As a wellness-focused podcast, it’s SUPER important to us to ensure the food we eat is healthy, natural, and high-quality. Seriously, we’re putting in all this effort to stay consistent with our diet & exercise routine. So, we’d better make sure the fuel we’re putting into our bodies is actually good for us!
This desire for all-natural food isn’t uncommon, either. In fact, it’s become increasingly popular in recent years as more people take control of their health. More and more people are waking up to the fact that all that processed junk isn’t actually helping them feel very good.
Primal Kitchen is one of our favorite all-natural food brands. They’re doing what they can to combat the unnecessary processing of certain foods by providing real-food pantry staples to consumers like us.
And, these staples are GOOD. Whether it’s ketchup & special sauce for Lauryn’s high protein diet, or our favorite protein powder (perfect for Lauryn’s pink drink), Primal Kitchen products consistently deliver.
We love this brand and we know you will, too. That’s why we had this premium and growing brand’s co-founder, Morgan Zanotti, on the show. She shared so much interesting information with us about the business process!
So, we’re going to dedicate today’s post to talk about Primal Kitchen and its co-founder Morgan Zanotti. But, you can find out even more by watching the show here:
Who Owns Primal Kitchen? Meet the Co-Founder Morgan Zanotti
If you’re looking to learn more about the world’s best tasting, real-food pantry staples, look no further. We’ve got all the details for you in this post. You’ll get the skinny on Primal Kitchen, how it started, and what role Morgan Zanotti had in building the brand from scratch.
What Is Primal Kitchen?
Primal Kitchen is an all-natural food brand based in Oxnard, California. It offers dairy-, gluten-, and grain-free alternatives to common sauces and condiments. The Primal Kitchen brand’s sister brand, Primal Nutrition, also offers supplements like protein powder.
Many of these products are suitable for paleo, keto, and Whole30 diets. In fact, one of the founders of this brand, Mark Sisson, came on the show to discuss the real keto diet with us.
This brand was the first to put avocado oil in a condiment. Their innovation led to their food company growing incredibly quickly. While they were expecting their initial 18,000 units of avocado oil mayonnaise to sell out within a year, they actually sold out in one week!
The company’s strong mission contributes to its ability to stand out as a brand. As one of the first food brands to focus on ancestral health, Primal Kitchen paved the way for natural food brands to become a part of many consumer’s lives.
Who Started Primal Kitchen?
Primal Kitchen was started by two powerhouses: Mark Sisson & Morgan Zanotti.
Mark and Morgan met at one of Mark’s events that was sponsored by KeVita. But, before they met, Mark had already been blogging about ancestral health for nearly 10 years. His blog led to their future partnership creating Primal Kitchen. Wanna know how? Watch here.
Who Is Morgan Zanotti?
Morgan Zanotti is an influential businesswoman with a specialization in marketing. But, she wasn’t always the powerhouse in business she is today.
In fact, before Primal Kitchen, Morgan told us she had a pretty crazy experience in her 20s. It’s a story that starts with a job in accounting, ends with Primal Kitchen, and hits surfing in South America in between. You won’t want to miss it! Check out the full story here.
Morgan was born in April of 1984 and grew up in Chicago. After that, she attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where she got a degree in accounting.
When her time in South America came to a close, she reached out to KeVita to see if they had any jobs. They were hiring for a Marketing Director, so Morgan went for it. She didn’t 100% know what she was doing, but her tenacity and grit got her through. It was these same traits that helped her start Primal Kitchen.
How Did Morgan Zanotti Start The Primal Kitchen?
Morgan knew she wanted to meet Mark.
Before Mark and Morgan met, Morgan had gone on her own personal health journey. This journey led her to follow Mark’s blog, Mark’s Daily Apple.
As Marketing Director for KeVita, she had both the experience and the opportunity to be an asset to Mark.
KeVita sponsored one of Mark’s events, PrimalCon, in 2015. Morgan didn’t need to attend the event. But, she’d been following Mark’s blog & knew she wanted to meet Mark. So, she went anyway.
She seized the opportunity to drive Mark and his wife, Carrie, home.
At the end of the night, Morgan asked Mark and Carrie if they needed a ride back to their hotel. They accepted, so Morgan drove them home.
Mark called her for help meeting with a food vendor.
Later, Morgan quit KeVita. While on a surf trip with her husband, Mark called to ask for help. He didn’t know anyone else in the food industry. He remembered Morgan, so he called her up for help meeting with a vendor.
She renamed the brand.
In their first meeting, Mark told Morgan that he intended to call the brand, “Primal Blueprint.” Morgan thought that was a terrible name for a food brand, so she changed it to our beloved Primal Kitchen. From here, Mark saw the value in Morgan and went into business with her.
Are Primal Kitchen Products Healthy?
Yes! Primal Kitchen & Primal Nutrition products are some of our favorites. Lauryn especially loves their special sauce for her bowls of meat. Here are her favorite products:
Use code SKINNY for 20% off your order!
Who Owns Primal Kitchen Now?
In 2018, Mark and Morgan began working on a deal with the Kraft Heinz company to sell Primal Kitchen. Both parties were excited about the deal. It offered Primal Kitchen the ability to grow their brand authentically while having access to the massive amount of resources behind Kraft Heinz.
In his announcement about the acquisition, Mark Sisson told consumers, “Primal Kitchen will continue to operate autonomously, the entire team will stay on (with our headquarters based in Oxnard), and Morgan and I oversee the explosive growth of our brand…our partnership with an industry leader like Kraft Heinz now offers an unrivaled opportunity to reach millions more of the consumers who have been seeking products like ours for years.”
Paulo Basilio, U.S. Zone President for Kraft Heinz, said the following in their announcement: “Primal Kitchen is an authentic, premium and growing brand that fits perfectly with our core Condiments & Sauces categories, and we are excited to partner with the company’s strong existing team to drive growth across multiple categories going forward.”
The deal was finalized in January 2019. Primal Kitchen sold for $200 million.
Morgan told us one of the first things that was discussed when brokering the deal was the ingredient standards for the brand. She saw Kraft Heinz’s commitment to the company’s strong mission. Since then, she’s stayed on to oversee the acquisition and growth of the brand.
Obsessed with Primal Kitchen? Us, too.
We’ve loved having both Mark and Morgan on the show. Whether you’re looking to grow as an entrepreneur or you’re a health-conscious person looking for quality products, this episode is a must-see.
What’s your favorite Primal Kitchen product? Let us know! & don’t forget, you can get Primal Kitchen products here using code SKINNY for 20% off. Happy eating!