Kekoa Foods: A Pioneer in Protecting the Nutrional Needs of Children 

Here are the Founders of Kekoa Foods. David is a true food and gardening enthusiast, who has always been immersed in the world of cooking, pickling, fermentation, and gardening.  Danny's passion for food began as a young boy, experimenting in the kitchen and recreating dishes he tasted and loved. To him, food is more than just a source of nourishment. It is the heart of holidays, family gatherings, and cherished memories. Both realize that the current baby food options available fell short of their expectations. Motivated by a love for food and the well-being of children, they began crafting their own baby food. Here is more of their story.  

While doing my research, I learned that your son was the motivation behind Kekoa Foods. I understand that he was born prematurely, and therefore, were there any lingering effects from that experience? How has your product line proved to make him healthier and also helped with his development? 

Our son was born via a gestational carrier in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was eight weeks premature and weighed only three lbs. and eleven ounces. He had to spend several weeks in the NICU where he received specialized care before he could be released. At birth, he was unable to regulate his own body temperature and the doctors were concerned about whether his lungs had fully developed for him to breathe on his own.  Fortunately, he was a fighter and was able to be released much sooner than the eight weeks they had told us to expect him to remain there.  For his fighting spirit, a native Hawaiian cultural practitioner gave him the middle name “Kekoa”. In Hawaiian, this stands for “brave warrior”. When he was ready for solid foods, we wanted to ensure that he had the healthiest food possible, and we also wanted him to love delicious nutritious food.  We purchased a few products on the market at that time, but they did not meet our standards.  So, David decided to make all our son’s food from scratch. He researched different ways to make the food and looked at what other cultures fed their babies. More and more outside of the US, he saw families feeding babies cuisines closer to what those populations eat as adults. He avoided the Top nine allergen foods, heat-filled pepper ingredients and added sugars and salt. Instead, he incorporated savory flavors like basil, cumin and heat-free curry blends and added lots of vegetables, like artichokes, fennel bulbs and kale.  Our son loved the foods that David made and seemed to be really excited by the variety of flavors and ingredients. The Director at our son’s daycare center even remarked that he always smelled like garlic! Our son is now eleven years old and loves healthy food, exceeds the height chart for his age, and is thriving compared to his first weeks of life. 

I am aware of the fact that you started this business by utilizing the funding platform, Kickstarter. They are an all or nothing funding model, and so, why the election to use them when taking such a real risk? What steps did you take to secure that you would meet your financial goal? 

While working with a consultant to prepare to launch our business, he suggested Kickstarter as a great platform for us. He had seen other brands that were quite successful in meeting their fundraising goals while also raising brand awareness, which was something critical for us as a startup. We spoke to a few friends and family members and told them that we were doing a Kickstarter Campaign, and we were shocked to hear that they were not going to purchase for our campaign. When we asked why they said, “What am I going to do with baby food? I don’t have a baby.” So, we reached out to a friend and community activist who connected us with the Newark YMCA.  We enabled our Kickstarter supporters to purchase our products and have them allocated to go to the families at the Newark YMCA. Our friends and family members were now so excited to support our Kickstarter because they were helping us to fulfill our dreams while doing something good for families who would greatly benefit from the receipt of our nutritious pouch purees.   

When we launched in 2022, we were able to distribute the food and turn it into an amazing day for the residents of the YMCA. We were also able to lead a panel for the YMCA families on the importance of good nutrition from conception throughout a person’s life as we distributed $10,000 worth of our organic pouch purees. Fulfilling on this promise was so satisfying and became integrated in our mission to be a highly nutritious brand that gives back to our community. We also continued with this work in our home state of NJ and also in Hawaii.

One of the philosophies your business possesses is that children should have access to worldly tastes, flavors and nutrients. Does any of your brand's inventory include products deriving from various ethnicities?  Have you noticed children favoring certain foods?  

Yes, we incorporate globally inspired, palate-expanding herbs and spices, like ginger, curry and shawarma, into all products and have more interesting vegetable combinations than the average baby food brand. What we have found with most of our sales channels is that customers learning about Kekoa Foods generally try our Apple & Ginger first. These are the only two ingredients in the pouch and nothing else - no added sugars, fillers, gums, etc. We believe because apples are so ubiquitous, people are very familiar and curious about how the ginger would pair in this fruit-forward puree. Once they try this flavor, they are more likely to try our Curry Vegetable Mango, Beets, Fennel & Kale, Peas & Mint, Squash & Kale with Turmeric and Shawarma Artichoke & Cauliflower. These five veggie-rich products provide 100% of the RDA of vegetables for a child under two years of age.  

For customers who seek brands supporting their ability to introduce more vegetables than sweeter fruits to their babies and toddlers, we see them going straight for our veggie-rich combinations and providing feedback on how much they love our products.   

Your pouches and starter/variety packs contain organic, non-GMO and preservative free ingredients. I note one of these is legumes, and I have never even heard of those before. Talk about your selection process as to the foods themselves. Taste, flavor and texture are your principal priorities when you partake in food production. What is your set criteria to ensure each of these is above average in quality?   

All of the recipes are based on what David fed our son. Adding legumes, like black beans and green peas, was very important for us because they are good sources of plant-based protein and fiber. We are also looking into adding more legumes in the future so that we continue to add plant-based, vegetarian protein and fiber.  

All of our products are 100% USDA certified organic, which means that they are also non-GMO We vet all of our ingredient suppliers to be sure they have the highest standards of quality and safety. We also make sure our production facility also maintains the highest standards of quality and safety. Many of our ingredient suppliers also participate in regenerative farming practices, which nurture the people and the earth itself to help restore soil and ecosystem health. 

Some of your successes include the 2022 Business of the Year Award Finalist (NJBiZ) and most recently, an Audience Choice Award at Expo West. How do you hope to be an inspiration or motivator for fellow business owners? What has been your greatest reward throughout this whole experience? 

We would not have achieved the current success that we have without having received generous time, connections and support from so many other people in the consumer-packaged goods industry.  So many people have made introductions to ingredient suppliers and vendors who can support us, told us about funding opportunities and special programs and outlets to get on shelf in key retailers in the better-for-you space.  We want to pay it forward and help other emerging brand founders to get access to resources that support them.  

As the only two-dad founded brand in the organic baby food space and a certified diverse-owned company, it is also very important for us to be able to do our work and live our lives authentically. As part of our philosophy, we support inclusivity in all its forms (especially inclusive parenting) because every family is unique and special, and every parent, guardian and caregiver needs to be seen, heard and respected. 

Our greatest reward has been establishing our partnerships with community organizations that do their part to fight food insecurity. The Newark YMCA was just our first partner in the State of NJ.  Since Fall 2022, we have also worked with GRACE of Summit NJ. From their website, “GRACE meets community needs with community resources to enable the good health and success of our vulnerable and underserved neighbors.”  Currently, GRACE offers a weekly choice market to an average of five hundred local families where they can choose from fresh produce, dairy, and pantry items to supplement their groceries. Overall, Kekoa Foods has donated over $130,000 in food, funds, and time with our community partners in NJ and HI since launching in 2022.  

At the moment, it appears that Kekoa Foods is in over 500 locations. Further, you are sold through such online shops as Amazon, Thrive Market and InstaCart. Have you considered an expansion into places such as schools or daycare centers? Will there be a line that serves young children or teenagers?  

We are excited to announce that with our launch in two new brick-and-mortar retailers in 2024, we will be in over seven hundred locations on top of our online presence. We are still working on a few additional 2024 targets for launch later this year. 

Yes, we do want to expand beyond retail opportunities and partner directly with daycare centers and schools to provide our nutritious, veggie-rich products to their constituents.  

As far as product expansion goes, yes, we definitely want to sell products for consumers of all ages.  We want Kekoa Foods to be the palate-expanding, globally-inspired, veggie-rich product line for all. 

Please advise the readers as to any upcoming events/special promotions you have to offer. 

Readers can use one-time Promo Code: SPRING25 on our website for 25% off their entire next purchase.   

To learn more, visit:  www.kekoafoods.com 

EMILY WESTERFIELD

Emily Westerfield is a surrogacy expert, passionate surrogacy advocate, and a five-time gestational carrier. As one of the Co-Founders and Gestational Carrier Program Director at Carrying Dreams, Emily has helped hundreds of intended parents and surrogates throughout their journeys. During her illustrious career, Emily has partnered with specialists including obstetricians, gynecologists, urologists, and reproductive endocrinologists along with community hospitals around the northeast to grow awareness of surrogacy. Emily is also an ardent contributor to women’s health and development bringing light and education around women’s fertility and surrogacy. Her work can be found featured in Women magazines and online news outlets including Women's Health, Today.com, Bustle, Thrive Global and Authority, among others. 

To watch our interview, go to: Interview with Emily Westerfield