News Item

Shazi Visram ’04 is an entrepreneur with a passion for providing the very best to the littlest consumers. Seeing a gap in the baby food industry, she launched HappyBaby, a nutritious and organic line of foods for babies, toddlers and kids.  Read what makes her most proud about what she offers and where you can purchase her premium products for your little ones.

What is HappyBaby and how has it evolved?
HAPPYBABY is the country's leading premium organic line of foods for baby. We provide moms with premium, nutritious alternatives to processed baby and toddler foods.

The company started out selling our signature line of HAPPYBABY frozen organic meals, similar to homemade baby food. Since then, "HAPPY" has evolved to be a platform brand for health and wellness for young families and includes, HAPPYBELLIES baby cereals, HAPPYPUFFS snacks, and HAPPYBITES nutritious meals for toddlers and kids.

How did the business concept come to you?
I had the idea when talking to a friend of mine with twins as she complained about not having any better options than processed jars to feed her babies. She wanted to make everything homemade but simply didnt have the time and energy. I realized that so many mothers were dissatisfied with their options and happy to spend more for something better. I also saw a unique opportunity to create a modern premium brand in a category that  hadn't seen innovation since the 1930s,  even though all sorts of other baby items like strollers, clothing, furniture and toys had premium branded options. It made sense that to me that parents would always be willing to buy the best when it came to baby's nutrition. 

What makes you most proud about what you offer to consumers?
I am so proud about every aspect of the business. Everything we do is socially responsible. we support organic sustainable agriculture. Our foods are the absolute best one can buy for their baby, created with respected pediatrician Dr. Sears and made with only the highest quality organic ingredients and functionality. We also support an amazing nonprofit so that for every unit of anything we sell, we also feed a starving child in Malawi for an entire day. Our goal is also to spread  awareness and educate, so we offer all of our recipes to moms as well as in depth feeding information and tips for a healthy, happy baby. Consumers love us.

I would guess we get 30-40 emails a week from moms writing simply to say "thank you" for making such special products. I suppose that makes me the most proud, knowing that my business is making life better for others. 

We are living in an economically challenging time. How is Happy Baby weathering?
Amazingly well. I actually feel like we are less now of a start-up and more of an early stage business. Every week since the economy began to bottom out last fall we have hit a record sales high. I attribute that both to a growing market for our products but also to our market.

Parents might cut out cable, stop purchasing their daily Starbucks, or so many other things that are less of a priority, than giving the best nutrition to their baby. I think we would have a less happy story to tell if we sold SUVs and Rolexes.

Chat advice would you give to a graduating Columbia student with entrepreneurial aspirations in this climate?
It seems that there are always needs in the market that make for great opportunities for smart, nimble businesses. I think that if you can create a business that works in this climate, then you have the makings of something really solid, but the only way to know is to take the first steps and begin the process....and then proceed cautiously.

What’s next for HappyBaby?
We have a book coming out in the fall with Harper Collins, called "HAPPYBABY: The Organic Guide to baby's first 24 months", co-authored by Dr. Sears. We are also launching a new line of baby snacks called PUFFS, which are the first organic alternative to Gerber and Beechnuts snacks, and working on new ways to improve our business and our offerings.

Where can readers find HappyBaby products?
They can buy them nationwide at Target, Whole Foods, Babies'R'Us, Amazon, your local health food store and now directly from us at www.HAPPYFAMILYshop.com.

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