#149 Balancing What We Crave with What We Need - Clare McLeod, Ona Yogurt

Meaningful Marketplace Podcast

Sitting in her apartment, Clare McLeod took stock of her relationship with food. Like many young women, she had been addicted to “healthy eating”, restricting added sugar, calories, processed foods, etc. Because of those restrictions to only eat "clean" foods, she intensely craved "unclean" foods. That swing between restriction and indulgence was exhausting - physically, mentally and emotionally so she decided to do something about it. Clare adored Greek yogurt and consumed it daily but desired a dairy-free option to keep with her more vegan lifestyle. She tried 30 different brands looking for yogurt high in protein, low in sugar, thick in consistency, creamy, good tasting and under $10 a jar. Nothing! And so the inspiration to create her own brand to satisfy her desires and – hopefully – the desires of many other consumers on which to build a food business, was born. Clare started at the beginning of the COVID lockdown in 2020 to develop the right recipe in her kitchen. This was in Washington, D.C. where Clare was working an intense job but starting her business on the side. She was accepted into an accelerator program but the directors wanted her to quit her day job and that was not an option financially. This prompted her decision to move back to her home town of Portland, Oregon knowing that there was an intense community focus on Farmers Markets where she could begin sales and distribution on a startup budget. Back in D.C., Clare branded her first product alt, short for an alternative yogurt, but after moving to Portland, wanted a fresh start and therefore a fresh new name, ona. Clare liked vowels and short names and ona just rolled off the tongue. Clare’s recipe starts with tofu as a base and adheres strictly to a non-GMO sourcing regimen for the three main flavors, Oregon strawberry, Oregon marionberry and plain. She also believes in sourcing locally and supporting local businesses. The brand strikes a balance between what our bodies crave (a touch of authentic sweetness) and what we need (protein to get us through the day). After a year-plus break to work a job and perfect the yogurt culture, Clare launched the packaged ona product in 2023, so the new brand is still young. She sells only in Farmers Markets in the greater Portland area so far, but her success and drive will obviously keep her business growing. Website: https://www.onayogurt.com/about. IG @Ona.yogurt. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Thank you for Listening to The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast with your hosts, Sarah Masoni of Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center and Sarah Marshall, owner of Marshall's Haute Sauce. Connect with us on Instagram @meaningfulmarketplacepodcast.

Audio engineer, mixer, and podcast editor: Haley Bowers
Show logo was designed by Anton Kimball of Kimball Design
Production Coordinator: Kayleen Veatch