What makes a powerful woman? When I'm asked this question, I often think of qualities exhibited by the important women in my own life. Willing to sacrifice her own needs for the wellbeing of others. Intuitive, and always thinking of the larger picture. And perhaps most of all: someone who is willing to be unapologetically herself.
It also takes a lot of gusto to be a powerful woman working in the food industry. For Ali Bonar, the San Diego-based face behind Kween Co. foods, being a woman in food is something born out of challenge and adversity. Bonar struggled with disordered eating for several years during her early adulthood until receiving treatment at 23. Like many other individuals facing disordered eating behaviors (including yours truly), her illness didn't manifest as a stereotypical desire for thinness, but more so as self doubt, insecurities around food, and an overall restrictive mindset.
Ali was able to use her story as a foundation for her future as both a woman in food and an entrepreneur. She started Kween Co. foods in 2018 as a venture with her partner, Eric. Since their launch, the brand has expanded to almost four hundred stores across the United States and maintains an extensive online following across social media. Although Ali jokes that she never really imagined herself as an entrepreneur, she says she found herself creating a product that customers truly wanted: something delicious, guilt-free, and almost nostalgic. This was the motivation behind her signature product: granola butter.
Granola butter is a nut-free spread made from oats, maple syrup, coconut oil, and a blend of spices. It is free of the fourteen major allergens and provides a vegan, gluten-free alternative to many conventional nut butters on the market. It's not just a funky and fun product, but it's also a viable option for people who can't eat popular spreads. This includes kids in nut-free schools or people with allergies. It honestly tastes like the remains of Cinnamon Toast Crunch breakfast cereal (i.e., so. friggin. good.)
Kween Co.'s granola butter might be an outlier on the market, but it doesn't make the process of being a business owner any easier for Ali. She's constantly bombarded by masculine ideals of the "businessperson" and what the "founder" of a company should look like. "I was in an investor meeting once and all of the [male] investors kept directing their questions towards Eric instead of me. Although Eric would redirect the questions to me, it was clear that the buyer had more interest in what my male partner had to say than what I had to say," she remarks. It's these microaggressions that women in the food industry have to deal with all the time that make it an emotionally draining experience, and often turn many people away from working in food business all together.
But not Ali. Besides launching an incredibly successful company, she's also started a popular podcast. For her, it's all about telling a story and inspiring others to get up and do rather than take a back seat. While she admits that the process of building her brand and launching wasn't easy, she recommends that other people with similar business ideas (especially women) just take a leap of faith. "My best piece of advice would be to launch, even when you don't think you're ready," she says. "Even if it sounds cliche, it's true. As a woman, we often like to make sure everything is perfect and type-A before we stamp our name on it. But figuring it out as you go is a step in the process. The more you sit on an idea, the more likely you are to back out of it, or have someone else take your idea."
Besides continuing to expand her granola-butter-empire, Ali is also focused on impacting others through her product and her positive messaging. She regularly shares her story of recovery with her community in hopes that it will inspire others to seek treatment and support. Ali also hopes her brand's story reaches people individually so that they might feel compelled to start similar businesses of their own.
"Don't start a business because it's ~trendy~ or it looks cool on Instagram. I haven't paid myself in two years; this sh*t ain't easy," she says. "You need to be passionate and willing to sacrifice a lot- but that doesn't mean it's all bad. It's the most rewarding, challenging, and incredible thing I've ever done."
Hungry for more?
You can follow Ali on Instagram at @avokween.