Salma’s Story
Building Sustainable Food Sources
One of the family members, I’ve been with Taste of Nature since its inception in 2008. Taste of Nature had existed since 2004 in a very limited way, with stickered products in some Mom and Pop stores. It really got its start in 2008 when some retailers asked us to offer a better looking product, and we designed the current packaging.
With help from key partners outside the company, we designed the logo, picked the colours, and chose the original line-up of flavours. Nima led the charge and I supported him. I acted as a sounding board or second voice in brainstorming the thousands of decisions to be made in creating a brand from scratch.
The original idea came from Mo’s concept but now Taste of Nature began to take shape. Taste of Nature’s products are unique and the package with the clear window shows off the high quality ingredients. The product TASTES good and the other benefits are just the cherry on top.
The primary focus of Taste of Nature isn’t money. It’s about building something we can be proud of in the future – a product that helps people eat better. And because it’s a family venture, it’s important that the brand lives beyond the current generation and continues to give back and grow in the future.
Today I work primarily in procurement, working closely with suppliers and as close to the farmers as possible. Many ingredients come directly from the farmers and it is important to help the suppliers build sustainable sources of food – especially the smaller farms.
When you work in a family business, it’s easy to take things for granted. I feel it’s an honour to work at Taste of Nature. It’s cool and exciting to work on products as interesting and as beneficial as these. As the company grows, so will the employees – part of the company’s mission is to inspire everyone who works here.
My dream is to become the brand that other companies aspire to – to be known around the world as the brand that people reach for when they want a great tasting bar. But Taste of Nature needs to be an agent of change to do good. In addition to tasting great and being nutritious, it needs to be good for the environment and leave a zero-carbon footprint. In its own way, it can change the world.