Interviews

Robert Nissenbaum: President of Imagine Foods

What inspired you to start a natural foods company?
In 1971, I became personally interested in natural foods and a more natural lifestyle including yoga, organic gardening, etc. Living in the Midwest at the time, it was almost impossible to find any organic food products, so I started a natural food store and later a natural foods restaurant in St. Louis. By 1980 there were still very few natural food products being manufactured. I had a lot of product ideas and felt manufacturing products was what I wanted to do next. Imagine Foods was founded in 1982.

What challenges did you face early on trying to get your company off the ground?
First there were the manufacturing challenges. I had in mind manufacturing the highest quality natural food products. Taking my ideas from basically more of a kitchen scale to high volume commercial food plant production was often very difficult.

On the financial side, we pretty much had the same challenges of any small business. As a business grows, you need money to finance the growth. Natural foods and a vegetarian diet were not very popular ideas twenty years ago, so when we approached banks, it was difficult for them to grasp the concept of how our business could be successful.

At what point do you feel your company really took off? What were the circumstances surrounding that time?
We took our products to an early natural foods industry trade show. We were a very small regional company. One of our initial products, Rice Dream frozen dessert, was a big hit and distributors all over the US wanted to buy it from us. That was the initial turning point.

How do you feel about the trend we're seeing of natural foods companies being bought out by larger, non-natural foods companies?
Part of me misses the idealistic, low key earlier days of the small natural foods marketplace. Because of the overwhelming financial success of the last few years, the natural food industry is merging with the grocery industry and is now being driven by people and companies getting involved mainly for financial interests. I can accept that as the natural evolution of things, but it is not as much fun as it originally was.

On the other hand, the original goal of many of us who founded the industry, was to eventually bring natural and organic foods to mainstream America. This was critical from both a personal health and environmental point of view. And that goal is coming to fruition. Organic food, vegetarian food, and natural healing through better nutrition are all becoming acceptable ideas, even in vogue in more progressive areas of the country. The involvement of the non-natural food companies who have bought their way into the natural foods marketplace because of the financial perspective, will enable organic and natural products to become more widely accepted in mainstream America. So that is the good part.

How would you compare today's market for natural foods to the market 20 years ago, and where do you think we'll be 20 years from now in terms of natural foods?
Some of this I addressed above, but the progress in the last 20 years is astounding. It would have been hard to conceive how much has happened, especially along the lines of the conversion to organic agriculture, culminating with the new USDA organic regulations this fall.

The mainstream food companies like Kraft, General Mills, etc. will ultimately own most of the large natural products brands and grocery chains like Safeway will probably also own the retailers like Whole Foods and Wild Oats. The mainstream companies will cut costs and some quality out of the system. I think those people who recognize real food quality will seek more regionally grown and minimally processed organic food products.

Who's the genius who came up with the Soy Dream ice creams and Li'l Dreamers?
The Soy Dream ice cream line was really the work of many people both in and outside of Imagine. I had wanted to make a soy ice cream and also non-dairy ice cream sandwich for many years.

What can we expect from Imagine Foods in the next 5 years?
Well, we have to have a few trade secrets, but I will say that we will have some great additions to our organic soup and broth lines next year. And we will introduce some creative additions to our non-dairy beverage and frozen dessert products in the coming years.

What is the most rewarding aspect of running Imagine Foods?
On a daily basis, I just enjoy working with people in a business that I think has brought some help and convenience to people trying to change to a healthier diet and lifestyle, which is difficult in our fast paced world.

What would you most like the public to know about you and Imagine Foods?
The company was founded 20 years ago based on my vision of manufacturing the highest quality organic and natural food products we could produce on a large commercial scale. Though the company has grown tremendously in that time, we still adhere to those same quality standards. It is very challenging in today's marketplace, but we have a dedicated group of people who still strive towards that goal.

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