A nearly 25-year-old Petoskey nutrition education company was recently recognized as one of the 50 Michigan Companies to Watch by the Small Business Association of Michigan.
Fresh Baby designs and delivers evidence-aligned nutrition education and physical activity tools used by public health programs nationwide, including Head Start, schools and community health organizations. Since it doesn’t sell directly to consumers, the company’s efforts have gone under the radar and are white-labeled (not Fresh Baby-branded) when offered through public health agencies.
The company’s work supports healthier eating patterns and lifestyle habits across all life stages, with a focus on addressing diet-related chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, said Cheryl Tallman, founder and CEO of Fresh Baby. Its first product was a baby-food-making kit designed to promote healthy eating habits for babies and their parents. Fresh Baby has expanded over the years by adding healthy services for people of all ages.
“When we started, the thought was to give your child a fresh start on a path to healthy eating,” Tallman said. “Since then, we have expanded our product line to all life stages of life.”
Fresh Baby will be formally recognized at the 22nd annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business Gala on April 22. The Michigan 50 Companies to Watch award recognizes high-potential, second-stage businesses that demonstrate strong growth, innovation and the capacity to make a meaningful impact in their industries and communities. Awardees are selected through a review process overseen by economic and entrepreneurship development organization professionals.
Tallman said Fresh Baby has more than 150 products it provides to largely state-based public health programs. Those agencies, such as California Fresh (CalFresh) Healthy Living, are nutrition education and healthy lifestyle programs that helps low-income residents lead healthier, more active lives. Some, like CalFresh Healthy Living, are part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed), which is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered through state and local partners.
Many people ultimately assisted indirectly by Fresh Baby are from lower income families, although the program qualifiers differ for each state.
“We’re credentialed by the USDA and thus follow their guidelines to provide consumer-friendly messages,” Tallman said.
For Fresh Baby, the recent recognition reflects both growth and a commitment to making the U.S. healthier with better eating habits designed to help reduce chronic illnesses. The company’s nine employees have roles ranging from strategic growth to operations to marketing. It contracts with a third party in Kentucky for convenient transportation of products anywhere in the U.S.
Tallman admits the last year has provided some “roller coaster” moments, given some of the changing federal programs instituted by the Trump administration. But she is confident the uncertainty could create exciting opportunities as well.
“There will be a lot of activity and some turmoil in this market for the next year at least, but we’re also looking at helping to support wellness programs,” Tallman said. “We can (envision) large corporations and insurance companies working with us to create preventive care (programs).”
The Michigan 50 Companies to Watch award is open to privately held, Michigan-headquartered second-stage companies with six to 99 full-time-equivalent employees and annual revenue or working capital between $750,000 and $50 million. Judges evaluate nominees based on employee or sales growth, sustainable competitive advantage, and other indicators of long-term success.
Source link
Healthy life expectancy hits new low in the UK
Listening to your heart: Community Health Teams supporting Nova Scotians this heart month
Life expectancy gap grows between Black Bostonians and others