When we broke the news this weekend that Santiago Merea had left Yummly to start a new baby food startup called Raised Real, details were a little scant, so we decided to ask the former Orange Chef CEO a few questions about his new company.
While he is still keeping some of the details of his new company under wraps, we got a few more details about his vision for the startup.
Wolf: What is the idea behind Raised Real?
Merea: We know that parents want to make their own baby food. As a matter of fact, a recent study shows that 1 in 3 parents want to make their own baby food (up from 1 in 10 only 5 years ago) and escape the processed, shelf stable alternatives. But most fail, because it takes so much time and work. We want to make a hard task, easy.
Wolf: Is it a delivery service? Does it have any connected tech?
Merea: Delivery service with a very particular supply chain. No connected tech, but there will be a baby food machine to make things easier. More details to come.
Wolf: Why baby food?
Merea: Baby food is a $55 billion global market with 3% annual growth. However, we are not planning to stop with baby food. For us, it is all about empowering parents and the relationship we build with them. On top of a baby food delivery service we are building a new digital channel that can be used to offer other products and/or services. But first things first, we are starting with the best baby food you can give your baby, the food that you make.