Nate Fisher, chief executive officer of Salt Lake City-based Julia’s Table, a producer of gluten-free baked foods, remembers growing up in a family where his mother Julia had celiac disease and whose one wish was “to eat just like everyone else.”
Years ago, he said options were sparse. Mr. Fisher recalled how his father would bribe him by promising fast food later if he ate the gluten-free meal now. Today, Julia’s Table sells gluten-and allergen-free bread, rolls, cookies brownies and wraps that are co-manufactured and sold across the nation. To reach a broader audience, the company creates gluten-free products also made without other top allergens. Mr. Fisher said the brand’s objective is to be more “inclusive.”
Specifically, Julia’s Table’s consumer target audience consists of moms with families seeking nutritional choices and healthy lifestyles. Overall, millennials and Gen X families make up about 80% of its social media and subscriber audience. Creating allergen-free baked foods that taste more like their conventional counterparts has been a long time coming. Reaching out to a greater number of consumers allows manufacturers to produce gluten-free snacks and baked foods more profitably and offer a wider array of options to those who suffer from allergens and just want to enjoy food like everyone else.