, like I said, I think it's very inspirational. And so that says a lot, I think about who you are. And so when you started the business, you felt like, okay,

Now that you have your mindset is like, I can do this or have more confidence. So what was about Omi or the idea? And if you wouldn't mind like maybe pitching us that idea, what was the idea of Omi that really motivated you? Because it sounds like it's going to have something to do with what you went through, your health and your wellness and so forth.

Jenny (13:14.253)
Yes, you definitely know that it's really about my wellness, my journey back into wellness. And honestly, like, obviously, like, for me, I actually came from a health technology kind of background. So I know like business nowadays with people focusing so much on SaaS companies and like, so many more cooler or more money generating ideas and stuff.

To me, it's kind of like if I dive into that space, it's already the space that I'm in. But why my partner and I wanted to start OMI is really because of our journey back into wellness. Like the 50 pounds of weight, a lot of people think it's actually from postpartum, but it's actually not. It's during the pandemic when we were trapped at home, we were actually binge eating and drinking a lot because of being trapped at home with a young kid.

you know, the stress of work as well, just everything piled together and not being able to move around, which is like basically eating and drinking is our remedy back down, which is so not healthy. And you know, when the pandemic finally wraps up or like when doors start to open a bit, I was also standing in front of the mirror with that 50 pounds gained and my mind always muddy and stuff. So I really wanted to get back into the healthier state of myself and

My partner as well, also gained like a lot of weight. We went through the same journey together. So we actually made a new year resolution. I remember that was like 2023 when we made the new year resolution to just kick off the day with a good morning breakfast, just something simple as that. And obviously for me paired with my fitness goals as well. But most important that morning breakfast is really

like an activator in the morning to be like, hey, like, as long as you have that good healthy breakfast in the morning, it will basically kick off the way for you to follow through the rest of your day with that better health routine with hitting the gym as well. So, and back then, like I remember going to the grocery aisle, there wasn't a lot of great toppings, I would say. Obviously there's like granola and stuff, but there's always added sugar.

Jenny (15:39.384)
or like the old meals that are actually tasty also have like sugar in them or some sort of like stevia. And it just, they weren't really tasty in general. So then we dive into the world of freeze dried fruits. And remember back then there wasn't a lot of options out there. There was only like the berries and like some of the other fruits that we might be able to get in dollar stores. So we dive into this freeze drying, we got our own freeze dryer and really try to see like, Hey, can we make something out of it? And

At morning breakfast is what sparked Omi. so like with people, you know, going into grocery stores nowadays and picking up that bag of Omi, we really wanted to people, we wanted people to feel the joy of picking up the bag, knowing this is your daily motivation to, you know, also focus on yourself and focus on your goals. And, you know, you will be able to accomplish what you can accomplish and

You know, the story, I feel like I don't share the story enough on my, on any of our Instagram and social media. So I really appreciate this opportunity, but this is really what sparked OMI. It's just a simple like new year resolution. And ever since then, it's like, it just, it started to grow and super happy that people love our snacks and their kids love it too. My son loves it too. So.

Ramon Vela (16:57.741)
You know, and I think you said something really incredibly important. And you mentioned it earlier, but I just I saw you right now. Just give it another example. I had actually I had an interview this week in the the founder. She wasn't like a previous founder. She didn't have anything like any business background. And she said something I think similar to what you said. She she referred to them as proof points. She said.

So I have this, I have a goal and I kind of think about these proof points, like these little small wins that you can have that kind of show you like, okay, I'm going to do this and that proves that I'm on the, that I can do it. And then I'm going to have another goal and then a small goal. then it's like a little, little changes, little challenges, little wins along the way to kind of give you confidence. And I almost feel like what you're saying is very similar to that.

especially with what you said earlier about these different things that you did to gain confidence. And then I see it also aligned with your morning breakfast, because I think what a lot of people miss about doing stuff in the morning is exactly what you said, which is if you can have these small wins, like get up, do a walk, have a good breakfast.

or work out a little bit, have a good breakfast, then you are essentially creating a win, right? First thing in the morning. Like first thing in the morning, you're basically setting up your day. You've had a great morning. You've done all these different things and they're small, right? Like just getting up, taking a walk or getting up and doing some calisthenics or workout or whatever it is, body exercise, whatever. And then having a good breakfast, feels like

You're giving people as a roadmap to set up their day to be able to handle the challenges or continue on with whatever goals that they have. So maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that's kind of what I see based on your story you shared with me.

Jenny (19:14.242)
Yeah, I totally agree. And I think that's why I started to gain confidence in the things that I do is setting those smaller goals and taking one step at a time, but always meeting that goal in the day. It really boosted my confidence and it's kind of like positive affirmation as well in a way. And I definitely, it's a person that thrive on positive affirmations. So, and being able to achieve my goal, just gives you so much strength to

Ramon Vela (19:38.861)
Thank

Jenny (19:44.142)
Like basically telling you your mind that you can do this and see like you can do this, but you also achieved it already. I think that's so important.

Ramon Vela (19:55.181)
Yeah. You know, one of the things I love about what you're doing is that it meets a lot of people where they are. Because if you think about the pandemic, your story and so many other people's story is very similar in that during the pandemic, there was a lot of anxiety. We didn't know when things were going to open up. We were kind of stuck at home.

And so I think a lot of people, and I know I did in the very beginning, I just, I just started snacking all the time, drinking, you know, like you, you have this enormous amount of anxiety and stress that you're trying, like it's undercover. Sometimes you don't really think about it, but it's there and you can feel it and you just want to take the edge off and you do that with food and you do that with other, other ways. And so, so many people have felt that way. And, and I, I think that.

If we're going to take any positive out of the pandemic, obviously there's a lot of bad part of it. But the good part of it is that people became so much more aware about their wellness journey, both from the body as well as their mind. And it really just accentuated the fact that we need to work on these things. And so I think a lot of people are at the point where the pandemic has showed them that, I want to be healthier.

There's a lot of people who are at that point where they feel that. And they may be where you were. They may be a little overweight. They may want to get healthy. They may have had a baby, whatever it is. you're meeting where they are. There's so many people who can benefit from not only just your story, but also OMI and...

I guess it's more of an observation than a question, but I just feel like you are, meeting that. And I think that's why the trend of better for you foods and so forth has really, even especially after the pandemic has really taken off because I think it's just made people more aware of all of this.

Jenny (21:56.185)
I totally agree. think recent years, there's so many great, like better for you snacks, which I'm so grateful for. I really wish it existed during the pandemic as well. So we can all snack on better for you snacks. But yeah, I definitely echo like, because of post pandemic, everyone started to feel more aware of their mind and body. And I think, yeah, like I'm just, I think also with Omi too, like timing is also.

it just worked out for us because we're hopping on the trend of better for you snacking in general. sometimes I feel like running a business, having a great idea is important, but also being at the right timing is also important. So I think overall for our business, just worked out.

Ramon Vela (22:40.16)
Yeah, no, I think so. And you're fortunate that that kind of trend has continued and I think it will continue. So let's talk a little bit about the business side of it. So you started this. What was your strategy at the time, like in terms of going to market? Was it finding your place in retail? Was it going online? Was it going on the marketplaces? Where did you decide first to start?

And then what was your strategy to kind of build awareness and make people aware of the brand?

Jenny (23:15.886)
Yeah, that's a really good question. So my partner and I initially just started sharing with our friends around us. And then we dived into like, like maybe, you know, if our friends or family loved them, then maybe the community around us would love them too. So we really kicked off our company by going to local pop-up markets and farmers markets. And obviously we have to get everything set up, like working out of a commissary kitchen and getting all the health approved items.

Like going into pop-up markets is a super simple and straightforward way to introduce the product, get comments and feedback about the product themselves and see if there's actually like a demand for them. So that's really how we started. And I remember like one month in, so back then we never really thought of going to retail stores. We initially thought we're just wherever we'll just be going to pop-up markets and.

Ramon Vela (23:59.309)
Hmm.

Jenny (24:13.124)
like just sharing things with the community. yeah, one month in, there's like two cafes in Vancouver that reached out to us. They're like, hey, like I saw you on social media. I really love your product. And they wanted to bring it in. I think some of our customers brought it up to them. So that is actually what sparked us to be like, like, is this actually something that we can do like as a business? And yeah, like,

Ramon Vela (24:13.963)
you

Jenny (24:41.282)
ever since the launches, just there's more retailers reaching out to us, more cafes around town, and obviously pairing with more customer feedback kind of thing. So the two worked interchangeably to really give us that positive affirmation to buy, this is something that we can do. And yeah, like six to eight months in, we did our first trade show as well, just because all the retail buyers are there and we wanted to see, is this something that

actual grocery stores would love to have. So that is kind of like our go-to market strategy, really going knee deep into the community and chatting with our customers directly face-to-face to get those feedback.

Ramon Vela (25:23.786)
Yeah. And, you know, I always look at direct to consumer as sort of like a lab. You know, I have a co-host who talks about DTC lab because it's a great way to gain customer support, customer feedback and their, you know, their, you know, the things they like, things they don't like, the flavors they like, the flavors they don't like and what works, what doesn't. But you went old school because I think like the farmer's market that I've covered a lot of brands have done similar, but

I like to think of the farmer markets and the pop-ups as sort of like the old school way, the old school DTC, which is offline, but you're still getting all this amazing feedback because you're seeing people's reaction. Maybe you might be seeing their faces as they try it and whether they like it or not. I love that. And I think that's a great way to get feedback.

And capturing that too, if you can, and then sharing it with retailers is a great way of doing it too. So what was your first sort of retail win? Or whether it was retail or something else, but what was your first win where you thought, okay, the coffee shops show us that maybe other businesses are interested in this. What was the next level of win that you had?

Jenny (26:48.399)
Wow, the next level of win. I feel like because I'm so filled in like small wins, like every single time a retailer reach out to us and wanted to carry our product, it's like a win for us. But just trying to think of like a big moment where my partner and I were really, really excited was actually getting to Urban Outfitters in the States. That is such a big account and like not something that we would ever have imagined.

I remember like the buyer reach out to us through Instagram and you know like how buyers usually reach out to you through emails. They actually reach out to us through Instagram and I just couldn't believe it at first. Yeah and they sent me like their email and then we like corresponded through email. I was like double checking like is this a scam email or an actual like urban outfitters kind of email and it is so super excited about that.

Ramon Vela (27:25.472)
Mm-hmm.

Ramon Vela (27:41.398)
the

Jenny (27:47.078)
Like literally my partner and I just screamed out loud when they reached out to us like what, how, like they're not even a natural grocer, but they wanted to carry our products. So that was like such a major retail win. And we got into Urban Outfitters way before we got into any of the major retailers in Canada right now. So that was, that was like a big milestone for us.

Ramon Vela (28:11.158)
Yeah, well, you know, by the way, I love what you just said before you answered about the small wins because I feel like that's an entrepreneurial lesson because sometimes it's you're so focused on the, we got to close this large account or we got to close this, you know, major retailer. We got to close this. But I think sometimes when we're in the midst of the journey.

we forget to really be grateful for the small wins, right? For the small ones, for like the, people asking about it or, you people with small companies or coffee shops or whatever, you know, we forget to celebrate those or think about those. You so I love how you mentioned that. That's a good lesson for people. So, okay, so you had those wins, but obviously there was a lot of challenges as well, I'm assuming.

So what were some of those big challenges that you guys faced? And was it on the supply chain side of it? Was it on, you know, once you started getting into places, was it, you know, building upon your awareness? Was it social media? What was some of those big challenges that you faced early on?

Jenny (29:20.975)
Yeah, I think some of the challenges, definitely supply chain is like a big challenge for us or even like packaging design. So we went through like a lot of iterations of packaging. Like from the very start, we used to have like these clear containers that we put our freeze-dried fruits in them. But then like later on, one of my friends was like, you know, like these freeze-dried fruit became soggy after I opened it and.

And then we realized it's because they're not like airtight sealed and for Freestrike products to, you know, maintain that crunchiness, they actually have to be pretty airtight sealed, not exposed to air and moisture at all, or else it'll just sucks the moisture from the air again. So one of the things we learned and then later on going into like a clear packaging, but then that also comes with another layer of trouble, which is for clear packaging because sunlight will go directly through the product.

Ramon Vela (30:05.482)
and

Jenny (30:19.067)
through the bag. Again, being exposed to air, it's not really great for our products as well. So it's definitely these smaller stuff that we're learning along the way. And now coming to our packaging again, our next iteration where we remove the clear window. But then with the sealer that we have, it couldn't seal properly. So packaging design is definitely something that we learned so much along the way. It took us like,

almost two years to figure out the right packaging to use. But even now, we're still reiterating and always trying to figure out a way to bring down the cost, but also maintain the level of quality that we have. That is a major headache that we experienced throughout the whole two years of doing this.

Ramon Vela (31:10.048)
Yeah, well, and did you notice any uptick or changes with the audience or your consumers when you started making those changes?

Jenny (31:21.081)
Yeah, definitely. I think for us, we were able to maintain our consumers. So with the clear packaging, what's good about them is because they're very clear. People know exactly what goes into the products, what's in the bags, basically. But then we actually had a very big debate on whether to keep a small clear window or not. And we decided not to.

Instead of doing that, we pivoted into like a more colorful branding. So we actually rebranded last year, the whole packaging and then the look of the products themselves standing on the shelf. We changed, like as you can see on our website right now, they actually are super colorful because we definitely love the colors of the rainbow. And I think like seeing our products on shelf, we wanted to give people that joy of healthy snacking and really feel happy about when they pick up a bag of old me. So

With that being said, I do feel like we're getting more consumers buying our products even though they don't really know what goes inside anymore, like the actual look, but we try to put actual images, little images of the products at the back of the packaging so they still get to know what it looks inside, but at the same time maintain that premium quality product without having the risk of the product inside getting bad.

Ramon Vela (32:45.58)
You know, and I've interviewed folks who like packaging is huge. And I've had folks tell me how small changes like there was another brand, I think was a beverage brand for hydration brand, and they they wanted to highlight that the fruits that they you know, the flavors that they had. So they they started putting like the images of the fruit.

you whatever fruit was, you know, flavor that was, put the fruit in there and you would, they would see changes. there, I interviewed a brand called, wild wonder. And she was, she told me that they had a clear glass, you know, it was a clear glass bottle and they liked that because of the bottle and all of that. But when they switched over to a can, they said the velocity just took off. Like they, they just saw a huge change.

and the velocity of their product and people returning and buying more and so forth. So packaging is just so huge. It's like one of the things where you're constantly going to be working on it, but it can make such a big impact as well.

Jenny (33:55.985)
Yeah, totally. think like packaging nowadays, you're competing with so many other brands out there on the shelves. You have to figure out a way to make yourself stand out and triggering that interest of people wanting to grab your product and give it a feel, but also have it convey the message on the product packaging itself so they actually take it to the checkout. There's so much consumer psychology that goes into it.

Ramon Vela (34:23.212)
Well, for everyone out there, let me just make sure they know where to go. If you want to take a look at what we've been talking about, you can go to OmeFoods.com. OmeFoods.com. Ome is spelled O-H-M-E, foods.com. OmeFoods.com. And I think your product is like one, and people can see this on the webpage. And when we have this on YouTube, we'll make sure there'll be an image right there.

I think it's very, it's very, what's the word I'm looking for? Picture worthy, social media worthy, because it's very colorful. looks, you know, it looks delicious just looking at it. Like you're curious what it tastes like and all of that. It's kind of magnetic a little bit. And so, so I can see how that could, benefit you. Was that part of, like you said that buyers saw you on Instagram. Was that part of,

the visual aspect, was that the big part of your social media? Did that get picked up by influencers or people sharing your product online?

Jenny (35:32.987)
Yeah, color is definitely something that we, like my partner and I just loved a lot. Like before we rebranded, we actually have like a blue packaging, which even though they're blue, but when people see the product inside, they are attracted to them. Cause there's yellow for mango, purple for dragon fruit, red for strawberries. It's just very colorful, like the rainbow. And that is the spec, like the color spectrum that we wanted to maintain.

So even when we rebranded, we were telling our brand designer that whatever we do with it, we don't want minimalist, we want more pop culture, we want something that's really stand out and you just feel super happy when looking at them and nothing is happier than the colors of the rainbows.

Ramon Vela (36:14.988)
And did that gain traction on social media?

Jenny (36:19.46)
Yeah, totally. So our whole branding revolves around colors and trying to be very bright, but also not too neon-ish. think we, so far, think we are doing a good job. It definitely attracted the buyer at Urban Outfitters and a lot of people saw our product and always mentioned that they just love the branding that we have. So I think that's a big win for us.

Ramon Vela (36:43.862)
Yeah, no, can see it. And if you go, if anyone goes to omifoods.com, you'll see what she's talking about. It is very colorful and the products are very like just the colors are just like they make me want to like get in the screen and pull one out and taste it. That's what I love about the visual aspect of it. Let's talk a little bit about the products, like in terms of ingredients. So I know that might be.

Another one of the challenges was the formulation component of it. And it sounds like during that time when you were doing the pop-up markets and the farmers market, you probably had time to test out different recipes or formulations. Walk us through a little bit about what makes it unique in terms of nutrition or health and wellness. What makes Omi unique in terms of its ingredients or its formulation?

Jenny (37:39.953)
Yeah, that's a really good question. So we actually have two types of products. We have our yogurt crunch and we have our free strife fruits. So we're really proud of our yogurt crunch because we only use like three like super simple and natural ingredients, which is like the fruits, for example, strawberry yogurt crunch would just be strawberries from BC farms. And then yogurt would also be from like Canadian dairy as well, as well as like a tint of organic apple juice in them.

So we're really trying to keep it really simple, very natural. And this is like the type of our innovation that we wanted to continue to expand on. Obviously we begin from creating like freeze-dried fruits. That's as much as we can, we will source them locally. Like the berries are always from BC. But as we dive into the magic of freeze-drying, we actually realized that it can do so much more than just making fruits. So that's how we...

kind of had the idea of doing a yogurt bowl. It's really like just me trying to send my son out like to school out the door one day and I just couldn't finish that big bowl of yogurt right in front of me. So I was like, why can't I just take this on the go? So that's really how it started. We started experimenting with yogurt and see like, hey, can we make this actually like into a crunchy bite? And then we got like the molds and stuff and it just all worked out at the end.

Ramon Vela (38:47.968)
Mm.

Jenny (39:03.868)
That is when we pushed out our new innovative product of yogurt crunches. But going back to selecting the fruit products, when we first started selling Omi, we had so many more different SKUs. We have banana, pineapple, durian at 1.2. And just freeze-drying fruits that we personally love. And fruits are easy to get in the market as well. So we're like, why can't we just try it?

I think this is one of the lessons as we scale too, is we need to make sure we don't have too many SKUs. Sometimes like having a lot of options is not always great from a business perspective. Just like when you expand and then you realize you don't have enough like money to actually support running so many different SKUs. So that's one lesson learned, but yeah, like I think right now

Ramon Vela (39:50.134)
Thank

Jenny (39:57.576)
with the number of skills we have, we're like maintaining at a good level. And yeah, going back to freeze drying. So what makes Omi unique for freeze drying is also, the technique that we're using, freeze dry, actually preserve up to 95 % of the nutritional value of the fruits themselves or the original ingredients themselves, which is one of the best methods to preserve nutrition value out there, comparing to like dehydrated,

Ramon Vela (40:05.131)
Mm-hmm.

Jenny (40:26.715)
or dried fruits. And at the same time, it actually gave you that really like crunchy texture. kids love them, adults love them. There's actually more than 60 % of the world population that love crunchy snacks more than chewy snacks or like, I don't know, more like the different textures. So with that being said, I freeze drying satisfies everything. It satisfied the nutritional value. It also satisfied the kind of texture that people would love.

And at the same time, you don't really need to add sugar or preservative in them. They're already super tasty themselves by combining all those, like the taste of the original fruit, but condensing them into so much stronger.

Ramon Vela (41:09.547)
Wow. that's amazing, the 95 % nutritional value, because I think that, I mean, we talked about health and wellness, so that's definitely important. So you've mentioned about, and I don't know if this is a good challenge to have, but it's also a challenge. Who is your target market? Because kids love it, adults love it. If you're eating healthy and you want to set up your morning, you can have it.

How do you go about sending out the message and to who do you want to send that message to?

Jenny (41:49.264)
Our target demographic is definitely like 25 to 45 year old men and women who, you know, they're health conscious, they read the label, they want simple and natural foods in their body. But at the same time, most of them at this age are parents as well. Like for me, I'm also a parent. So I actually wanted to have like a snack that I feel confident to share with my kid. But at the same time, I personally love enjoying and eating them as well. So

That would definitely be our target demographic and all of our social media strategy and all the campaigns that we run are targeted to them as well.

Ramon Vela (42:27.083)
Well, and you when you think about it, if you target a parent or, you know, someone who has kids or maybe if you target, well, if you target someone who wants to be healthy, wants to set up their morning, you know, like we talked about, and wants to be healthy, you create a customer who loves it, who starts to eat it on a daily basis.

who uses it as part of their health and wellness routine. And if they have kids, then they naturally think, wait a minute, our kids would like this too. Plus the colors I think are also attractive to kids because kids love, you know, they're eating yogurt or whatever. They love the bright colors. They love, you know, the crunchiness. Like you said, I definitely know kids love crunchy versus, you know, other people. So it's almost as if you're starting a brand that has

I was going to say phases, but it's not so much phases. It's like a scale or it's like you're hitting the parents or you're hitting the adults and they can follow your brand throughout their life stages. Like, know, if they have kids and now they can introduce it to their kids. I think that's pretty cool. Have you guys thought about creating a kids only version?

Jenny (43:54.312)
We have our products home in two sizes actually, so we do have like smaller sizes. My son loves like taking those smaller packs and just put it in his lunch box or snack box and bring it to school. His classmates will also like get the freeze dry snacks as well and just, you know, sharing with everybody. It's such like a good birthday gift insert as well. So yeah, like the packs are like this small.

I wish I had one with me, but they're like small sizes that kids can just easily peel it open and eat it.

Ramon Vela (44:20.373)
you

Ramon Vela (44:24.939)
Yeah. Well, that's what that's what I mean. I think it could be a challenge to from a messaging standpoint, but I think, you know, if you target those people and if you target help people who want a healthier lifestyle as they grow and they evolve in their stages, you know, more than likely they'll have kids, you know, you know, a good percentage of them will have kids and then you've captured that that family. So it's almost as if, you you start with the individual and it grows into a family now eating.

you know, these healthy snacks, which is pretty cool. I mean, I love it when you can find a snack that everyone loves because I've told us a million times on this podcast that kids, the interesting thing about kids is that they don't hold back. If they don't like something, they'll let you know they don't like it. Right. Like you have to fight them to have it, to eat it. They don't want it. You know, they'll they'll they'll do whatever they can. But when they like something, they really let you know. Like they they'll eat.

Jenny (45:14.024)
Yes.

Ramon Vela (45:24.107)
package after package, they'll snack it all the time. And to me, the kids are a great barometer to know, is this a good snack? Because kids just don't hold back.

Jenny (45:35.684)
Exactly. Totally. Like we have tried a of flavors before where my son is just like, like, I don't like this at all. he's definitely like always one of our first testimonial like beta tester for our products. It's really funny to see his reaction.

Ramon Vela (45:43.989)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (45:52.108)
yeah, now that's something you should capture on social media. Yeah, because you know kids, love it because I've had people have sent me stuff and I remember a lot of times my daughter, she's 18 now, but you know, she still does this, but when she was younger, I would have food and she would not want, even though I say, it's really healthy for you, it's good, know, she won't.

Like if she tasted, she's like, I don't care how good it's for you. Like, don't want it. Like, it's not good. But then there's times where like I'll have something in there. Like I have these like better for you ice creams. And I remember thinking, I'm going to go take a look at it. I want to do a little video. And it was all gone. And I was like, where did the box go? Like, where did this, you know? And it was because she had had it. She had finished it and so forth. And again, it's just like kids don't.

hold back they will if you they like it, they're gonna like it if they don't, they don't and it's a good barometer to see because kids are very honest, you know.

Jenny (46:52.808)
Mm-hmm, totally. I remember like our first yogurt crunches, it was like more of a mushy texture because we're still trying to figure out the formulation. And my son just hated it. He was like, what is this? Like it crumbles in my hands before I even eat it. like his reaction definitely tells us a lot about the products that we're trying to make and trying to perfect it. He's like our strongest critique, honestly.

Ramon Vela (47:04.859)
you

Ramon Vela (47:16.299)
That's great. So everyone out there, can go to ohmefoods.com. Ome is spelled O-H-M-E, foods.com. And so I'm on the website right now. Where do you want people, so like if they really love what they've heard from you, they're inspired by your journey, they may be on their own health and wellness journey and.

and they want to try your product. Where do they start within their journey of Omi? Is there a particular product that you recommend? Also, what is your favorite product or favorite flavor?

Jenny (47:59.219)
Yeah, well, my favorite flavor is the blueberry yogurt crunch. So we mix berries from Canada and the yogurt, everything super simple and natural. The blueberry yogurt crunch just released a couple of months ago and it has become one of our top three selling SKUs. It's not as sweet as the strawberry one, so I would really recommend if you don't like products that's too sweet for you. If you have kids, the strawberry yogurt crunch is actually the best seller amongst

most everything actually, it also one of the best like kids and infant snacks with the good housekeeping magazine. So that's a really great option too. But if you don't like yogurt or you can't eat dairy, there's also like the fruits that we love, we absolutely love and really the reason why we started Omi, because they're perfect toppings for yogurt, for ice cream bowls as well. So I'll definitely recommend getting the berries.

Ramon Vela (48:56.171)
And do people like how do how else do people use these? I mean I can imagine them putting them into shakes if they want, you know ice cream, yogurts and these you based on what you just said I'm assuming you can also just like snack it right like you can just Have it, you know by itself, right?

Jenny (49:18.034)
Yeah, I mean, I'm wearing this t-shirt. I'm not sure if people can hear me. I can see it, but here we go. So you can like use it as your cocktail garnish. You can put them on your toast, eat it straight as a snack over here, put it on your yogurt and oatmeal and just be creative with it. This should be like, this could be like baking as well. Our dragon fruit is perfect for baking. Like kids love them because when you like blend it with like a dairy or like.

When you blend it with cream, actually, it becomes purple. And kids love those colors. So if ever have a baking activity that you wanted to do, like the dragon fruit is a super great natural color add-on to your baked goods. So yeah, there's a lot of different ways to enjoy them.

Ramon Vela (49:49.931)
you

Ramon Vela (50:05.381)
And so I'm on the website. It's omifoods.com and I'm looking at the shop all. So I'm looking at like the page that has all the different products. I love how you have little tags on each of the products. So like you have on the Omi yogurt, crunchy, yum pack. You have most popular kids fave, easy snack, or you have just easy snack and kids fave. You've got a, you got some with the, tag of perfect topping.

you've got, you know, from where they are, like from Canadian farm, you've got bake it. So you make it really easy for people, like under the freeze dried strawberry sliced, you have bake it, the tag bake it, which, you know, like goes along with what you just said. And then it also talks about whether it's a vegan or not vegan. So you've just made it really simple and really easy for people to kind of choose what, you know, what they're going to buy and, and, you know, whether

Maybe this is a great kid's snack.

Jenny (51:06.462)
Totally. Thank you so much. like if you click into the recipes, we actually have more than I believe 30 to 40 recipes now. It's a website that we're updating on a monthly basis with five new recipe launches every month. So people can really know how to really enjoy them besides eating them straight out from the bag.

Ramon Vela (51:26.697)
Wow. And then, yeah, and when you click on it, there's so much information. You've got description, you've got ingredients, you've got allergens, you've got certifications. And then, you know, so much other info. You got the nutritional information. You've got great videos talking about, you know, how people are using and putting them putting them in different different things. So, yeah, there's a lot of stuff. and then you have kind of like your shirt.

You also have a little section there that says enjoy as a snack or, and then it tells you different options. And then it also has perfect for, and then you've got a list of things. You've got road trips, you've got school snacks, you've got emergency kits. By the way, I know I have a kid and not everyone has a kid so that maybe most people don't appreciate this, but it is really, really hard to find a snack that is good for you.

And like we talked about earlier, that is also like kids like, it is really, really hard. And so when you find something like that, you, it's like a godsend, like, cause you feel good about them snacking it and you feel like, okay, they're getting some nutrition out of it, which is great. but they're eating it and it's much better obviously than them snacking some other thing that maybe not be as healthy like chips or candies or whatever. And,

So I love it. I love that aspect of it. If that if only that to me, that is like a godsend when a parent finds something like that. It's like, you know, they've hit gold. And then the cool thing about the brand is that when you know, and you know, this is a parent, you you talk to other parents. It's like you share things among other parents, like what kind of foods. Hey, I just found this really cool snack. You you share that with people. So, yeah, there's so many really great things around the brand that

They are created by you creating a great product. So I just thought I'd give my two cents there because it really is from a parent standpoint, it's hard to find a snack that people, that the kids love, that they'll actually want to eat.

Jenny (53:33.983)
Thank you so much for that. Really appreciate the words. And honestly, on top of it, it's really hard to find a snack that you yourself enjoy it too. And finally something you and your kids can enjoy together. So that is the whole point of our, for us making these snacks is for the whole family to enjoy. So I really appreciate that.

Ramon Vela (53:47.529)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (53:55.604)
Yeah. And then I like, like I said, like the packagings are great because you have those fruits right in the So people know exactly what they're getting. And it stands out, too. So like people know exactly what that flavor is. And then, of course, they can look at the nutritional panel in the back. But I love the packaging because I think the fruit component of it, the pitchers make it so enticing.

You know, like some people are going to find, what is it? Like dry blueberry really good. Or some people are going to find, you know, the raspberry or the pineapple or whatever it is. They're going to find that. And then on top of that, the actual product itself, I think is very appealing. Like I said, the colors, like I'm on the homepage and immediately, I don't know which one that is, but it's like the little purple cubes right on the splash page of your website.

Jenny (54:52.125)
Yes, that's dragon fruit.

Ramon Vela (54:53.759)
Yeah, the dragon fruit. So looking at that, I'm like, whoa, that sounds pretty cool. That looks really, that looks enticing. Like I wouldn't mind, you know, putting my hand in that bowl and grabbing one of those. And then the drinks too, to me, that's, that's, that's a, like a, a win-win, right? Like you have, you have a great snack and you also have something that kind of spices up your drink or whatnot.

Jenny (55:12.563)
Yeah.

Jenny (55:20.895)
Thank you. think that's really the whole purpose is to carry Omi and have it as like an everyday thing that can support you throughout your wellness journey. Doesn't matter if you're eating your breakfast or not, you can snack on them too. It's like, it's a very well-rounded product that we're really trying to create. appreciate, yeah.

Ramon Vela (55:41.492)
Yeah. Well, I think your product is one. Now, when I look at a product for me, especially because I do these interviews, I look at all the dimensions of the product. So I look at the nutritional value. I look at the taste, because obviously taste is huge. We talk about with kids and whatnot, but also for adults. We as adults, there are people, I've met them and I'm kind of this way myself.

I don't care how something tastes. I always look at the nutritional value. So if it's like, you know, there's some green drinks that are very earthy and some people are like, I can't drink this because it tastes terrible. I'm one, I can push through that, but not everyone is like that. Most people want something that tastes good. And if you can make it nutritional as well, that's even better. So I kind of feel like you've made that mark or you hit that mark. And I also, not only do I like about what we've talked about, about the packaging and the nutritional value,

But for me, the dimension about your journey and what you've gone through, to me, like, that makes me want to support you. Like, I just feel like, wow, this is a great product, great story, great founder story, and something I can relate to. And to me, the whole package, I think you have a great, like, whole package around the business.

Jenny (57:05.343)
That's amazing. Thank you so much for that, for those kind and sweet words. yeah, I think definitely we wanted to continue spreading the joy of healthy snacking to everybody around us, to a wider community as well. So yeah, I mean, with this year and next year, really hoping to target more retailers so more people can really enjoy the products and have access to them.

Ramon Vela (57:28.787)
Yeah, well, I think you've done a great job. So you're definitely a product worth buying, brand we're supporting, which is our tagline. I want to be respectful of your time. And so let's make sure people know where to go if they want to buy it. And then also, you you can have you can you have the floor. You can leave leave with whatever words you want to leave with the audience.

Jenny (57:53.025)
Wow. Yeah, well, if you're interested in getting our products, can for sure like go on our online website and just shop online or you can visit our store locator and find a store near you. We are launched at Urban Outfitters nationwide in the States. So if you do have an Urban Outfitter near you, that would be the best place to find our product right now. And if you're in Canada, we are launched in like a lot of retailers in Vancouver, like London Drugs.

that we just launched in Toronto. There's also Healthy Planet as well. So come and check out our retail locator. We have more than 350 stores across North America. And yeah, I just really wish we can continue spreading the love and joy of healthy snacking. That's really the purpose of our brand and company's mission. really hope one of you can enjoy the product one day and leave us a great review or spread the words to your friends and family.

Ramon Vela (58:51.401)
Well, that's fantastic. And by the way, are you available in any of the marketplaces like Amazon or Walmart or any place like that? OK, great. Well, this has been fantastic. I really appreciate you making time for us. And I like I said, I'm I love I love the product and I love the story and I love your story. And by the way, like I said, you need to tell that story more if you're not doing that already.

Jenny (58:58.778)
And yes, Amazon Canada.

Ramon Vela (59:18.293)
but that's an amazing story and it fits so aligned with the brand. based on hearing your story and then learning about the product and the brand, I feel like it's so aligned. It's just like one straight line. It may not have felt that way while you're doing it, but now when you think about it, it's so impacted by what you went through and it's built upon.

your wellness journey and probably your co-founder's wellness journey. It's so aligned with that and I love that. It's very congruent and it just makes a lot of sense. So kudos to that and tell your story more and I'm glad I can share it. So thank you so much for being on the show. I really appreciate it.

Jenny (01:00:08.352)
Thank you. Thank you for providing me the platform to share about my story. It's my first time. So I'm definitely so happy that I got a chance to really tell the story of how we were founded and definitely echo that we need to talk about it a bit more on our social media.

Ramon Vela (01:00:13.066)
Ha ha.

Ramon Vela (01:00:23.433)
Yeah, no, definitely. So thank you. We have just had Jenny Yu, who is the co-founder of Ome Foods. Omefoods.com is the website. We're going to make sure to have that link as well as the link to our store locator and also their socials on our podcast description, which you can find on Apple, Spotify and pretty much anywhere you listen to podcasts. And again, thank you, Jenny. I know you're busy and I really appreciate it. And like I said, you're a brand with a product we're buying and a brand we're supporting. So thank you again.

Jenny (01:00:53.226)
Thank you.

Ramon Vela (01:00:54.411)
So everyone out there, best thing to do is go to the website, sign up for the newsletter. That way you keep up to date on all their products and where they're located and new product launches and all of that. And so definitely go there. Beyond that, stay safe, stay sane, stay healthy. And in this case, staying healthy, there's a great way of doing that. Go visit Omi Foods. Lastly,

We've all been going through a lot of stuff. You know, there's a pandemic and then there's geopolitical wars and there's politics and there's all sorts of other stuff going on in the world that can make you anxious. Let's just do ourselves a favor and let's just be a little kinder to each other. And I know if we can do that, we can make this human experience a better one. Beyond that, thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to another episode of the story of a brand.