This founder took her background in venture capital and her family's health crisis to start a brand that is spicing up the food & beverage industry.
The adage "food as medicine" gets tossed around a lot, especially in this immunity-boosting everthing era post-COVID. But this is a phrase that Raina Kumra takes to heart. With her upstart spice brand, rightfully named Spicewell, Raina is using her experience and interest in ayurvedic medicine to shake up the spice category with a line of fun + functional pantry staples, including salts and peppers that boast 21 plant-based vitamins and minerals. With a career spanning advertising, tech, media, activism, investing, and policy Raina could not be more excited to be bringing all her skills to Spicewell to create change in the food industry, one bite at a time.
Raina spoke with Foodboro about her background in venture capital and journey to entrepreneurship, the female founders she admires, advice for other startrup entrepreneurs, and what’s next for the brand.
What were you up to prior to starting The Spicewell?
I’ve been running an early stage fund called The Fund LA where we invest in pre-seed consumer and enterprise companies. I was advising tech startups and large enterprises on their technology ethics approach and also consulting with organizations on their people processes and design. I spent the pandemic getting my Series 82 and 63 licenses so I could also help funds with their raises. I was doing A LOT in the field, and had been deep in tech, media and venture for the last few years of my career. And then I found myself in the midst of a career midlife crisis!
Where did the inspiration for the brand come from?
Spicewell came out of a family health crisis - not exactly where I thought I would be getting inspiration from. My husband had knee surgery and the very next day, my 5 year old daughter broke her collarbone. I had one patient upstairs and one downstairs - both who could not walk. I was doing all the meals, all the snacks, all the hydration, the bathroom assists..etc you get the picture.
Needless to say, I was incredibly motivated to get them better as fast as possible. I went to the garden and chopped down the kale and broccoli and powdered it and put it into all of their foods. I went to the spice drawer and pulled out my ayurvedic herbs: turmeric, cumin, fennel and dosed them with it. I put as much nutrient and herbal density into every bite that I could.
Lo and behold - they both healed 3 weeks faster than the doctors were expecting. Bones fused back together, tendons healed and muscles and nerves also healed. That’s when I know if I could do this for a 5 year old, I could certainly do this for the rest of the us population who are all suffering from a nutrient deficiency due to our soil, our farming practices and because we are exposed to such a high degree of toxic ingredients due to poor regulation.
The reason I put all of the phytonutrients I could into salt and pepper, is because I want you to get better ingredients and phytonutrients into every bite you eat - and I want it to be something you already do everyday. With daily use - the effects of our adaptogens build up over time - and really help you battle chronic disease.
Who in the industry do you turn to for inspiration? Any other brands in the industry that you admire?
There’ so many brands that I admire - and I’m so excited to have all these amazing new colleagues in the food innovation space. I’m so inspired by all the ladies, of color, and asian and south asian descent making flavor waves. I’d need several pages to name them all…
What advice do you have for early-stage entrepreneurs?
There’s no such thing as an overnight success, and also CPG is not life or death (very few professions are - unless you’re a doctor of course. Try to maintain perspective and keep your priorities straight. Success will come, but in its own time - not just with you pushing it. Either that, or your product isn’t the right product for the audience you’re going after, in which case always good to be iterating!
What motto do you live by?
Do it now, before you forget.
What trends do you think are here to stay?
I think that food is going to get cleaner, better and tastier and better for you and the environment. I don’t think we have any chance of slipping backwards.
What’s next for the brand?!
We are doing a few international launches really soon and we are excited to get our brand into new countries. We have had a lot of demand for our healthy salt and pepper and now people are asking for more - watch this space we have a few really fun product expansions coming!
The adage "food as medicine" gets tossed around a lot, especially in this immunity-boosting everthing era post-COVID. But this is a phrase that Raina Kumra takes to heart. With her upstart spice brand, rightfully named Spicewell, Raina is using her experience and interest in ayurvedic medicine to shake up the spice category with a line of fun + functional pantry staples, including salts and peppers that boast 21 plant-based vitamins and minerals. With a career spanning advertising, tech, media, activism, investing, and policy Raina could not be more excited to be bringing all her skills to Spicewell to create change in the food industry, one bite at a time.
Raina spoke with Foodboro about her background in venture capital and journey to entrepreneurship, the female founders she admires, advice for other startrup entrepreneurs, and what’s next for the brand.
What were you up to prior to starting The Spicewell?
I’ve been running an early stage fund called The Fund LA where we invest in pre-seed consumer and enterprise companies. I was advising tech startups and large enterprises on their technology ethics approach and also consulting with organizations on their people processes and design. I spent the pandemic getting my Series 82 and 63 licenses so I could also help funds with their raises. I was doing A LOT in the field, and had been deep in tech, media and venture for the last few years of my career. And then I found myself in the midst of a career midlife crisis!
Where did the inspiration for the brand come from?
Spicewell came out of a family health crisis - not exactly where I thought I would be getting inspiration from. My husband had knee surgery and the very next day, my 5 year old daughter broke her collarbone. I had one patient upstairs and one downstairs - both who could not walk. I was doing all the meals, all the snacks, all the hydration, the bathroom assists..etc you get the picture.
Needless to say, I was incredibly motivated to get them better as fast as possible. I went to the garden and chopped down the kale and broccoli and powdered it and put it into all of their foods. I went to the spice drawer and pulled out my ayurvedic herbs: turmeric, cumin, fennel and dosed them with it. I put as much nutrient and herbal density into every bite that I could.
Lo and behold - they both healed 3 weeks faster than the doctors were expecting. Bones fused back together, tendons healed and muscles and nerves also healed. That’s when I know if I could do this for a 5 year old, I could certainly do this for the rest of the us population who are all suffering from a nutrient deficiency due to our soil, our farming practices and because we are exposed to such a high degree of toxic ingredients due to poor regulation.
The reason I put all of the phytonutrients I could into salt and pepper, is because I want you to get better ingredients and phytonutrients into every bite you eat - and I want it to be something you already do everyday. With daily use - the effects of our adaptogens build up over time - and really help you battle chronic disease.
Who in the industry do you turn to for inspiration? Any other brands in the industry that you admire?
There’ so many brands that I admire - and I’m so excited to have all these amazing new colleagues in the food innovation space. I’m so inspired by all the ladies, of color, and asian and south asian descent making flavor waves. I’d need several pages to name them all…
What advice do you have for early-stage entrepreneurs?
There’s no such thing as an overnight success, and also CPG is not life or death (very few professions are - unless you’re a doctor of course. Try to maintain perspective and keep your priorities straight. Success will come, but in its own time - not just with you pushing it. Either that, or your product isn’t the right product for the audience you’re going after, in which case always good to be iterating!
What motto do you live by?
Do it now, before you forget.
What trends do you think are here to stay?
I think that food is going to get cleaner, better and tastier and better for you and the environment. I don’t think we have any chance of slipping backwards.
What’s next for the brand?!
We are doing a few international launches really soon and we are excited to get our brand into new countries. We have had a lot of demand for our healthy salt and pepper and now people are asking for more - watch this space we have a few really fun product expansions coming!
The adage "food as medicine" gets tossed around a lot, especially in this immunity-boosting everthing era post-COVID. But this is a phrase that Raina Kumra takes to heart. With her upstart spice brand, rightfully named Spicewell, Raina is using her experience and interest in ayurvedic medicine to shake up the spice category with a line of fun + functional pantry staples, including salts and peppers that boast 21 plant-based vitamins and minerals. With a career spanning advertising, tech, media, activism, investing, and policy Raina could not be more excited to be bringing all her skills to Spicewell to create change in the food industry, one bite at a time.
Raina spoke with Foodboro about her background in venture capital and journey to entrepreneurship, the female founders she admires, advice for other startrup entrepreneurs, and what’s next for the brand.
What were you up to prior to starting The Spicewell?
I’ve been running an early stage fund called The Fund LA where we invest in pre-seed consumer and enterprise companies. I was advising tech startups and large enterprises on their technology ethics approach and also consulting with organizations on their people processes and design. I spent the pandemic getting my Series 82 and 63 licenses so I could also help funds with their raises. I was doing A LOT in the field, and had been deep in tech, media and venture for the last few years of my career. And then I found myself in the midst of a career midlife crisis!
Where did the inspiration for the brand come from?
Spicewell came out of a family health crisis - not exactly where I thought I would be getting inspiration from. My husband had knee surgery and the very next day, my 5 year old daughter broke her collarbone. I had one patient upstairs and one downstairs - both who could not walk. I was doing all the meals, all the snacks, all the hydration, the bathroom assists..etc you get the picture.
Needless to say, I was incredibly motivated to get them better as fast as possible. I went to the garden and chopped down the kale and broccoli and powdered it and put it into all of their foods. I went to the spice drawer and pulled out my ayurvedic herbs: turmeric, cumin, fennel and dosed them with it. I put as much nutrient and herbal density into every bite that I could.
Lo and behold - they both healed 3 weeks faster than the doctors were expecting. Bones fused back together, tendons healed and muscles and nerves also healed. That’s when I know if I could do this for a 5 year old, I could certainly do this for the rest of the us population who are all suffering from a nutrient deficiency due to our soil, our farming practices and because we are exposed to such a high degree of toxic ingredients due to poor regulation.
The reason I put all of the phytonutrients I could into salt and pepper, is because I want you to get better ingredients and phytonutrients into every bite you eat - and I want it to be something you already do everyday. With daily use - the effects of our adaptogens build up over time - and really help you battle chronic disease.
Who in the industry do you turn to for inspiration? Any other brands in the industry that you admire?
There’ so many brands that I admire - and I’m so excited to have all these amazing new colleagues in the food innovation space. I’m so inspired by all the ladies, of color, and asian and south asian descent making flavor waves. I’d need several pages to name them all…
What advice do you have for early-stage entrepreneurs?
There’s no such thing as an overnight success, and also CPG is not life or death (very few professions are - unless you’re a doctor of course. Try to maintain perspective and keep your priorities straight. Success will come, but in its own time - not just with you pushing it. Either that, or your product isn’t the right product for the audience you’re going after, in which case always good to be iterating!
What motto do you live by?
Do it now, before you forget.
What trends do you think are here to stay?
I think that food is going to get cleaner, better and tastier and better for you and the environment. I don’t think we have any chance of slipping backwards.
What’s next for the brand?!
We are doing a few international launches really soon and we are excited to get our brand into new countries. We have had a lot of demand for our healthy salt and pepper and now people are asking for more - watch this space we have a few really fun product expansions coming!
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