J and O are in the States!

...and our product should be soon (or should we say, soom), too!

Here's a question we've been pondering, that maybe you can help us out with: how much is too much with our soom puns?
Have you seen the newest Smurf movie?  Because it's a slippery slope to using soom for just about anything... We're going with it for now.  We're just too excited not to!

O (our now official VP of Development and Product Expert) finalized everything for us with our manufacturer;  signed off on our labels, worked out shipping samples quickly, and our container should be on a boat by the last days of this month!

Upon arriving, we decided to introduce J and O to our competition (or should I say, soompetition?  No. I think I'm drawing a line.) ...not to be named.  Shelby and I have tried them all, always commenting on their bitterness and troublesome consistency.  But, we are no experts compared to the authentic palate of O and our Israeli sister.

O hated all of them, surprised by how terrible each one tasted; but forced J to try the last one.  Think he knew she wouldn't like it?

We're excited to let you, our consoomers (keeping this one!) taste and compare for yourselves!

Please note: Strawberry Shortcake cake
not made with tehina.

But allow me, for a bit, to focus on what's really important right now.  J and O are in the states; the family is together for the first time since their wedding; Shelby just had a birthday; and it's a wonderful holiday (Passover)!
Soom Foods statement:  Tehina is considered a kitniyot.

As important and consooming (can't stop me) as Soom Foods is, family will always come first.

It's been hard having J and O all the way in Israel, the 6-7 hour time difference makes working together challenging; but more so, we miss them!


Chag Sameach; Happy Passover!  Happy Easter, too!



Much love,

Left to Right: O, J, S, and A

SheJAmz and O

Back to School with Brian Shube

When starting Soom Foods, Shelby, Jackie and I were very excited because we felt our individual knowledge, expertise, and interests blended perfectly to start an exemplary business.

We think our designer, Br&ish, nailed the logo

Shelby has the business degree; Jackie studied ways to make the world better; and I (Amy) like talking to people.

Add that to sincerely loving the product and having Omri's experience - you get a pretty solid foundation to start a company.



As I embarked on the journey of getting Soom Foods ready to launch, I quickly realized much more goes into a business than our three strengths.  One of the most important things we had no experience in was understanding and implementing a supply chain.
How exactly would we get sesame seeds from Ethiopia to be manufactured (for now) in Israel, to be bottled, labeled, stored somewhere; to ultimately be sold?

Enter, Brian Shube.  Brian called me out at the Philadelphia World Trade Center networking event (my first networking experience, ever!), commenting on how I looked lost and generally inexperienced.

I guess it was pretty obvious.

Lucky for me, Brian is a Supply Chain consultant; and the rest is history.  He's been tremendously significant in helping us accomplish what we have to date... our order placed, waiting (not so) patiently for it to be put on a boat to reach our warehouse and be sold!

In the meantime, I decided to take advantage of Brian's expertise, and sit in on a Supply Chain Management class he teaches for Master students at Stony Brook University.

I chose last Tuesday, March 12, because he had Mrs. Elizabeth Girardi Schoen, the self proclaimed Green Queen, as a guest lecturer to speak about Supply Chain Sustainability.

Liz highlighted the practices and importance of supply chain sustainability.

Please disregard my doodles.
I've been doodling while learning for
as long as I can remember.
My first documented "allele" doodle
was World History in 10th grade
(c. 2004)
Been practicing my signature since
middle school.

Sustainability 1. Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; 2. Creating a better quality of life;  3. Giving back to the planet more than what's taken away.

Why should businesses care? Being sustainable...
...protects the right to operate and innovate, allowing for globalization and creating a compliance for existing.
...allows for businesses to successfully seek new markets while maintaining and growing existing markets.
...assures businesses that their suppliers are reliable, cost effective, and overall good actors in our world.  ...attracts and retains quality talent, increasing productivity and efficiency, while maintaining health and safety standards.
...builds communities.
...promotes positive innovation.

Let it be noted that the presentation Liz gave was a completely non-altruistic understanding of the benefits of a sustainable supply chain.

Soom Foods is committed to being as sustainable as possible.  We want to leave this world better than we found it - environmentally, nutritionally, and socially.

For now we can assure our consoomers (;-)) that our manufacturer complies with GMP (good manufacturing practices) standards, our plastic is recyclable, and we are limiting our use of paper and waste in general.

As we grow and develop, we will continue to implement a sustainable supply chain.

Commitment and Consistency

I have been thinking a lot about my obsession with taking pictures (on instagram) of the food I’ve been making.  I’m far from a master chef, but I’ve found myself (on this Whole30 diet I recently started) thinking of creative ways to eat delicious food so I can actually enjoy the “cleanse” (on which I’ve craved pizza from day 3.  I’m on day 6.)

It got me thinking about something I learned in a communication and persuasion class I took.  In it, we learned about the principle of commitment and consistency.  This principle states that people are more likely act in a way that is consistent with their verbal and, more so, written commitments. 
You can read about my thoughts on all six principles in another piece of writing on 2f4ced.

Did you know the Chinese had American POWs “rewrite their self image” resulting in automatic and unenforced compliance?

I whole-heartedly believe in the power of writing something down. 

I’ve applied this principle to my life many times; from writing to-do lists, to diet and exercise intentions.  When I write something down, I want to honor it, ultimately establishing that the idea or goal is harmonious with my self-image.

I verbally (and wrote in several text messages) agreed to the Whole 30 diet; my next step was to figure out how I could successfully honor my new self-image.

Pictures.

I have found that I am more likely to uphold the diet when I know that I will be taking a picture and sharing (on instagram) the food that I’ve made.  It’s my own, fun way to maintain consistency on what I’ve committed myself to.

This principle authentically transpires into our goals for Soom Foods.  We want to help people be healthier without compromising taste, time, or the difficulty of preparing what they eat.

This is where our consumer-interactive recipe database comes in to play.

Our intention is to encourage people to be proud of what they are creating with Soom Foods’ product(s).  From ingredients to presentation, it’s not for nothing.  Take a picture of your beautiful and delicious creation, share the recipe for others to benefit, too, and improve your diet in the meantime.   On instagram? Tag soomful (#soomful) when you upload so others can admire what you’ve done.

Now, I am going to write something down so I will feel compelled to do everything in my power to make it consistent with Soom Foods’ image.

-Our website will have an interactive recipe database.  Where Soom Foods’ consoomers (ooooooh. Thought of that on the spot, just now, and I like it) can share recipes with pictures.  Maybe have like buttons? Upvotes- so the most liked recipes can be at the top? (Idea from Betterific. An awesome website.) 

Woah. Not going to lie, I actually just got very excited.  The possibilities are flowing.  It’s been stated- now’s the time for me to take the steps to be consistent with my commitment!