We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle May a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
In 2017, I created a new category in the snack food market with Space Ice Kream, the world’s first and only dairy-free, freeze dried ice cream. My company, Seva Foods, uses high quality ingredients and innovative preservation methods to create products that are great-tasting, healthy and eco-friendly. By creating a better way to snack, Seva Foods is helping people get the nutrients they need, which can be challenging with a modern diet.
Space Ice Kream has the rich flavor and creamy texture of conventional ice cream but requires no refrigeration and is shelf-stable for up to 35 years. The freeze-drying process also preserves up to 95% of the nutrients. Because Space Ice Kream is made from plants instead of dairy, people that have a lactose intolerance or allergy (roughly half of the population) can enjoy it.
Our line of Coconut Jerky also comes from plants, but has a surprisingly meaty texture. Coconut Jerky requires three times less water to produce than beef jerky and provides an abundance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients not found in conventional jerky.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
In 2017, I launched Seva Foods to help people get the nutrients they need, which is challenging with modern diet. We’ve created a better way to snack, by using high quality ingredients and innovative preservation methods to create products that taste great, are healthy, ultra-lightweight and eco-friendly too. All of our products are Organic, Non-GMO, Soy-Free, Gluten-Free and Vegan, with no refined sugar, added oils or preservatives and just an average 100 calories per serving.
I’ve been a passionate foodie since I was a little girl. I grew up near Houston, going to the Johnson Space Center and was always most excited about getting Astronaut Ice Cream from the gift shop. That experience inspired me to create our best-selling product, Space Ice Kream. My background is as a recipe developer, nutrition coach and private chef. I’m a graduate of culinary and nutrition programs and am certified in Plant-Based Nutrition through Cornell University.
From the early days, experimenting in my home kitchen to manufacturing in our commercial facility, I’ve dedicated the past 4 years to sourcing the best ingredients, perfecting our recipes, methods and packaging.
I’m proud to have created a very unique product and to have had sales of almost $200k from around the world despite doing very little advertising.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
My mother in law invested $40k and I have invested $50k of my own savings. We’ve also received about $50k in grants.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
It’s been very difficult to find a co-manufacturer that works with freeze dried foods. I’ve been searching for a production partner with freeze drying capabilities since 2016 and I’m happy that after many years of looking, I have finally found a partner to help scale our products.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sevafoods.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sevafoods/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sevafoodsca/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sevafoods/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sevafoods
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj8ZcKP6-ZoR8-z5gFhDXtA
- Other: https://sevafoods.com/pages/media-kit https://sevafoods.com/pages/michelle-may