9 food brands you didn't realize were owned by celebrities
- If they weren't busy enough already, these celebrities are all owners or co-owners of food brands.
- Beyoncé and Jay-Z started their own plant-based lifestyle company.
- Kristen Bell created a charitable granola bar company.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
These celebs may be best known for their performances on the stage, court, or screen, but they have also invested in ventures outside the entertainment industry. Though many famous people sponsor food brands or appear in advertisements, these stars have taken it a step further by creating their own.
Many of these brands don't just offer delicious food, but have a message behind them as well. These celebrities aren't just focused on offering a quality product, but on giving consumers added benefits, like healthy eating and charitable donations.
Take a look at all the food brands you didn't realize were owned by celebrities.
Read the original article on InsiderGrammy winner Patti LaBelle owns Patti's Good Life, a line of baked goods. In her family, she's always been known for her baking.
LaBelle is also an accomplished chef. She published her first cookbook, "LaBelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About," in 1999. She then began selling Patti's Good Life baked goods at Walmart in 2015.
Reality star Bethenny Frankel founded Skinnygirl. It started as an alcohol brand, but now includes snacks, salad dressing, and popcorn.
Frankel, formerly of "The Real Housewives of New York City," founded Skinnygirl in 2011. The creation of the brand is all documented on "RHONY."
Skinnygirl started as a cocktail company, offering ready-to-serve drinks like margaritas. Frankel sold the cocktail portion of her company in 2011 for a reported $100 million, according to Business Insider, but she still retains naming rights — which has also been lucrative for her.
Now, the brand has expanded to include clothing, beauty products, clothing, popcorn, snacks, salad dressings, and coffee.
"Sopranos" star Steve Schirripa also owns a pasta sauce company, Uncle Steve's Sauces.
Uncle Steve's Sauces is also a family-run company. "Growing up in Brooklyn, Sunday morning was the day you would wake up to the aroma of tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil simmering on mom's stove as she prepared the sauce for Sunday dinner. My fondest memories are from those days, my Italian heritage and the comfort of family," he said of why he decided to create a line of pasta sauces.
Jon Bon Jovi owns Bongiovi Pasta Sauces. Growing up, his dad was famous in his neighborhood for his homemade pasta sauce.
Bongiovi Pasta Sauces uses a recipe handed down from Bon Jovi's Sicilian grandmother, and is a family-run business with his father, John Bongiovi Sr. According to the site, the "It's My Life" singer only agreed to bottle the sauce if a portion of the proceeds was donated to charity. Now, some of the profits go towards the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation.
Organic baking brand Foodstirs was created by Sarah Michelle Gellar, after she was inspired by baking with her children.
Gellar founded Foodstirs with friends Galit Laibow and Greg Fleishman. The group was inspired to start the brand after enjoying baking with their children. It claims to be a healthier way to bake for their kids, with the slogan "Junk-Free Bakery."
Foodstirs offers organic baked goods as well as ingredients and baking kits.
"I have always liked to challenge myself, and this seemed like the logical next step to tackle. I am not a spokesperson for the company. I have the same accountability and responsibilities as any other co-founder," Gellar told Forbes.
Jennifer Garner co-owns a baby food company called Once Upon a Farm. It focuses on organic nutrition and local farming.
Garner co-founded the brand with industry professionals John Foraker, Cassandra Curtis, and Ari Raz. Once Upon a Farm was created with babies' nutrition in mind and centers on organic fruits and vegetables from local farmers.
Sugarpova is a candy brand created by tennis star Maria Sharapova, who loves sweets herself.
Sharapova created Sugarpova in 2012. "The key to a happy, healthy life for me is this idea of Moderation in Moderation — you can 100% have your cake (or candy) and enjoy it, too," she wrote on her website. "That's why I started Sugarpova — to celebrate the fun and passion of candy by creating high quality treats you can feel good about indulging in."
Beyoncé and Jay-Z teamed up with her trainer, Marco Borges, to create the 22 Days Nutrition Meal Planner.
Borges created 22 Days Nutrition himself at first, and when Beyoncé used it to get in shape for her Coachella performance, she decided to get involved.
The 22 Days Nutrition Meal Planner offers plant-based recipes and ingredients that can be purchased online. The program also has online food coaches to help people stick to their goals.
Kristen Bell started the granola bar company, This Saves Lives. For each bar sold, food is donated to children in need.
Bell co-owns This Saves Lives with fellow actors Ryan Devlin, Todd Grinnell, and Ravi Patel, pictured above. They started the brand with a focus on childhood malnutrition, and for each bar sold, a packet of life-saving peanut paste goes to a child in Haiti or African countries like Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan.
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