Joe Carr of Serenity Kids: Five Strategies Our Company Is Using To Tackle Climate Change & Become More Sustainable

Vote with Dollars. — We talk with Della about the products we buy, and why we buy certain brands over others. We teach her about recyclable packaging, sustainable ingredients, and responsible corporate practices.

As part of our series about how companies are becoming more sustainable, we had the pleasure of interviewing Joe Carr.

Joe Carr is the co-founder and President of Serenity Kids, the fastest growing shelf-stable baby food brand on the market. Joe is a certified life coach and educator devoted to social justice activism. As an autism activist and proponent of the Paleo diet, Joe serves on the Advisory Board for Autism Hope Alliance and works with other autistic adults and youth to help them harness their gifts and genuinely believes that food is medicine. He is also active with the ManKind Project helping men develop power with compassion. As President and co-founder of Serenity Kids, Joe oversees day-to-day operations and leads sales to transform the baby food industry for the better.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

One life-changing event that led me to building Serenity Kids with my wife, Serenity, was an important lesson I learned in middle school.

As a kid with undiagnosed autism, I struggled with social skills and making friends. But in 7th grade, a popular girl took me under her wing. One day, I was annoying her during English class, and instead of being mean to me like most kids did, she turned to me and said, “I’m going to teach you how to be cool.” I said, “I’ll do whatever you say!” And it worked!

I learned the most important lesson of my life, that I could take feedback and become better. I wasn’t stuck being any certain way. By striving to constantly learn, adapt, and grow, I could improve my life and the lives of others around me.

My difficult childhood left me inspired to make the world a better place for kids. In addition to changing myself, I soon learned that I could also help change the world! So when we discovered how bad the current baby food on the market was, we had the courage and commitment to do something about it. I’ve also always had a special place in my heart for the environment. I started an environmental club in high school and helped implement a school-wide recycling program that continues to this day. In college I sat in trees and chained myself to bulldozers to prevent old growth logging. So our company having an environmental mission was also important to me from the start.

What is the mission of your company? What problems are you aiming to solve?

Our mission is to make the world healthier by offering nutrient-dense foods that taste great to kids, are convenient for parents, regenerate the planet and improve the lives of all involved. We want to create a new generation of healthy humans, and leave them a healthy planet to inherit. We also know first hand how hard parenting is, especially when trying to have a focus on health and wellness in a culture bombarded with sugar and processed foods marketed to kids. So we also want our products to make life easier for parents like us. Regenerative agriculture is one of the biggest tools we have to reverse climate change, which also produces ultra healthy meat, a better life for animals, and sustainable income for farmers. So we’re also dedicated to spreading the word about this important movement and including regenerative meats in our products.

Can you tell our readers about the initiatives that you or your company are taking to address climate change or sustainability? Can you give an example for each?

Sustainability has always been a part of our mission at Serenity Kids. We can’t genuinely support the health of babies and not also help heal the planet they will inherit. We believe that if we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem, so as an institution with power, influence, and resources we have a responsibility and a passion to make our world better.

Healthy meat comes from healthy animals which come from healthy ecosystems, therefore the regeneratively farmed meat we source is not only better for babies, but better for the planet. Regenerative agricultural techniques increase soil microbial growth, reduce runoff, and sequester carbon to reverse climate change.

We utilize our marketing resources and partner with Land to Market to educate consumers about the importance that animals play in rebuilding our ecosystems. Savory Institute’s Land to Market Verification Program is the world’s first outcomes-based verified regenerative sourcing solution. Serenity Kids has supported the network in regenerating over 188,000 acres of rangeland across the United States by sourcing regenerative grass-fed and grass-finished beef & bison. Serenity Kids also only sources organic vegetables and herbs from American farms to support soil health and an improved environment for the future.

Additionally, the flexible pouches we use for our baby food purees have a much lower carbon footprint than the old school glass jars, it takes 25 times more fuel to transport jars compared to pouches. Additionally our pouch producer runs on Solar power and sells power back to the grid, producing more than they use. We partner with TerraCycle to allow customers to recycle our used pouches for free, and our boxes are made from post consumer recycled materials. Serenity Kids also has an established partnership with Healthier America and Land to Market, a non-profit that certifies products that support environmental health by sourcing through farms that use regenerative agriculture.

Most recently, Serenity Kids was awarded Whole Foods’ 2021 Environmental Stewardship Supplier Award as a result of the brand’s established environmentally conscious business methods and models, such as reducing carbon footprint and incorporating eco-friendly packaging.

How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?

This is a tricky question. Because on the surface, it would seem that environmental missions and profitability are opposing forces, however, I think it all comes down to integrity. One of the keys to the success of our products has been the trust we’ve built with consumers, because they can feel that we never cut corners. Having an environmental mission is part of that 100% integrity, the infallibility of our products and processes, which gives us an advantage to the competition. It also builds loyalty which leads to repurchase rates and longer lifetime value. Additionally, research has shown millennial, natural, and higher income consumers will all pay more for products that have environmental missions.

The youth led climate strikes of September 2019 showed an impressive degree of activism and initiative by young people on behalf of climate change. This was great, and there is still plenty that needs to be done. In your opinion, what are 5 things parents should do to inspire the next generation to become engaged in sustainability and the environmental movement? Please give a story or an example for each.

You are what you eat. — We are a part of the planet and its ecosystem. What we eat and how we treat our bodies affects the planet! We talk about food all the time with our daughter, teaching her about macronutrients and various healthy food sources. For instance, at 4 years old she fully understands that she needs to eat protein if she’s going to eat sugar, and that meat is the best source of protein. She can tell you what is protein, what is fat, and what is a carb. This may not seem directly connected to sustainability, but we believe that this kind of attention on her own body needs creates the mindset that will have her consider the planet’s needs.

Support local farmers, be connected to food production. — We regularly take Della to local farmers markets because we feel strongly that it’s important for her to appreciate their hard work and be able to meet the farmers that work so diligently to harvest crops. Every year since she was born, she has attended our local turkey harvest the week before Thanksgiving. This has led to healthy conversations about the death and life cycle, and normalizes the idea that meat comes from animals, which can be challenging for a child to understand.

Create Food (garden). — There’s nothing better than gardening with kids! We have had a vegetable garden in our backyard, and we only send Della to schools that have gardens. In addition to creating delicious healthy food with the lowest carbon footprint possible, it also helps her directly connect to her food source.

Spend time in Nature. — We love hiking as a family, and are blessed to be surrounded by wonderful trails. I take Della on daddy-daughter camping trips a few times a year (sometimes with other dads and daughters) and we take at least one wilderness family vacation every year. Last year we stayed in an RV in Yellowstone and Della had a blast!

Vote with Dollars. — We talk with Della about the products we buy, and why we buy certain brands over others. We teach her about recyclable packaging, sustainable ingredients, and responsible corporate practices.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

It’s going to take as long as it takes

I’m pretty sure people did actually tell me this one, but I didn’t really believe it. They said launching in a year would be lightning speed, and I said we’d do it in 6 months! 2.5 years later, after many failed production runs, delayed launches, and unhappy pre-order customers, we finally launched our products, the same day our daughter was born. It was always meant to be that day! We’ve grown like a rocket ship ever since then because we had that critical time to build the brand and our team, so we were ready. My only regret is how much I suffered during that time wishing it was faster and getting so frustrated with every delay. Now when delays happen, I accept them and trust that it’s all part of the process and it will happen when the time is right, while still pushing as hard as we can to keep it moving.

Hiring, firing, and performance reviews will be the hardest part of the job

I thought I had great people skills. I thought relationship management would be a breeze. Nope. The management side has been the most stressful part of this journey, but has also been the ticket to our success. Nothing would have been possible without our amazing team, and I couldn’t be more proud of them. So even though it can be challenging, it’s actually the most important work we do. And is also what has brought me the most growth as a leader.

It’s lonely at the top

I’m so fortunate to be on this journey with my wife, so we at least have each other! I didn’t think about the fact that I would no longer have coworker friends. I certainly like the people I work with, but since I’m the boss there is a certain limitation to our social connection. No one in the company can really understand or relate to our struggles, and that can be very lonely.

People will always complain

We have put an enormous amount of time, energy and money into building a fabulous company culture, but we of course cannot please everyone. At first we took criticism about the way we decide to run our business personally, but over time we realized that this wasn’t about how good or bad of leaders we are, it’s because there’s always room for improvement. We actively encourage people to speak up about their feelings and needs. Continued collaboration with our team allows us to continue doing our best to build a great culture and grow as leaders.

Never beg

At first I thought I had to convince people to work for us, to invest in us, or to carry our products. When actually people were eager to be involved in a company like ours! My interviewing and pitching became more and more fun and effective when I approached them with that perspective.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Well, I certainly wouldn’t be here without my wife and co-founder Serenity, who continually inspires me to grow and really helps manage all the details and follow through needed for the company. We have a legal advisor who started with us very early on and has become a personal and professional mentor around business culture, fundraising, and so much more.

We also have an important group of fellow entrepreneurs who have become key advisors. They’ve been in very similar shoes and their experience, advice, and friendship is invaluable in helping us grow and also helping us avoid mistakes that they’ve made. Two co-founder couples in particular are Taylor and Katie of EPIC Bar and Matt and Lizzi of Birch Benders.

You are a person of great influence and doing some great things for the world! If you could inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

The movement that I want to build and believe I am building is for people to believe in themselves. I want to teach children to believe in themselves and I want to create workplaces that believe in their staff and empower them to create.

To do this I believe that we should all be encouraging people to become bigger and grow, not fostering judgment or competition. This all starts from a young age — we need to revolutionize our educational system to build this encouragement and confidence in children, and remake the workplace to inspire and bring out the best in adults.

Do you have a favorite life lesson quote? Can you tell us how that was relevant to you in your own life?

I have three quotes to share, all have a similar meaning that is key to the founding and success of our company:

“In your greatest wound, lies your greatest gift.” — Carl Young

My wife had a number of health challenges as a child that she healed through food, and I had a tough childhood due to undiagnosed autism. These wounds served as inspiration for us to create a company that helps kids through food.

“Things don’t happen to me, they happen FOR me.” — Vanessa Stone

This helps to reframe challenges in the business (like our very delayed launch) in such a way that reminds us that we aren’t victims. Everything that happens is an opportunity to grow and improve.

“The obstacle is the way.” — Ryan Holiday

This helps to remind me that if this was easy, somebody would have done it already. Rather than getting frustrated by obstacles that are in my way on the path to doing something really innovative and hard, I remember that these are part of the journey, and getting past them is the way to success that hasn’t yet been realized.

What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?

To learn more about Serenity Kids, check out our website at www.myserenitykids.com or follow us on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook at @myserenitykids.

This was so inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!