Having gone through a number of diets herself, Lauren Schwalb knows that health food can typically taste gross. She’s looking to change that with her recently launched consumer packaged good (CPG) health foods brand, which has the endorsement of two picky taste-testers – her young daughters.
Ohla! foods has won over a number of consumers, leading Schwalb to ink a deal this month to debut her products in all Central Market locations across Texas. While Schwalb said one of the most difficult parts of launching amid the pandemic was finding retail partners at a time when many were focused on keeping shelves stocked with essentials.
“It was the big break for us. We got somebody to believe in us and to believe in our products,” Schwalb said.
The idea of making healthy foods began when Schwalb had her second daughter. After having an allergic reaction, doctors told Schwalb to cut dairy and soy products from her diet. Looking at the labels of all the things in her pantry, she realized that was no easy task.
“I quickly threw in the towel, like this seems impossible,” Schwalb said. “What I found is, one, the health-food industry, it’s not as approachable. If you’re new to eating healthy, it’s kind of scary, you don’t know where to start.”
A few months later, she and her husband went on the Whole 30 diet, which helps gradually eliminate certain products. After cutting out gluten, the couple noticed a dramatic improvement in the way they felt. Schwalb said she has always been an ideas-person, so she turned to the staple of any Texas pantry: tortillas.
“I was spending all this money on health food products that don’t taste that good and weren’t functional, so at that point in time, I just said, ‘Well, I’m going to do this myself,’” Schwalb said.
When she got cooking with the concept, Ohla! started out in the family kitchen. It also takes its name from the family, with each letter (including the exclamation mark) representing the names of the family of four. Schwalb said it took about six months of tinkering after work to get the right recipe. Casava flour falls apart too easily. Chickpea flour doesn’t taste right. She ultimately landed on almond flour for the base of Ohla!’s tortilla and began testing out different iterations with coworkers, family and friends.
Everyone who tried it liked it, so toward the end of last year, Ohla! set up shop at the farmer’s market. Each day Schwalb showed up, she sold out. That led her to look towards expansion and finding a manufacturer, which she ultimately did in New Braunfels, Texas.
“I want people to understand that in order to eat healthy, you don’t have to sacrifice taste,” Schwalb said. “I don’t want people who (have dietary restrictions) to feel left out.”
With a boost from the Central Market deal, Ohla! has launched its second product: an almond flour-based chip, aptly named Ch!pOhla!. Going back to her roots as an idea-person, Schwalb said she is already cooking up a number of product ideas for Ohla! and hoping to launch two new flavors of its chip product in the next month. After that, the company will be looking for more retail partners, with a focus on Texas and the South, and a goal of becoming a national brand.
“That’s where I have fun, tinkering with the ideas that I have and making new products, so I don’t think we're stopping,” Schwalb said. “The opportunities are endless for new products.”
While Schwalb runs the company on her own, at its core Ohla! is a family business. Her daughters taste test and acted as part-time tortilla pressers while working at the farmer’s market. Her husband, who she jokingly refers to a “spreadsheet,” helps with the financials. And while Schwalb hopes Ohla! becomes a well-known name across the country, she also hopes it provides a lasting legacy for her loved ones.
“My goal is to get this in the hands of many consumers,” Schwalb said. “I see so much joy when I give my product to people and people really like it. The idea of being at retail stores and touching consumers and people outside of my network, knowing a stranger is walking down an aisle and picking up that product and connecting with it, that means something to me.”
