Little Spoon
Little Spoon.
As organic and clean eating take over the food industry, one category has remained mostly untouched - baby food.Now, a new startup is trying to take on industry giants like Gerber with baby food that is more than just goop in a jar.
"Parents don't know better. They see a jar labeled 'butternut squash' and think it's fresh, like you made it in your kitchen, but it's just not," Michelle Muller, Little Spoon's co-founder and "chief mom" told Business Insider. "It really takes someone to come in and disrupt for them to see the problem."
According to Muller, parents are forced to choose between the convenience of preservative-packed baby food and the quality of home-made - and time-intensive - options. Muller and the rest of the Little Spoon team believe that, if given the choice, parents will choose fresh foods made with just a handful of simple ingredients.
Investors agree. Early backers of Little Spoon include Chobani co-founder Kyle O'Brien and Tinder co-founders Sean Rad and Justin Mateen.
Baby food is a $53 billion business globally, according to data from Zion Market Research. Little Spoon believes that much of that market is controlled by companies coasting on what they've always done, creating a huge opportunity for disruption.
The startup, which utilizes a subscription model that delivers meals directly to users' homes, launched in New York City in April.