Closer Look
Kellan Navarre
Age: 23
Education: Sociology and anthropology degree, Lewis & Clark College
Company: Goddess Mousse
What the company does: Makes plant-based, maple-sweetened chocolate mousse from organic, fair trade, locally sourced and Oregon harvested ingredients.
Founded: 2020
Any other outside funding? $4,000 in SEED grants from the Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership at Lewis & Clark College; $5,000 grant, with $5,000 renewal potential, from a member of the Bates Center’s Advisory Board
Q&A
How did your company come about? I’ve always been passionate about making healthy plant-based desserts. My vegan mousse recipe was lauded amongst friends for years. While taking an entrepreneurship course during my last semester, I had the revelation that vegan chocolate mousse was a hole in the market and I could develop my recipe into a scalable CPG product.
Why did you decide to build this startup at this time? Graduating into a pandemic dealt a unique opportunity. Timing and instinct felt aligned. With wellness at the collective forefront, consumers relying on food products for leisure, and burgeoning plant-based trends, I identified Goddess Mousse as a promising fit for the market.
What is your ultimate vision for your company? I aspire to innovate the plant-based dessert category, scale Goddess Mousse with High Pressure Processing packaging technology, become a nationally distributed brand, and ultimately reinvest in the Pacific Northwest food economy.
Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur? The entrepreneurial matriarchs in my family were an early inspiration for creativity and work ethic. In college, I studied social worlds and cultivated a passion for the political economy of food. I believe that a well-developed product has the potential to uplift and inspire a cultural niche, while contributing to a ripple effect of change within the food system.
Do you ever feel like you are missing out on anything because you are following this path at such a young age? Sometimes I prioritize my business to-do list above self-care or social fun. Laser focus can obscure the holistic picture of sustained growth and longevity. I’m learning that balance, curiosity, and playfulness ground a diligent venture.
What are you most excited about for your future? Beyond being on grocery store shelves and in shoppers’ baskets, I endeavor for Goddess Mousse to offer an experience where nourishment, indulgence, and reduced carbon footprint coexist. I hope my product helps consumers reimagine their relationship with their bodies and the earth in a way that promotes wellbeing.
