Ep. 148 – People Focused Leadership with Will Holsworth, CEO of The SAFE+FAIR Food Company

SAFE+FAIR is a food company that believes everyone should have safe and allergen-friendly food at affordable prices.  As many know, sometimes these types of products are quite pricey but for Will, he makes it his mission for these products to be affordable. He does this with a nimble and passionate team, a strict allergen program, and years of experience in the food industry.

Pay attention to how Will talks about his staff. I found his gratitude for his staff extremely inspiring. Will knows everything about his staff, and his team feels like one big family. Not only that, but Will talks about his amazing kids and fiancé throughout the episode and you can tell just how much he loves the people he surrounds himself with.

Will has probably some of the best advice in terms of building company culture. He knows the mission he’s in, the company he wants to run, and the impact he wants to bring to the world, and you can definitively tell in this episode, he walks the walk, and talks the talk.

About SAFE+FAIR

Over lunch one day, longtime best friends Dave Leyrer and Pete Najarian found themselves sharing food allergy frustrations. Both dads were stressed out by the lack of safe foods for their kids, Abby and Remy, who both happened to have nut allergies.

Fed up with scrutinizing labels and constantly reminding other parents to do so, Dave and Pete agreed: Safe products were hard to find or too expensive. Plus, pricey “food allergy brands” totally failed to appeal to the nut-allergic kids—much less the non-allergic ones.

Dave and Pete set out to make living with food allergies easier and more delicious for families like theirs. The founders set their sights on creating products both safe for food allergic kids AND so appealing that all kids love them.

To make products SAFE + FAIR means offering clear information and affordable prices—so whoever does the shopping can make easier, faster, more inclusive choices. And that’s how The Safe + Fair Food Company was born.

That’s our story, and we’d love to hear yours. Reach out to us on Facebook or Instagram with #safeandfair.

When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I make allergen-free food that is safe and affordable.
How do you make the foods affordable?: It’s easy to make very expensive food but it doesn’t work for everyone. We want to be thoughtful on our business model and as long as we are net positive,
GMA cost – General Administration Costs.
Toddy Rezende – COO
Jessica Callan – Brand design
Jessica Girrelli – Head of R+D
Matt Blackman – Head of school sales
Ashley Maynard – manages relationships for our copackers
Conrad Sue – Head of manufacturing
Christina Burns – Market Activation
Do you find people who have the attributes to work for Safe+Fair?: There are people who are comfortable with it, or not. If you have a family matter to go to, go for it. If I need to call you at 9pm, then it’ll just be a few minutes.
What does a CEO mean to you?: I break ties. I make the decision when there is conflict. I also need to make sure the business is operating correctly. I communicate externally, which is a real privilege.
Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today?: I had my first kid at 25. So I had to make money. When I worked hard, I got a lot of opportunities
“Don’t worry about the person next to you or behind you, just work”
How did you make the jump for entrepreneurship?: First and foremost, the most important thing in your life is to take care of your family. I had enough financial stability to make it happen. I wanted to make a great impression for my kids.
National Grocers Association
How is your allergen program?: We source our ingredients carefully, our copackers also can’t eat peanutes on the line, and we test for allergens as two different locations
You should partner with your copackers, and you shouldn’t make people uncomfortable in the relationship or it will bite you.
We have a relationship from Stanford University. Allergens are an epidemic
What does Growth mean to you?: We operate on revenue growth and customer growth.
I wear the SAFE+FAIR shirt every day because people will always ask me what it is. The best way to market is to articulate the best you can.
Be smart – only because you know what other people don’t know
Be relevant – I’m telling something that matters to you
Be inspiring – Enough so you can talk to us again
You can only be the best version of you
What type of food trends are you noticing in the industry?: Being authentic. It’s not just sugar-free, but how much sugar is in my soda.
Soom Foods
Advice: It’s better to serve one purpose, rather than hitting everything. At a small business with few folks, you can only focus on one thing
What’s the challenge the food industry has to face right now?: Margins versus healthy food. Junk food has higher margins, but healthy food is very difficult.
What is one thing in the food industry that you’d like to know more about?: I’d like to look in corners more. I wish I could see the trends from the beginnings
Owyn Protein
Supply Side West
Who inspired you to go into food?: My father was the CEO of a grocery store and got me a job at Pepsi. He made me start at the very bottom. The food industry has evolved in such an interesting way.
Pepsi young professional executive training
Any advice for someone climbing up the corporate ladder?: Just work hard, you won’t be at the same job forever. You can decide how hard you work.
What’s your favorite kitchen item?: My fiancé. She cooks everything well
Wedding Soup
Any advice for starting a food business?: It’s a good idea, don’t think that your idea is something everyone will pay for it. Think early on how you can make money off of it.
How do you find traction for a product?; Ask your kids or your loved one. Or the most objective people in your life.
Where can we find you for advice?: On LinkedIn, or Safe+Fair.com. Let the customer service know that you want to talk to me and we’ll be connected.