“Some calories are addictive, others healing, some fattening, some metabolism-boosting. That’s because food doesn’t just contain calories, it contains information.”—Sakara Life.

Many of us struggle to be fitter and lose weight, yet most programs providing us with the possibility are too broad and info-lacking. Such fitness plans can negatively affect our health, as no two bodies are alike.

What we need is a customized diet and lifestyle to keep ourselves healthy and well-functioning.

Sakara Life aims to keep its customers slim and fit and inform them about what their body truly needs. Ultimately, the objective is to show people how plant-based meals and supplements contain all the nutrients required for maintaining a healthy body and mind.

The founders of Sakara Life - Danielle DuBoise and Whitney Tingle - are living proof of how well-coordinated meal plans boost your health and turn your life around.

A Personal Problem Turned Into a Global Solution

The story of Sakara started in 2011 when its roots began growing. But, as its founders Whitney and Danielle like to say, the establishment of this company started way back in 7th grade, when they met.

The idea for the company was born out of the personal health problems both founders faced before starting the company. They shared an apartment in New York, leading two different paths, yet both lived very hectic lives.

The fast-paced way of life made them feel uncomfortable in their bodies, and no matter the changes in their diets, the results were lacking. Soon enough, their health started to affect every area of their lives.

Once they discovered the answers, they decided to set up Sakara Life, bringing it to realization and sharing the solutions with the world.

How It All Started

Both of the founders had very different career paths before Sakara. Whitney worked in finance and was establishing the foundation needed to start a small business further along the way. Her main aim was to gain more knowledge in the field, but everything she learned was at the expense of her health.

Danielle, on the other hand, had herself focused on conventional medicine after college. And starting from herself, Danielle didn’t consider traditional medicine the one people needed but the one they had to use to feel better.

With a switch from medicine to nutritionism, she geared herself toward natural resources for healing. Shortly after, the collaboration with Whitney led to the birth of a new venture - and their combined experience only made things easier.

And then, Sakara Came to Be

Both of the founders' paths collided at the exact moment it was a necessity to start Sakara. With a great team of investors and food experts, these aspiring entrepreneurs could realize the idea behind Sakara Life in no time.

Sakara means to manifest thoughts into things - the company's aim from day one. And the customers of Sakara can do precisely that - manifest the dream body and wellbeing they always dreamed of.

Of course, mantra alone won’t grant you the body of a supermodel. Therefore, the next step was providing people with the tools for regaining control of their health.

All the products offered are plant-based and organic but equally delicious. They also provide all the nutrients a healthy body needs since combining the right plants and grains gives astonishing results.

Health is the essence of our well-being, and balanced nutrition does miracles for it.

What Sakara Life Aspires to Do

The health of our planet is as important as our own. That is where the initiative of plant-based products started in Sakara, as protecting the environment means we are protecting ourselves.

So, let’s talk sustainability. Zero carbon footprint is lightning years away, but one small step for man is a giant leap for humankind, right? With this in mind, the product packaging, food waste, and sourcing process are controlled and environmentally friendly.

The company is not just a health consulting platform; it's a lifestyle. Health means something far beyond what you eat - it is what you read, who you interact with, what you listen to, and everything else you absorb during your day. By spreading the mentality and idea of Sakara Life, the founders are aiming toward a healthy mind as an essential part of our well-being.

Even though Sakara delivers only within the US, it endeavors to teach people about the Sakara lifestyle by providing recipes, podcasts, and other information.

Food as Medicine

Sakara Life works with a group of doctors specializing in healthy nutrition and its effects on our bodies.

Dr. Shebani Sethis, the founding director of the Stanford University School of Medicine’s Metabolic Psychiatry Program, has immensely contributed to Sakara Life. Through consulting and improvements, Sakara meals, products, and individual nourishment plans undergo constant updates and customizing.

All of the meals and supplements are organic, whole-food, and plant-based. The company has developed nine pillars of nutrition, which aid each customer's food consumption and health level. Aligning the pillars to the correct use has promising results for the customer, designing the diet just for their needs.

Organic Market Competition

The challenge this company initially faced was the rapid expansion of the plant-based and organic industry. Suddenly, everyone became aware of the importance of healthy nutrition and began eating accordingly. Plant-based meal-kit delivery companies started to pop out of nowhere.

Trying to make a difference in a saturated industry was quite a struggle. But, trying to inform the vast population about what this company actually stood for - physical and mental health - helped the company to climb the staircase to success.

Misconceptions about healthy eating and lifestyle are still among the general public. But that is why companies such as Sakara Life are here to help inform people to make wiser lifestyle decisions and eat healthier.

Funding and IPO

The $4.8 million raised in 2015 has set the company on a path to further financial development. Thanks to the funding by Priceline CEO Jeff Boyd and CFO Bob Mylod as lead investors, combined with the partnership with Soul Cycle and Tata Harper, Sakara Life placed itself on the list of 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30 Retail and E-Commerce.

The last funding round was held on 24th March 2021, when investors raised $15 million. Since fresh food meal-kit delivery is seeing remarkable growth, the $4.7 billion industry in 2017 has grown into an $11 billion one in 2021. Sakara’s CPG has seen an incredible 200% increase in the last two years.

Whitney and Danielle’s impeccable idea of Sakara Life wouldn’t have become a reality without investors believing in it. Today, the company has seven investors, with Silas Capital and Robert Mylod Jr. as lead investors and a total funding amount of around $20 million.

Sakara Life's Future Plans

Since gaining popularity, Sakara Life has become a one-stop shop for celebrities, especially for models whose diets should be nourishing yet maintain their weight and figure. Because of its convenience, Sakara is also becoming standard among people who want the accessibility of fast food, but with all the benefits of vegan, organic, custom-made meals.

The future of our planet is in the hands of people like Whitney and Danielle - established companies that would work not only for the individual benefit but contribute to the broader good.

As of now, Sakara Life offers meal plans, supplements, and snacks. Still, we can expect to see this plant-based food business further grow and expand its products and reach.