Watch episode 218 with Lauren Joyner:
What does it take to become a successful vegan entrepreneur? Today’s guest can tell you. Lauren Joyner grew up, like so many people, eating a diet rich in meat, dairy, and processed foods. For her family, the queso was a staple on the dinner table. However, as an adult, working as a tech startup designer, something changed. She made the switch to a plant-based diet and began taking an interest in creating delicious, nutritious plant-based alternatives to the comfort foods she ate growing up. Fast forward to today and she’s the founder of House Party snacks—formerly known as LOCA Foods—a cheese dip company that makes transcendent plant-based queso dips capable of converting even the most staunch dairy cheese dip devotee. If you’ve been to a San Francisco Giants game recently, you might have had the great pleasure of trying one of her fabulous dips. Join us for an enlightening conversation where we discuss the ins and outs of starting a successful plant-based snack food business!
“I had no background or knowledge of the food industry. I didn’t have a background with food science. You know, I started out just genuinely trying to play around for myself. I felt that the products that were available to me in the grocery store that I was buying, and that are delicious, and that I love, they just didn’t quite capture that junk-food taste I was going after. They tasted a little bit more of a, it just had a different taste and texture, and while delicious, in and of itself, it didn’t replicate that Velveeta, that Tostitos dip that I was still craving – Lauren Joyner“