| Tell us about your company: |
| Globowl is an internationally inspired baby and toddler food company introducing babies to big flavors, safe textures and common allergens when they are starting solids to help prevent picky eating and texture aversions, while mitigating the likelihood of future food allergies. Our pediatrician-approved, chef-curated meals give kids the chance to experience tastes from around the world when they’re most receptive to new flavors and textures, leading to a lifetime of adventurous eating. Proudly mom-founded and women-led, Globowl is on a mission to nurture curious palates (and minds!) and foster global eaters from the very start. |
| What inspired you to start your business? |
| I’m a totally neurotic mom. On the outside, I may not appear that way, but it takes a lot of work to come off as seemingly “normal” and less anxious/full-of-neuroses than I really am. Like…a lot of work. As a person who loves food above all else (I would consider trading in my car for some of Carbone’s spicy rigatoni), I swore when I was pregnant with my first that he (and any future babies) would be little epicureans. They would enjoy food from all corners of the world, learn to cook like a Top Chef (or at least like my mother), and I’d proudly be able to proclaim “omg, my kids LOOOOOOOOVVVEEEEE [fill in the blank]!” Those dreams were dashed when my son was six-months-old and ready for solids. Despite my pediatrician (and long-time bestie) advising me to feed him “whatever it is we’re eating,” my hesitant-first-time-mom impulse was to shield him from texture, flavor and spice and do what I thought moms and grandmas (dads, too!) had done for years – puree one ingredient at a time and give it to him without any seasoning. Poor kid was probably bored out of his mind with one-note avocados, strawberries, raspberries, sweet potatoes and bananas. I could have juzzshed up these healthy ingredients and made guacamole, macerated berries with mascarpone, sweet potato curry or mashed banana “ice cream” with hazelnut spread and dark chocolate chips. But I didn’t. I was too nervous. And I’m paying the price now. My son eats the same carb-filled meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner every. single. day. I do my best to buy or make the healthiest versions of chicken nuggets, PBJ pies and pancakes…but he is no epicurean. And it breaks my always-hungry heart. When we had our daughter, we weren’t messing around when it came to feeding. At this point, we recognized that food didn’t need to be “dumbed down” for kids. That they, too, eat with their eyes and crave color, vibrancy, flavor and differing textures. In an attempt to not make second or third dinners, or deal with another picky eater, we gave our daughter coconut shrimp curry as her first meal. We figured…eh, she’ll survive. And she did! Plus, she loved it. She also loved the saffron and sausage risotto we gave her that week, along with pesto noodles. We finally had ourselves a little foodie! And I became a less nervous mom….at least when it came to eating. Our daughter is also a “quarantine baby.” She was only a few months old when we “hunkered down,” never having taken baby music or yoga, or even the requisite Mommy & Me classes. During a time when we couldn’t leave our house, let alone the country, I knew that the only way to bring the world to her…was through food. Thus….Globowl was born. And I was about to embark on what I was born to do. Over the next few days, my eyes blurred from reading every article and medical journal the internet would let me get my digital hands on. And it became abundantly clear that we were onto something. Just that year, the USDA came out with their first ever pediatric feeding guidelines, stating: “diet diversity is critical” and “feed allergenic foods early and often.” My hope with Globowl is that – whether a first-, second-, third- or ninth-time parent – we can help make families’ chaotic lives just a bit easier. That they can rest easy knowing they’re making healthy dietary choices for baby. That we’re setting them up for more adventurous, less picky eating, with a statistically smaller chance of developing food allergies. And in the spirit of adventure, open-mindedness and curiosity, Globowl’s educational materials will introduce kids to parts of the world from which the food originates, explain why the dishes are culturally relevant, and our little foodies will be able to see kids on the other side of the world eating the same food as they are. A true universal unifier. |
| What are your proudest achievements so far? |
| Globowl has accomplished a great deal since incorporating in 2021. In addition to the basics like fundraising and finding a manufacturer, we have hit some huge milestones: the launch of six unique, internationally-inspired flavors backed by pediatricians and developed by Michelin-starred chefs; securing the top two natural products distributors in the country; graduating from Techstars Chicago; winning the Naturally Chicago pitch slam competition in 2023; graduating from the Target Takeoff Essentials accelerator; obtaining our WBENC certification; working with an SQF-certified, organic co-manufacturing facility; becoming a 2022 and 2023 Chicago Innovation Award nominee; bringing in six figures within the first 10 months of business; making it to the finals of Gordon Ramsay’s and Lisa Vanderpump’s “Food Stars” on FOX, Hulu and Disney+; becoming a semi-finalist (next week!) for Nielsen IQ’s annual pitch slam, and most recently (it still hasn’t been announced), being chosen as a “Progressive Grocer” Editor’s Pick for Best Product 2025. We have truly been embraced by the natural products industry as a whole; pediatricians and health professionals; parents and grandparents; the media; and happy little babies all over the country. I am so proud of this business because I am showcasing to my children that you can work hard while also pursuing your passion. Food has been so engrained in my life since childhood; it brought us together for holidays, for random Friday nights, and we could tell stories about generations of family through our food. Bringing this to babies from their very first bites – setting them up for a greater understanding of the world – fills me with the most pride. No one is born with any biases or prejudices – they are taught. Just as early allergen introduction is scientifically linked to less food allergies in children, early introduction to the world can help eliminate close-mindedness. If we can influence a new generation of children to be more open-minded, while mitigating picky eating and food allergies, we have done our job. |
| What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs: |
| Lead with curiosity and compassion – and never underestimate the ripple effect of being brave. Be curious about people who don’t look like you, love like you, worship like you, speak like you. Be compassionate even when it’s easier to shut down. And be brave enough to speak your mind, lift others up, and build the kind of world you’d want your future kids – or nieces or godchildren or mentees – to inherit. You don’t have to change the world overnight. But you can start by changing the room you’re in. Small steps can lead to the biggest change. |
| Please share a memory or thought about your alma mater: |
| I’ve been a Wildcat since the day I got my acceptance letter. I bleed purple and credit Northwestern for some of the best moments of my life – for setting me up for adulthood, for introducing me to my best friends, for teaching me about date parties and beer, for introducing me to my sorority sisters and, most importantly, for one life-changing professor who shifted the entire trajectory of my career. Because he offered me an internship during my senior year, I ended up taking that opportunity instead of more classes – I had nearly completed my degree anyway. That internship led to a full-time job offer, and that job offer is the reason I’ve called Chicago home for over 20 years. Chicago raised me. Since that time, I’ve built three companies here, met my husband here, started my family here, and found the most supportive, empathetic community for which I could ever hope. Northwestern is the reason I live the life I do today—and I couldn’t be more grateful. Now, I give back through the Council of 100, a hand-selected group of Northwestern’s most successful alumnae, who return to campus twice a year to mentor female students and young graduates. It’s a full-circle honor I don’t take lightly. |
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