Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Bullock.
Hi Aaron, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I really wanted to start this with a Steve Martin line… But… I started my professional career in the business side of the music business, first in promotions and then in A&R. Then, I evolved into film and TV production. After a while, I turned my attention away from the creative arts and toward the healing arts. I became a Naturopath and built a thriving concierge preventative healthcare company. Along the way, I met one of the best bass players I know (at the time, Barry Manilow’s Bass player) who also had a passion for plant-based food and later got himself trained as a top vegan chef and food coach. I was able to entice him to work with me in my efforts to heal our world with natural medicine. Sometime after I’d made the decision to retire from healthcare and become a father, Ian invited me on this next adventure, healing our world with food. That is the poetic answer to how Misha’s Kind Foods was born. The lay answer is that we worked tirelessly to make the best artisan dairy-free aged cheese the world had ever seen and then the refrigerator broke… That is how Misha’s was actually born. Everything beyond that moment has been tenacious, strategic, teary-eyed hard work.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
NO! It has in no way been a smooth road. It has been a crooked, spiraling road laden with bumps and crags, valleys and mountains. Refrigerators broke, blenders burned out by the tens, processes failed, people quit, sleep was lost (wait, what is sleep?). We stumbled. Every possible thing you could imagine went wrong except a few things: The cheese was consistently good. Ian and I were unbending in our determination. And, one by one our ever more dedicated team continued to coalesce and grow. I was new to the food industry. As such, I had a steep learning curve. This is the most challenging industry I have tackled. I had to evolve my strategies. I had to learn new management skills. Ian had to hone his skill in the kitchen and teach himself the very foreign and difficult ways of a commercial chef. So far, all worth it. This has been my most rewarding (second only to being a father) adventure yet.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Misha’s Kind Foods?
Misha’s was founded in 2015 and is now, proudly, a certified B-Corp. We make the best dairy-free, plant-based dairy products in the WORLD! At this moment, we are best known for our cream cheeses. What sets us apart from our competition is that we simply make cheese the old-fashioned way. (Well, the old fashioned way without dairy-milk) We go out of our way to make cheese. Cheese that tastes and feels like cheese. Cheese for everyone. We make Real Cheese. No Dairy. I am most proud that we can actually say that we make a truth full, clean and healthier product. I’m proud of many things about Misha’s. I’m proud of our B-Corp certification. I’m proud of our mission to be kind to the world we live in and the people who share it with us. I’m incredibly proud of our team. They are by far and wide the best team of people I have ever worked with. I’m also very proud of our non-profit arm, Misha’s Kindness and all of the ways that we give back including our Feed Our Family Program through which every week we provide several local families more than a week’s worth of health farm to table food. I want your readers to know that our cheeses are made for them. No matter the reason, they might be interested in dairy-free cheese. If they are vegan, dairy-intolerant, health-conscious, kosher… Whatever their reason, Misha’s is made for them. We make the best cheese with the best ingredients and only clean, simple, healthy ingredients. No soy, no fillers, no nasty preservatives, no gums, etc. We do all of this because we love them and we want the very best for them.
What matters most to you? Why?
My three years old daughter matters most to me! I am doing everything in my grasp to help guide her into being a thoughtful, kind, conscientious, aware, active and considerate human who has agency over her body and her mind. It is also important to me that she grows up in a healthy, well-nourished and well-educated world. Helming and nurturing Misha’s is one of the ways through which seeks to accomplish this.
Pricing:
- All of our cream cheeses have an msrp of $7.99 except the Black Truffle which is $9.99 (our retail partners may have varying pricing)
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.mishaskindfoods.com
- Instagram: @mishaskindfoods
Image Credits:
Eric Kass, Craig Green
