Alumna Jennifer Newman Founds JustNosh

by CAROLINE CLACK

Most grocery stores like Safeway, Trader Joe's and Draeger’s all stock shelves and shelves of ‘nutrition bars’ meant to provide immediate or sustainable energy to their consumers. However, when Menlo alumna Jennifer Newman (‘12) took a closer look at these ‘health bars,’ she was disappointed to find that, despite the hundreds of kinds to choose from, very few were actually nourishing. Newman regularly consumed breaks, evenings and what would have been commute time on finding the perfect recipe as well as figuring out the logistics of starting a company. On Oct. 14, 2020, she launched her health bar business: JustNosh. business to ask themselves if they’re truly curious about their endeavor. “If you’re not curious about getting in the weeds, and you’re not curious about learning something everyday, then it’s not going to be sustainable,” Newman said. “Passion alone isn’t enough, but the intersection of curiosity and passion is where your gold lives.” That being said, Newman also advises potential entrepreneurs to ask for help when needed and seek to understand and learn from past people’s experiences. these bars in an attempt to tackle her digestion problems, which inspired her to dive deeper into the science of nutrition. Her desire to improve her diet inspired Newman to create her own health bar. During most of 2020, she spent lunch

JustNosh is motivated by a desire to share something people can feel good about eating in their everyday lives and to educate the community about healthy eating. According to Newman, food is information and fuel. She wants people to have access to real food they can trust.

The process of creating JustNosh wasn’t simple. Newman started by buying ingredients from Costco and cooking out of her kitchen. Her first customers were family, friends and people she met at the gym. However, Newman is dedicated to JustNosh and, looking back, has no regrets regarding her endeavor.

Newman hopes that one day, by expanding their retail footprint and portfolio, JustNosh will become a household brand, but for now, she plans on growing her business incrementally. She strives to always provide people with products made from real food while educating the community about how to make informed decisions when it comes to packaged food.

Because of how time consuming and taxing this process was for Newman, she advises people interested in starting a