Cardiologist Elizabeth Klödas spent 15 years perfecting her recipe for a whole grain and fruit sprinkle that could improve the health and nutrition of her family and patients. But it wasn’t until her path crossed with food industry veterans Eleanor Ansari and Barbara Birr that her Fibré sprinkle entered a larger market.
The three partners bring uniquely relevant experience to the table—Ansari in restaurants, Birr in grocery, and Klodas in medicine—as well as an enthusiasm for natural foods. They united to sell a product that tastes good, is easy to incorporate into the diet, and provides medically vetted health benefits. Packed with fiber, heart-healthy omega-3 fats, and antioxidants, Fibré meets those goals by helping to prevent cardiovascular disease.
After forming Klödas Foods in 2006, the trio spent a year developing and fine-tuning Fibré. They started selling the sprinkle in fall 2007 on the Internet, at grocery stores, and health food shops. Klödas Foods completed its first year with $100,000 in Fibré sales.
Ansari believes the Minnesota Cup encouraged her team to think big. Instead of focusing just on Fibré, they are developing a larger portfolio of brands for a medical foods company.
“We’ve crossed the bridge from creating a brand to creating a company,” Ansari says. “The competition gave us a discipline and a vision for achieving our goals.”
