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Once Upon a Farm IPO: Co-founders Jennifer Garner and Cassandra Curtis bring the children’s organic food company public, after revolutionizing the industry

Photo courtesy of Once Upon a Farm

February 6, 2026

When it comes to baby food, nothing much had changed in nearly a century. Since the advent of shelf-stable baby food jars in the early 20th century, the category remained largely the same, with limited fresh, refrigerated options. Enter Once Upon a Farm. Since 2015 they’ve disrupted the status quo. Today, the organic, refrigerated children’s food company goes public in a milestone moment that celebrates both business success and deeper purpose, setting the standard for an entire industry in the process.

The Female Quotient CEO and Founder, Shelley Zalis, spoke with co-founders Cassandra Curtis and Jennifer Garner about their journey from kitchen beginnings to the New York Stock Exchange, the company’s mission, and what this IPO means for purpose-led, female-founded brands.

 

 

Shelley Zalis: Oh my God, what a moment! How excited are you?

Jennifer Garner: We are so excited. This is a huge day for our company and everyone who works here. It’s about driving our mission forward in a bigger way.

SZ: This is such a monumental moment, not just for Once Upon a Farm, but for women founders everywhere. Beyond the numbers, what does this IPO say about what a purpose-led, women-founded company can achieve at the highest level?

JG: It shows that mission and excellence are not mutually exclusive. Cassandra started this tiny company when she saw a need in the market. She could buy refrigerated foods for her cats and dogs but not for her baby! She is such a courageous founder. We're all here because of the clarity of Cassandra's vision. She's always seen this as a huge opportunity to change and shape the future of food, for babies to big kids.

SZ: Cassandra, let’s go back to the beginning. You were making baby food in your kitchen. What made you realize this wasn’t just for your family, but something you needed to change for all parents?

Cassandra Curtis: Going through the process of what it took to actually make my own baby food, I realized that this had to be a need for many other parents out there. Shelf stable baby food had been the norm since 1927. I saw there was a big need to bring in better nutrition, more functionality, and a convenient pouch format that really solved a problem I knew other parents were facing as well.  

It takes a lot of courage and tenacity because we were working towards creating a marketplace that didn't even exist. My kids were a huge inspiration. I wanted to provide them with the most nutritious food possible. 

SZ: You weren’t just creating better baby food, you were redefining what baby food could be.

CC: Exactly. We were the first baby food on the market to come out with HPP, high pressure processing, which makes our food unique. We're also the first to be clean label project verified, and the first to be EFI certified with a lot of our produce, as well as the first refrigerated baby food on the market. We have definitely been disruptors in pretty much anything that we do.

SZ: Jen, you’re a parent who personally experienced this gap. What made you want to join Cassandra on this mission?

JG: I was one of those moms struggling to make nutritious food. Unlike Cassandra, it never occurred to me to start a business from it, but when I heard her vision, it was a huge, resounding “Yes!”. We aim to be allies for parents. It has to have fresh ingredients and be nutritious but if it doesn't taste great we're not really helping parents out. Kids are tough critics, they don't play around. And we didn’t stop at babies, now we’re innovating up into lunchbox solutions for big kids too.

SZ: What are the pillars that have guided your growth?

JG: At Once Upon a Farm, we’ve always stood on three pillars:

  1. Superior nutrition: what’s in the food matters.
  2. Clean, real ingredients: nothing that doesn’t belong and we drive improvements daily in childhood nutrition.
  3. Great taste: because kids actually have to eat it.

If it doesn’t taste great, we aren’t really serving parents or kids. 

SZ: You’re public now, and you remain purpose-led. How do you protect the soul of the company while scaling?

JG: That’s exactly why we chose this moment to go public. We wanted a structure that lets us scale but keeps our mission front and center. From day one, parents have trusted us and we take that incredibly seriously. We want to grow with families from baby to big kid, and maintain the integrity of our nutrition, ingredients, and community commitment.

It’s also important to us to give back, like partnering with Save the Children to provide over a million meals to kids in underserved communities. We treat farmers right through EFI certification and do our best to take care of our employees. That’s who we are and we’re all committed to our mission.

SZ: I see so much mutual admiration between you both. What makes your co-founder partnership work so well?

JG: We share a sense of humor, thank goodness. We complement each other. None of us tries to be the other person, and we value everyone’s input, especially John Foraker, our CEO. There’s mutual respect across the whole leadership team.

SZ: Purpose-led companies weren’t always taken seriously. But here you are thriving. What does that mean for the future of mission-driven business?

CC: Values-driven and doing well financially aren’t opposed, they reinforce each other. We knew there was a bigger opportunity in children’s nutrition, and now we have the platform to drive systemic improvement in childhood nutrition for a happier and healthier world.

SZ: If you had to share one piece of advice for the women in business in The Female Quotient community, what would it be?

CC: Follow your heart and don't give up. Bring in the right people along the way. It takes a lot of people to scale a company. Don't be afraid of letting go of some control to make your mission happen.

 

 

As the Once Upon a Farm team rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, February 6, it was much more than a financial milestone. Two women founders reimagined an industry, drove trust, and scaled with integrity. Now, as a public company, they are poised to lead on nutrition, innovation, and purpose. After all, doing good and doing well go hand in hand.