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Episode 283: Katie Thomson – Baby Food Dietitian, Co-Founder of Square Baby

Katie Thomson, the Co-Founder and CEO of Square Baby, joins the show to share her journey from first-ever Nutritionist at Starbucks to creating the only organic baby food offering 100% daily nutrition. Hear how to leave your dream job, come up with fun and delicious flavors, find customers, how we develop taste preferences, and the best flavor combinations. This episode covers everything from baby food to Willamette Valley wine. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What is Katie most proud of from her time at Starbucks
• R-E-S-P-E-C-T
• How did Katie become interested in nutrition
• Where did the idea for Square Baby come from
• How did Katie & Kendall make the first 100,000 meals by hand
• When do taste buds develop
• What are the best things to do in Bend, OR
• Orange Zest

Connect with Katie at SquareBaby.com and on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @SquareBabyFood.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Starbucks
  • [0:29] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:39] Connect with Katie at SquareBaby.com and on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @SquareBabyFood
  • [2:35] How did she become the first Nutritionist at Starbucks (or Starby’s)
  • [2:57] Masters in Nutrition, University of Washington (UW)
  • [3:12] CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
  • [4:01] What is Katie most proud of from her time at Starbucks
  • [4:35] Quality Assurance (QA), Nutrition Facts
  • [5:39] Grad School (Graduate School)
  • [5:52] Bazinga
  • [6:07] How do you step into a new role at a huge company
  • [6:35] M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions)
  • [7:32] Whole Milk vs. 2% Milk
  • [8:21] What is rBST (recombinant Bovine SomatoTropin)
  • [9:00] Shoutout, Dana!
  • [9:18] Skinny Latte
  • [9:28] Line Anxiety
  • [9:55] Cold Brew, Iced Coffee

• The Square Baby Story
  • [10:30] How did Katie become interested in nutrition
  • [10:50] Pediatrician
  • [11:41] How did Katie become interested in baby food
  • [13:30] How does it feel to step away from the career you thought you wanted
  • [13:47] Starbucks Stock Price
  • [15:12] Kevin Thomson Super Bowl Commercials
  • [15:49] Don’t be there, Be Square
  • [15:52] Pythagorean Theorem aka a^2 + b^2 = c^2
  • [16:15] Where did the idea for Square Baby come from
  • [17:18] Coca-Cola
  • [17:52] WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)
  • [17:57] Square Meal System
  • [20:02] vineyard vines (vv)
  • [20:22] How do you come up with fun and delicious varieties
  • [20:43] Honors Geo (Honors Geometry)
  • [23:38] Iron, Vitamin C
  • [23:48] Just pumping iron
  • [24:12] How do you decide what flavors to go with
  • [25:16] How do you find customers
  • [26:25] Allergen Introduction
  • [26:57] FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
  • [27:56] Facebook Ads, Google Ads
  • [29:20] Square Baby Storefront
  • [29:28] Customer Service
  • [29:41] Camilla Opperman Morse – Wild Business Growth podcast #281: Shared Kitchen Gymnast, Founder of Nimbus
  • [30:18] How did Katie & Kendall Glynn make the first 100,000 meals by hand
  • [31:23] Hotel Pans
  • [32:50] Come to CEX (Content Entrepreneur Expo) May 5-7, 2024 in Cleveland, OH! Save $100 off the in-person ticket price by registering at CEX.Events and using the coupon code: MAX100
  • [32:52] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Katie
  • [33:48] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • [33:50] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23

• The Unusual: How Taste Works
  • [33:55] Yeah! Ooh.
  • [34:11] How does taste work
  • [34:24] R&D (Research & Development)
  • [34:54] Mango Coconut Chicken
  • [36:00] pH (potential of Hydrogen)
  • [36:12] Co-Man (Co-Manufacturer)
  • [38:00] Flour in Hoboken
  • [38:45] Apple Rosemary Lentils, Apple Curry Chicken
  • [39:42] When do taste buds develop
  • [41:48] Shoutout, Mustard
  • [42:00] Miracle Whip
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [43:06] What are the best things to do in Bend, OR
  • [43:45] SUP (Stand Up Paddle Board)
  • [44:28] Willamette Valley, Dundee, OR, McMinnville, OR, Vrbo
  • [45:26] is Katie more loyal to the Oregon Ducks or Washington Huskies
  • [46:10] Did she ever wear a costume at the Autzen Zoo aka Autzen Stadium
  • [46:33] Steve Prefontaine
  • [46:47] B1G (Big Ten or Big 10)
  • [47:08] What is Katie’s favorite flavor combination to eat as an adult
  • [48:11] Orange Zest
  • [49:04] Connect with Katie at SquareBaby.com and on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @SquareBabyFood
  • [49:44] What are Katie’s Final Thoughts
  • [50:25] Follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [50:35] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Katie
  • [50:41] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [50:43] Come to CEX (Content Entrepreneur Expo) May 5-7, 2024 in Cleveland, OH! Save $100 off the in-person ticket price by registering at CEX.Events and using the coupon code: MAX100
  • [50:44] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [50:46] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [50:50] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Katie Thomson on the Wild Business Growth podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about it. And stack your Square Baby meals with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!