Bringing healthier foods to busy professionals
After months of research and refining their ideas, the students participating in Demo Day at the Entrepreneurship at Cornell Celebration are nearly ready for the April 13 event. One of them is Ian P. Cairns MBA ’24, the solo founder of cair fare, a company that helps professionals with busy schedules incorporate healthier meals into their lives.
“We make and deliver the most essential parts of the meal — the nutritious plant-based proteins and sauce — while you gather the other ingredients,” Cairns said. “Then, within 29 minutes or less, Michelin chefs help you cook meals to get you through the week during a live cooking experience.”
At first, Cairns, who has worked at Michelin Star restaurants, will conduct the cooking experiences via Zoom. “As the company grows, I will tap into my network of chefs and get them to participate as well, by contracting them or bringing them on full time,” Cairns said.
Cairns and other chefs would be available for the experience through Zoom or a similar platform. Video recordings would also be available for anyone who can’t attend the live experience in addition to basic cooking skills videos.
“The combination of MBA coursework and recruiting left me with no time, and I couldn’t even cook for myself,” Cairns said.
Along with the proteins and sauce provided by cair fare, customers will receive shopping lists for ingredients to make side dishes. The cooking experience will teach the customer to make the entire meal.
“I am working toward a digital integration so if the customer wants to purchase everything on the shopping list via a delivery service, they can do so seamlessly,” Cairns said.
Through his research, Cairns found that customers prefer the flexibility to buy their own ingredients. They’re able to find better deals and higher quality produce and purchase substitutes to meet their dietary needs.
Cairns came up with the idea through his own experiences.
“The combination of MBA coursework and recruiting left me with no time, and I couldn’t even cook for myself,” he said.
As a result, his mental and physical health suffered. He noticed his colleagues sharing the same problem.
While Cairns is a solo founder, he’s had a variety of help to refine his concept. Richard Lamb, a thermal engineering alumnus, has been a business mentor. He’s also working with the Cornell Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture in Geneva.
“The eLab startup accelerator has helped refine my venture concept and given me the tools to pitch and launch my business effectively,” Cairns said. “The program has provided me with resources, mentorship and coursework that supported me from the customer discovery process to where I am now.”
Cornell faculty and research have helped propel Cairn’s venture development.
“I’ve found valuable insight from research on the interdisciplinary business of food that can be applied to my venture, and the professors are always happy to meet with me to discuss their findings, brainstorm solutions or connect me to alums,” Cairns said.
The Santa Barbara, Calif. native is a culinary professional, earning accolades and working at three Michelin-starred restaurants (Noma, Alinea and The French Laundry) prior to his arrival at Cornell.
He said he came to Cornell to focus on the intersection of food business and sustainability while leveraging the university’s strengths in food science, agriculture and human ecology.
“Over 30% of college students are food insecure, dramatically affecting their health and academic performance,” Cairns said. “I want to create more food products and services that promote a healthy lifestyle while helping alleviate food insecurity at universities.”
eLab Demo Day takes place April 13 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Statler Auditorium.
Written by Jesse Osbourne
Strategic Communications at Cornell University
