Food and women share a special bond all over the world. Over the years, aspects of the food industry and working women have changed. Heeding the increasing opportunities, more women are entering the food industry. There has been an increase in all-natural snack-based vegetable-based products. Women food entrepreneurs are creating innovative ideas for healthy products and elevating customer experiences. Michelle Mazzara (CEO of Luv a Foodie) is one such passionate women leader uplifting the food and beverages industry with unique products.
The Motivation behind the Journey
Michelle shares an interesting and ethical journey of her life and career. Her parents have always taught her from an early age to have a strong work ethic. She worked in a Bakery at the age of 15. She continued working in college and even after her education. Mitchelle admits that her grandmother Rose had an influence on her life. “I grew up in a foodie family where food and cooking were an important part of our lives,” adds Michelle. This was the major reason behind her entry into the food and beverage industry.
She has pursued BA in Communications from the University of MN. She spent her whole career working in sales as a national account manager. She has worked for large CPG companies such as Revlon and Sara Lee. After spending 25 years working for corporate America, Michelle thought that this was a natural transition for her to start her own food company. “I have always been interested in food and beverage,” says Michelle. While working at various big companies, she acquired tremendous knowledge and skills. With this knowledge and skill set, she gained experience to establish her own brand—Luv a Foodie. With the mission to connect people who share a passion for food and beverage, Michelle started this venture and eventually developed it with passion and courage.
Establishment of Luv a Foodie
Established in 2014, Luv a Foodie is a clean eating and drinking brand. The original idea behind the inception of the company was to provide a platform for single foodies to meet and date. Starting with such a unique concept, she launched a dating website for singles. The brand has various gourmet spice blends, gourmet chocolates, and drink mixes. The company holds a mission to deliver clean eating consumables to the marketplace and uses no fillers or chemicals in its ingredients and products. The premise is to eat and drink clean, with no fillers or artificial ingredients. Moreover, the company has been certified as a Minnesota DBE company as well as approved as a vendor in the NFL Resource Guide Book for Super Bowl 52. For this event, it featured its Luvafoodie Bloody Mary Cheese Curds as well.
Michelle did not stop her journey here and expanded her business. She launched new products called Dog and Cat Lovers spice blends in the wellness pet category on 15 June 2018. She has a line of all-natural pet spices for cats and dogs. “I developed this line for my aging dog four years ago, this is a unique line to Luvafoodie,” adds Michelle opening her emotional side towards animals. Talking about her health experience, Michelle shares that she was diagnosed with heart disease and had a heart attack. This incident taught her a lesson and motivated her to start a line of salt-free spices 6 years ago. She also offers her customers various unique blends such as Margarita made with real dried tequila and an Umami spice blend made with shitake mushrooms, soy sauce, tomatoes, cocoa, and wasabi.
A Sole Entrepreneur
Being at the helm, Michelle is a multitasker and wears many hats. She is a sole entrepreneur and manages all the aspects of sales, marketing, product development, social media, and account management. “My biggest achievement has been gaining distribution in grocery accounts across the country on my spice blends,” adds Michelle. She is really proud to have been a vendor at Super Bowl 52 held in Minneapolis, MN. She also served as a Brand Ambassador for American Heart Association in Minnesota.
Need of Era – Online Business
Day by day, new technologies and marketing techniques have been evolving and many have started successful online businesses. According to Michelle, online business is constantly growing and is never going to go away. She mentions that there was a huge peak in online marketing due to COVID. As customers love the ease of ordering groceries online, maintaining a virtual business is an important part of Luvafoodie. Utilization of all social media techniques to promote online sales is also very important and after research, Michelle found out that Luvafoodie’s YouTube channel is a great way to share various recipe videos with its followers. She also invested her efforts in creating a weekly LinkedIn Live show this year to increase awareness and followers.
Dealing with Hurdles
As a woman leader thriving in the industry, Michelle also encountered some difficulties to achieve success. According to her, it is extremely tough to break into the retail space in the spice category. She started small grocery stores by doing demos every weekend and this is what made her successful. “My success is also due to the fact that I have a great line that is clean and that customers love,” adds Michelle. Moreover, customers also love the stories she tells that go with her brand and message to eat clean.
Contributions of Luv a Foodie
Considering the current scenario of the food industry, healthy products and healthy living are the growth of the industry along with plant-based products. Luvafoodie is a company that provides clean products to eat and drink. The company fits into the healthy category and in addition to that, spice blends are a fast-growing sub-category of spices. Moreover, as less number of ingredients are needed for the delicious recipe, using spice blends in cooking makes it easy for anyone to cook. In short, Luv a Foodie not only takes care of customers’ health but also adds taste to their meals.
Recipe of Success
Being a great influencer in the food sector and having a passion for healthy food, Michelle has a vast experience in the industry. Her journey is quite admirable as well as inspirational. The biggest reason behind her success is her dedication. She invested and dedicated the last eight years to the growth and development of her business. She is a workaholic and works all the time every day of the week. Michelle shares her valuable suggestions with aspiring women leaders. She also emphasizes having passion and a strong will to be an entrepreneur in the food space. Her experience tells budding leaders that there is nothing easy about this business or creating a brand from scratch and gaining space and distribution at grocery stores.
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Also Read : Top 10 Women in the Food Industry, 2023
