Entrepreneur Abe Kamarck is a father of four, and spends a lot of time trying to get his kids to eat healthfully. He and his business partner / man pal Kevin Powell realized that one way to get on the path of good eating was to create a line of products actually made from real foods (imagine that!). So they created True Made Foods @truefoods, a company making our favorite sauces without all of the nonsense. Take their ketchup, for example. Thanks to a recipe by Kevin’s wife Abbey, their ketchup is filled with spinach, carrots and butternut squash, and is delicious enough for even the most devout cheeseburger lover (just ask Kevin!). Abe clearly has a lot on his plate, but he sat down with us to answer a few questions.
What’s your business in ten words or less?
True Made Foods puts nutrition back into food.
What’s the most important thing we should know about your business?
We infuse fresh, pureed vegetables into all of our sauces—turning what were once empty-calorie condiments into nutrient dense sauces. Our ketchup, BBQ sauce and Veracha hot sauce have much less sugar than similar brands and the most nutritional value on the market.
Best part about being in the food industry?
Seeing people enjoy your product and the lives they impact.
Worst part about being in the food industry?
The high capital costs and the loss of your weekends.
Who is your food inspiration?
Hampton Creek and KIND.
WANT TO BE FEATURED ON BEHIND THE PLATE?
DOWNLOAD THE FOODSTAND APP!
What is your biggest challenge in relation to your business?
Fundraising has always been our biggest challenge. It’s a crowded industry and justifiably, investors want to see traction. It’s often difficult to gain significant traction without up-front funding to help pay for inventory, shipping and in-store marketing. It’s possible to show market uptake on a limited budget, but some investors also have cumulative revenue requirements. These revenue hurdles are hard to hit without funding. You often wind up in a Catch-22 scenario.
If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what would you be?
An astronaut….
How do you define good food?
Real food, made traditionally.
Who is one famous person, dead or alive, that you want to share a meal with? And where?
Abraham Lincoln in the White House.
What’s always in your fridge?
True Made Ketchup and Veracha.
Your good food wish?
That the country stops pretending like certifications alone make food healthy. Healthy food makes food healthy.
Favorite dish using your product?
An egg sandwich with our Veracha Hot Sauce.