#awinewith Jenny Goldfarb
MEET Jenny Goldfarb, Founder of Unreal Deli
You can find them here:
Transcript
Danielle Lewis (00:00):
You are listening to Spark TV, where we bring you daily interviews with real women in business at all stages. I'm your host, Danielle Lewis, and I am so grateful to have you here. Amazing. Jenny, welcome to Spark tv. I'm so excited to have you here.
Jenny Goldfarb (00:16):
Yay. Hi Danielle. So stoked to be here.
Danielle Lewis (00:19):
I am a huge fan of yours, so very excited to get into your story. Let's start out by telling everyone who you are and what you do.
Jenny Goldfarb (00:28):
Okay. My name is Jenny Goldfarb and I'm the CEO of Unreal Deli, which is a business that makes plant-based deli meats and bacon sold all throughout the United States. It started in my home kitchen as just a little dream and it wound up on Shark Tank and making a nice deal there and then moving on now into thousands of grocery doors throughout the country. And I did this while raising three young children. So I'm all about the hands-on mom approach to life and business, and that's a little bit of the gist of what I'm up to today.
Danielle Lewis (01:07):
Oh my gosh, that is absolutely incredible. Now the plant-based movement over the last, I don't know, maybe five years has just exploded, right?
Jenny Goldfarb (01:19):
It's really come on the scene now in a new way that folks can still enjoy the same sandwiches and burgers and all sorts of other types of delicacies in a way that doesn't have to harm animals or the environment and or your health. And so there's a great opportunity now with so many new things that have come out and we love getting to be a part of that.
Danielle Lewis (01:40):
Yeah, that is absolutely incredible. And so was that the motivation and inspiration for you to start this business?
Jenny Goldfarb (01:47):
Yeah, so I grew up actually the great granddaughter of some real New York City deli owners, so I have it in my bloodline. Love it. And I started going plant-based, not like a hundred percent, but a nice majority of my food really for all these things together. It just felt like there were so many reasons and it was so compelling and I also felt like my kids were getting healthier or less sick less often. And I don't know, my husband and I shed a couple pounds and we're sleeping better. I was like, there's something to this. And so I was deep in different kinds of cookbooks and learning, playing with different recipes, and I made this corn beef out of beets, chickpeas, tomatoes, and some high protein grains and spices. And anyway, friends and family were like, this is the most delicious thing. This is not a recipe, this is a business.
(02:35):
And at the time, I was pregnant with my third daughter and I was like, I'm having a baby. I got these. Don't even talk to me about that. But my dad was a long time entrepreneur and I feel like I have some of that blood in me and I was like, maybe I could try and sell this thing. And so I rented a tiny kitchen for $25 an hour that was commercial, even though it was a tiny, tiny, and I was making it myself. And I started selling the local delis, the old school delis, the ones that my great-grandpa had once run in New York. And so we got into all these old school establishments and started selling crazy, and then we got into Whole Foods and Shark Tank happened. So it's been a really beautiful wild ride. Stressful, stressful, stressful, also plenty of the time. It's not just beautiful, it's not just beautiful, but we're doing all our darnedest to have a good time and to feel excited about what we're up to.
Danielle Lewis (03:35):
Absolutely. And you should be excited. It is incredible. I mean, I don't know any business owner that's not stressed out, even if they love what they do. And what was the Shark Tank experience? How did that even come about? What was the process like and are you happy with the outcome?
Jenny Goldfarb (03:55):
Yeah, yeah. So after I was selling some of the delis and we were starting to get some grocery stores looking at us, I was like, okay, this is, and friends and family, we live in Los Angeles, which is where the show is filmed, so, but friends and family were like, yeah, you have these couple of accounts now. Of course it's just naturally time for Shark Tank. I was like, alright, I'll try. So I did a web, that's a big dreaming. This is good. I know dreaming. Exactly. That was kind of the vibe when you'd get the first three location place, it's like, well now we're going to start looking at a 200 location. You know what I mean? And it's the same game, it's just whatever. You're just graduating to the next height there. So anyway, yeah, I reached out to Shark Tank, I did a quick web application and they reached out to me and there were a bunch of phone interviews and then handwritten stuff. And then finally I had a tape day and it was the most exhilarating experience of my life. You're pitching to the five judges, they know nothing about you, just your first name walking in there. And they all got to taste the sandwich and acknowledge how delicious it was, and it went so well. I felt like the spirit was with me. And so I wound up getting this deal with Mark Cuban for more than double the cash that I was asking for, which is a little bit unheard of on the show.
(05:17):
I didn't even have that much in revenues yet, but there were accounts coming online or whatever it was. It was just the right moment, the right product. So yeah, it was a really beautiful experience. I like to say more exhilarating than even childbirth, possibly such a wild experience. And here we are. So I get to have Cuban as a partner, and so it's pretty rad. I mean he, he's got quite a lot of companies in his portfolio, so he's not out hustling for me, but I get to send all of my emails and say, I work with Cuban a lot. Cuban. Yes, exactly. So it's a pretty awesome thing. I would definitely do it again in a
Danielle Lewis (05:57):
Wow that is so incredible because I don't know, you do get mixed messages from people who've had good experiences and bad experiences, but I think you're right. If it's a great product, the right time, the right investor, it can be just so incredible for a business.
Jenny Goldfarb (06:15):
So incredible. What an amazing
Danielle Lewis (06:17):
Opportunity that we have this show now. It's so
Jenny Goldfarb (06:20):
Cool. So cool. And just so much opportunity today to be able to be in your home in a comfortable whatever and be able to connect to the world and start a business to start a revolution from your bed. I mean, it's like, it's not just to have a show like this, but to be alive in a moment like this, to be able to start a business from an app, from a phone, from a, it's just incredible. So I feel like in awe of this moment, actually,
Danielle Lewis (06:46):
I know I couldn't agree with you more. I always say that to people, if you are unhappy, you have never lived in a better time to change your circumstances. If you are willing to love that work, then you can do it.
Jenny Goldfarb (06:59):
Exactly, exactly. Just the AI piece alone, I don't know how deep you are in chatt, but that has rocked my world, changed my universe, the kinds of things. I'm
Danielle Lewis (07:09):
Curious, what do you use it for?
Jenny Goldfarb (07:12):
Yeah, so I feel like I should give, first off, I'm working on a podcast and it's going to be a little bit more spirited than is it a tactical business? I really do feel as though I should put a segment on various prompts and ways that it can really help your life. So first off, any email that you need to write to someone that's more than a sentence or so long, you just throw it like got to reply to so-and-so. You can copy their other email in, want to communicate A, B and C, and you have bad spelling, bad everything. It's going to put together a perfect note from soup to nuts. You can say, I want it more friendly, I want it less this. And it's like the most perfect robot sidekick. That's like one of a thousand things. I mean, if you're thinking of taking a trip, where to go for a walk, how to talk to your husband about something, I mean, it's so unbelievable how many levels it will meet you on and the research it'll do for you. Anyhow, I recommend everyone get a chat GPT account if nothing else you take from this and just play on there and ask it a couple things and lean on it every now and then. It's remarkable and it's only getting better. We're only at the very beginning of this.
Danielle Lewis (08:21):
Oh my God, it's so true. I use it like an assistant and it's hilarious. My husband saw me talking to it the other day and he's like, do you actually talk to it? And I'm like, yeah, you got to be nice to the robots. They're going to take over the world one day.
Jenny Goldfarb (08:36):
Exactly. It's so funny for sure. It's
Danielle Lewis (08:38):
So true. You can literally ask it anything and it will come back to you, oh, let's make it a little bit more like this, or can I have a little bit more information on this? And it is just the most incredible assistant you've ever had in your entire life
Jenny Goldfarb (08:52):
Forever. You never have to really write anything ever again. I dunno if people realize the extent you jot down some of the ideas and tell it to do this kind of a thing, it's just phenomenal. And anyway, there are more and more things coming out in this whole space. So yeah, quite the time to be alive.
Danielle Lewis (09:09):
Well, you definitely have to do an episode in the new podcast because I know everybody listening will be so intrigued as to how they can power their business,
Jenny Goldfarb (09:19):
Their lives with this. Definitely do that. Yes,
Danielle Lewis (09:21):
Thank you. And we'll make sure that we link your new show in our podcast episode show notes as well, because I think that you've got an incredible story and so much to share, so we should all be listening to
Jenny Goldfarb (09:32):
It. Thank you so much, Danielle. It's going to launch really soon. My birthday is actually tomorrow, so I'm trying to launch it. Oh my gosh, happy birthday so much. Getting in on the mid forties now, but thank you. Yeah, so I have@jennygoldfarb.com, there's a signup thing, so if you want to get the link for when it launches, that's where that'll be at. Yeah,
Danielle Lewis (09:52):
That is so good. And isn't it interesting how you've obviously had fantastic success with Unreal Deli and you've been growing the business, but there's always more to do and grow, and now you're saying mid forties now I'm launching the podcast. This is a never ending opportunity. It's just amazing.
Jenny Goldfarb (10:11):
It's unbelievable to know that we're all in this beautiful game of life and that there are various ways to jump levels in the video game by really investing our time and energy into various things that will bear fruits. And I do feel like I learned so many things that I really am getting to a point in my life where I want to get into the sharing mode. And so anyway, I feel really blessed out to get to enter that a little bit.
Danielle Lewis (10:39):
Oh my gosh, that is so incredible. So reflecting on your time in business, what do you attribute the growth of Unreal Deli too?
Jenny Goldfarb (10:49):
I feel like I mentioned before with regard to Shark Tank, right place, right time, right product, and so there's definitely some of that, but there's also a real grit because it hasn't always been easy. I mean, when Covid hit, we were getting real big into the restaurant circuit and there was a test that was happening,
Danielle Lewis (11:08):
A
Jenny Goldfarb (11:08):
Chain that was going to put us in many hundreds of locations and then Covid hit and we had to change our whole business model to retail. And then again, there were other issues in the plant-based meat category about a year and a half, two years ago. So hasn't always been easy, but I will really attribute it to the grit from the earliest days of saying, I made this thing. It's pretty good. People like it. You got to have some grit to say, I'm going to look up the nearest kitchen. I'm going to email so-and-so. Do they know anyone? I am going to not care if I get things get in the way. One time I was actually pregnant at the beginning when I was starting the business and I was cooking it in the commercial kitchen. I'd bring my big Vitamix blender and my beets and all my ingredients out to this kitchen, and I'm a fast New Yorker, so I was grabbing all my stuff once.
(11:53):
I wanted to take one trip, not three, and I tripped on a curb and I cut my face and I remember at that, I was saying to myself, Jenny, you have every excuse to slow it down. You don't have to start a business right now. Maybe this comes and then I said, start this thing despite this and this is like, and those are the moments. So I think that's why we've succeeded. There were other times where things got tough and we could have said, you know what? It's not the business that it was at one point or whatever, and we could have ended things and we've pushed on. And so I feel like that grit and it comes up in so many aspects of life, not only business.
Danielle Lewis (12:31):
Yeah. Oh my God, you're so right. I mean, the skills that we need in business are so transferable to life. And it's interesting. I mean, you mentioned Covid, obviously that's a big one that everyone knows, but I always say to people, so I've been in business for 12 years. I'm like, there's been something every year when you're in business, that is just how it's
Jenny Goldfarb (12:54):
Right. A hundred percent. In fact, I was just on a walk this afternoon and I was saying to myself, there was a moment in the middle of all of it where we were having customers reaching out because believe it or not, and this is years ago and we've fully corrected it since then, it wasn't even our fault. It was the products, but some folks were opening the product and there was mold in the products, and we had to deal with that. Imagine that you have a factory making it for you, but how you have to figure that out and that with people freaking out and all, so you're so right. I was just reflecting, wow, not only did Covid happen in the plant-based meat market then this one also. So you're right, it really is never a dull moment, and I'm sure everyone out there who's a mother can testify. That's the case in motherhood. It's the case in business, it's the case if you're married, it's the case if you're not married. So no matter what, we're all kind of up against the wall in this business of life, I like to say. So figuring out how to navigate the world around you in the most productive way, basically.
Danielle Lewis (13:56):
I love it. And look, you've mentioned motherhood. How has it been navigating being a mom and growing a successful business?
Jenny Goldfarb (14:06):
It's not always a field day. Actually, right now it's 4:25 PM My children are home from school. I generally don't schedule meetings, but to be in Australia, this is what you got to do. And so, yeah, weren't very thrilled when I said, you got to throw a screen on. So unfortunately, there are more screens than I would like there to be, but probably that's every parent these days. Aside from that, I think it's really cool. I happen to have three daughters. My husband got me this from my last birthday, boss lady.
Danielle Lewis (14:36):
Oh, I love it.
Jenny Goldfarb (14:38):
That little girls are seeing that moms can whatever, throw on a little casual soft blazer situation and sit down with Australia sometimes. Absolutely. Yeah.
Danielle Lewis (14:51):
And I think, I mean exactly what we've covered, right? It is just that matter of things are going to come up and you just have to be resilient. You just have to know that it's not you and that it's just something to overcome.
Jenny Goldfarb (15:05):
Exactly. And the reason that we like fear when things come up is because we think they're bigger than we are, but we're so big, we're so powerful actually. And so our consciousness, our state of mind, the love that we put into something is so much more powerful than any of the things that come along the way, and they're just here to help us reveal more light so they, they're here for a purpose too. All these things, and if you can navigate them and keep your head up and remember some positive things that you have to do to get through them, then it makes it all worth it. We came down here into this world to do real work and in every aspect, and so it's just part of refining our whole character.
Danielle Lewis (15:47):
Absolutely. I mean, it's interesting. I have this, I guess it's not a a statement on my vision board that is I want to know what I'm capable of, and it is that idea that it's like we are infinitely capable beings, but sometimes I think we play it safe. So if we can push ourselves and recognize that these challenges, these fears, that they're going to come up no matter what. And if we want to do great things, it is just a matter of realizing that we have the ability to overcome them and do whatever it is we want to do.
Jenny Goldfarb (16:20):
I love that. That's beautiful. A famous sage that I look up to named Rabbi Nachman says, the world is a very narrow bridge. The most important thing is not to be afraid. It's true. It's scary as hell out there. It's completely true with all the aspects, the parenting and the screens, the work stuff, the finances, the spouses, the non-spouse. It's a really scary world out there, but we have to keep, in the meantime, we have to have fun along the way. We have to find joy along the way, and then we can deal with those things as they come.
Danielle Lewis (16:56):
I love it. You are absolutely incredible. Jenny. You too, Danielle. No one. Oh my gosh. I love it. But I always love to wrap up these podcasts with one last piece of advice. So reflecting on your time in business, what would be a piece of advice that you would give to another woman on her business journey?
Jenny Goldfarb (17:20):
My piece of advice would be to be willing to roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty, because I feel like once we can kind of get into whatever the thing that's calling you a little bit to roll up your sleeves and get into it even further than maybe you're thinking if it's in the kitchen or with research or using chat GPT to figure that researchy thing out or whatever it is, get sloppy and get in there and get deep in an app or a little further than maybe you even wanted to go to sit down and give yourself some free time to play in that space. You never know what comes. I had this, when I first started going, I started this vegan food blog and I was like, this is going to be my thing. Turned out it wasn't my thing, but because I was deep in something, this other thing came to be. So I really want to encourage people, especially women, to roll their sleeves up and get a little messy in that thing and be willing to go off on a tangent from that thing. You don't know if that's really the thing or if that's just leading you to what the thing is. And so keep playing.
Danielle Lewis (18:29):
That is absolutely beautiful. Jenny, thank you so much for taking time out of your afternoon. Good afternoon, and chatting to the Spark Community. You are such an inspiration and we can't wait to continue to follow the Unreal Deli story. Such a treat to spend time with you. Danielle, thank you so much. That wraps another episode of Spark tv. Shout out to Spark TV sponsor IP Australia for their amazing support of the Spark Podcast and women in business. And if no one tells you today, you've got this.
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