Consciously Sourced & Crafted

Consciously Sourced & Crafted | Meet Farmhouse Lab Dressings

by Cary Wong

Farmhouse Lab offers certified organic, 100% vegan, real food dressings. It was started by Daniela Kratz who says that it “combines my passion for plant-forward food— especially for salads—my passion for functional foods, my knowledge about Ayurveda diet, and my professional skills in sales, strategic procurement, and sustainability.”

If things worked out as originally planned, however, we would not be talking with her today.

She was working in a sustainability leadership role with Shell Oil. They changed the corporate structure in 2015, and it did not work for Kratz’s family situation at the time. This made her reevaluate what she wanted to accomplish professionally. “I really liked my job and probably would not have had the courage to leave it unless this reorganization happened,” she says.

Their blends of premium oils (including raw, organic pumpkin seed oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, and fresh Californian extra-virgin olive oil) and outstanding ingredients (like pomegranate balsamic, apricot, stone ground mustard, white wine/ The result is local, fair-trade, sustainable products that our customers love,” Kratz says.

The brand prefers to work more with independent grocery stores than with big chains because the former values quality products and has more capability to communicate with customers about the benefits of Farmhouse Lab products. “We worked with established online grocery stores like Good Eggs from the beginning. They were so encouraging and supportive to our small food start-up,” she says.

During the pandemic, Farmhouse also started working with new online grocery stores like HIVE, which specializes in sustainable grocery shopping, and Zippy Pantry, which focuses on healthful and functional snacks. The brand also benefited from online wholesale platforms like FAIRE, which connects them to many independent retailers.

Read more at https://issuu.com/rareluxuryliving/docs/raremagazinesustainablepages/64