Pro Food Maker

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Jornae Rideaux, owner of Produce Milk, on the Pro Food Maker Podcast
Podcast Episode December 12, 2019

Ep 5: Small steps toward healthy Black communities with Jornae Rideaux of Produce Milk

Last updated on June 16th, 2021 at 02:07 am

Jornae Rideaux discusses how her public health background led to her creating Produce Milk, a vegan-friendly almond milk brand. She also talks about the importance of collaborating with other Houston, TX food entrepreneurs.

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Timestamps

[1:32]: How Jornae got started with Produce Milk. There were several months of trial and error for Jornae when she developed her almond milk recipes. 

[3:55]: Jornae’s friend, Kim, introduces her to Ella, the owner of Crumbville, which is where Jornae had her first pop-up.

[7:38]: Working with her hands is important to Jornae and is influenced by her grandfather. He finds a lot of joy working with his hands and Jornae believes that it’s his fountain of youth.

[9:39]: Jornae talks about her experience working with the community as a public health professional. 

[12:00]: How Jornae applies her MPH experience to Produce Milk. She enjoys the relationship building aspect with the community and that carries over into her business. 

[14:20]: It can be a journey being comfortable with who you are.  

[15:52]: Strategies Jornae uses for getting people, who may be initially reluctant, to try her almond milk. Samples usually help.

[17:39]: Jornae was on a quest to create almond milk that tasted good enough to enjoy on its own. A lot of plant-based milks need to be paired with something else in order to be tolerable. 

[19:06]: How Jornae prepared for her first pop-up and some of the challenges she ran into.  

[21:02]: Other business challenges and set backs. Jornae explains how helpful the SURE program was for her and her business.  

[23:06]: Some of the fears/concerns that Jornae has as an entrepreneur. Jornae’s perspective is that there’s something great on the other side of fear, so that inspires her to keep moving forward.

[25:33]: Jornae’s top resources that are helping her get to the next level in her business. 

[27:30]: The ultimate goal is to have a storefront. Jornae wants to expand her line and has plans to partner with Sweets by Blackbird owner, Abwori. 

[30:17] Jornae partnered with Kim and her husband, owners of Jinka, a turmeric paste company, to create a golden milk.   

[31:09] Jornae created Produce Milk with the intention of it being a lifestyle brand and helping people take small steps to sustainable, healthy lifestyle. In 2020, Jornae is planning to create healthy living content.

[32:27]: How can you help? Jornae is motivated by your support! 

Mentioned in this episode

Connect with Jornae Rideaux & Produce Milk

Instagram: @producemilk

Website: producemilk.com

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Ep 4: Kiano Moju, Food Video Producer, is changing food media narratives

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