Getting babies and toddlers to eat is not fun. It may seem adorable the first couple of times your tiny tot giggles and swats the choo-choo train spoon from your hand splattering smashed peas all over the place, or uses her high chair table as a canvas for a Jackson Pollock-esque work finger-painted with mashed carrots…but as you probably already know, the cuteness factor quickly fades away, only to be replaced by incredible frustration.
Faced with a screaming, red-faced little monster fervently shaking her head, desperately trying to get their child to eat even just a spoonful of the (albeit mysterious-looking) goop, most parents would throw their hands up, grip their temples, and wallow in their misery. They would lie in bed at night, wondering why they had to be the unfortunate ones charged with an intractable picky eater who refuses to eat any sort of jarred mush set before her (baby Billy’s folks never struggle to feed him stringbeans!). Then the next day, they would grudgingly get up, sigh, and do it all over again.
But not Paul Lindley.
Lindley–a former managing deputy director of Nickelodeon UK and father of two–sought to change this miserable routine. He came up with a daring, revolutionary idea for a company that would not only aim to improve the notoriously harrowing mealtime experience for tots and parents alike, but also redefine the meaning of the term “baby food” completely.
Inspired by his darling daughter, Ella, Lindley decided to create Ella’s Kitchen: an organic, contemporary brand of baby food whose wholesome products are made solely from natural ingredients, and contain no added sugar, salt, or water. They are also free of any artificial colors, preservatives, and flavorings, along with anything “from concentrate.” Boasting over 80 different products including Baby Brekkie (a blend of baby yogurt, fruit puree, and brown rice); Yum Yum Baby Cookies; Munchy Biscuits; Smoothie Fruits; and Nibbly Fingers (snack bars packed with fruits, veggies, and whole grain oats), the highly assorted line is organized into three categories: Ella’s 1 (suitable for infants who are 4-6 months), Ella’s 2 (appropriate for babies who are 7-9 months), and Ella’s 3 (designed for tots 10 months and up).
Aside from its all-natural, homemade-like edge, the brand sets itself apart from its competitors with its extremely innovative packaging; indeed, Lindley was the first to ever introduce the idea of packing baby food into colorful, easy-to-grasp-and-squeeze, BPA-free pouches (though a handful of other companies–including Mott’s and Gerber Baby–have since followed suit, no doubt in admiration).
Despite the brand’s humble beginnings, Ella’s Kitchen–whose mission is to “create a generation of good little eaters by making good food fun [in order] to establish healthy eating habits that last a lifetime”–has grown into a formidable empire since its launch in 2006. The UK-based company exports its products to 12 countries around the globe including the U.S., Canada, Norway, and Scandinavia, and commands a whopping 20 percent share of the United Kingdom’s baby food sector.
Following the success of its first cookbook, The Red One, Ella’s Kitchen is launching its second publication this June: The Big Baking Book – The Yellow One. Much like its predecessor, the book is a fun and informative collection of yummy, bright ideas, and is meant to help get kids involved in the kitchen at an early age. The second volume specifically aims to make everyday baking more healthy and enjoyable for the entire family. Parents and kids alike can have oodles of fun trying their hands at the book’s 100+ delicious recipes, while learning lots of clever techniques to reduce sugar and salt along the way.
In recognition of some of Ella’s more recent creations, The Cribsie Academy recently awarded its Wakey Wakey Baby Cereal–a silky smooth baby cereal ideal for babies’ first tastes, and Puffits–melt-in-the-mouth, multigrain cereal snacks–with the 2014 New Arrival Award, effectively labeling the scrumptious treats as two of the best new baby products of 2013.
Read on for a few more insights into Ella’s Kitchen, in the words of the founder himself!
How did the idea for Ella’s Kitchen come about?
The idea came from my personal experience of trying to encourage my daughter, Ella to eat more good foods through fun and play when she was a toddler. I used fun to de-stress feeding time for Ella and me – and it worked! The idea for Ella’s Kitchen came to me as I imagined all parents just like my wife and me could have a better mealtime experience if little ones were engaged and helped to enjoy healthier foods through play.
What is the Ella’s Kitchen mission?
I started Ella’s in an effort to create good food that is fun, healthy, and handy… We understand baby’s taste buds and want them to have the full experience of big tastes early on, as they begin what we call, their tiny taste bud journey.
How do you decide on the different flavor combinations?
We ensure all Ella’s Kitchen flavors are as good as homemade. Our complex ingredients provide babies with lots of different real food flavors, helping them expand their palates from a very early age. We don’t add water or concentrates, so as not to dilute the big tastes babies experience and to ensure they get used to real natural foods from their first mouthfuls.
How is Ella’s Kitchen eco-friendly?
Ella’s Kitchen has partnered with TerraCycle to create the Baby Food Pouch Brigade, a free recycling program for baby food pouches and caps. Parents can find out more about how to recycle [their pouches] with Terracycle at ellaskitchen.com.
