(L) Lisa Odenweller (R) Lexi Odenweller from Kroma Wellness
Lisa Odenweller, CEO and Founder of Kroma Wellness, blends function and flavor, creating healthy products you look forward to eating. Founded in 2021, Kroma offers a variety of delicious, low-prep superfoods and adaptogens.
Prior to starting Kroma, Lisa opened Beaming Wellness Café, the first superfood cafe in the country. It was there that Lisa learned her knack for product development and connecting with her consumers.
With over 15 years of experience in wellness, Lisa’s goal is to make delicious, nutritious food that fits into our busy lives. The brand’s popular Five Day Reset is a lifestyle program that encourages consumption of healthy superfoods and adaptogens. Kroma’s impressive products attract celebrities like Amy Schumer, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jessica Seinfeld.
Kroma Wellness Fall/Winter 2022. Photos by STUDIO 1208
Lisa’s daughter, Lexi Odenweller is Kroma’s Senior Marketing Manager. Lexi connects with consumers via social media to educate them about Kroma’s products. Lexi’s experience in the health and wellness industry began long before Kroma. At age 12, she began mixing smoothies at Beaming Wellness Café, helping Lisa perfect the recipes their community loved.
As a fan of Kroma’s Beauty Matcha Latte, I was excited to meet with Lisa and Lexi to learn more about their approach to product development. We chatted about Kroma’s expanding product line, why their brand stands out in the wellness space, the unique qualities they bring to their business, and why there’s no silver bullet in wellness.
Let’s start with your stories before Kroma. Can you tell us about your early life and what inspired you to get into the wellness space?
LISA: I’ve been in wellness for 15 years. The last brand I started [was] Beaming in 2010. It was founded on multiple things, but one of which is [that] I grew up in a healthy family. So for me, health and wellness has always been important.
There was a bigger underlying why for me. I always [wanted] to feel empowered with my health. It wasn’t until my late 30s that I was starting to experience hormone shifts, weight gain, hair loss, inflammation, and digestive issues. I started to realize I needed to do something different even though [I was] healthy. That was what sent me into a deep-dive discovery of food as medicine and understanding how much power we have over our health.
It became very clear to me as I was healing myself and my children were having a huge shift in their own health, that I had to share this information with others. I had to help people understand. [Health is] much easier than we make it. It’s as simple as being more mindful about what you eat [and] drink.
Kroma Wellness Fall/Winter 2022. Photos by STUDIO 1208
Life is complicated. We don’t need more things to do. We actually need less things to do and so that’s why we opened the first superfood cafe in the country called Beaming. It was in Del Mar, California. [We] opened it in December 2012.
We took the smoothie bar and healthy grab-and-go [to] the next level. We were the first to do it. [We made] sprouted almond milk and [introduced] mushrooms and maca and spirulina and educated about superfoods and adaptogens and all these things that people had never heard of. Which is crazy when I say that, because it was only 12 years ago.
As a foodie, how do I take my love for food, marry it with wellness, and really use food to heal and bring those two together, so healthy [food] is actually something that you look forward to, not something that you have to do. That was the birth of Beaming, and it became the most successful concept in the country almost overnight. We grew that location to 10 locations in Southern California. [We] exited that six years ago and then started working on Kroma.
LEXI: I have been working with my mom since I was 12. Fairly similar to Kroma was Beaming. [Beaming] was made in the kitchen. We created all the recipes together. It was my mom and I labeling bottles and blending juice recipes.
Then we launched the first Beaming Café in San Diego, and I worked as a smoothie barista there for five years. I moved to LA when I was 16 and I helped open all of the LA locations. [I] was a manager at the age of 16 for all the Beaming locations. Then once we sold that, I moved back home from LA and that’s when we started working on Kroma in 2020.
We just got in the kitchen mixing different superfoods and powders and perfecting function and flavor [to] make healthy food taste amazing [so] you feel amazing.
My role has expanded a couple of times. I’ve always been in the marketing space. I started working on the ambassador program, which led to the influencer program. Now I do social media.
How does Kroma stand out in the wellness space?
LISA: I love seeing so many great brands in the space right now. I get really excited when I see other great brands doing amazing things. I think what we do that’s exceptional is we marry function and flavor.
[We put] thought and detail into the combinations of what we’ve put together. It’s very thoughtful around the nutritional profile, where it’s sourced from, down to every single little detail. Every one of those little details makes all the difference in our foods both within [and] how it tastes. Then what it does for you and how you feel when you have it. I think we do that better than anyone.
Yesterday Lexi and I were tasting some of our smoothies, and our ops team asked us to try a new vanilla that had been blended in and a new pumpkin protein. Even though we would save money to switch to these other ingredients, it compromises the flavor, and we won’t ever compromise it. Even though we could have saved 20% on the production of the food, that flavor is so important. We’re always going to source the best ingredients, but making sure that it’s always something you really love.
The other thing that I would say is really unique is our product mix. We’re not a cleanse company, although we do have this innovative reset program that’s all about nourishment, not deprivation. It’s about lifestyle. The Five Day Reset is part of the reset of the habits and behavior, but it’s leading you to the real transformation which is the choices you make every day.
If you decide you want the Super Porridge in the morning, that’s nuts and seeds and omegas and it lights up your brain and turns your metabolism on. You have that instead of skipping breakfast or having a bagel and cream cheese. That’s kicking your day off in a healthier way. That’s a win.
The Super Ramen we just launched has 15 grams of protein in a cup. [It’s] keeping you nourished as we’re living our busy lives. We’re all well intentioned, but most of us don’t have time. And we solve that problem. We take the facade and complexity of making healthy choices. And we do it through multiple moments of a day.
[Kroma is] an ecosystem, and it’s supporting your wellbeing not only when you’re at home but when you’re at the office or when you’re on a plane because it goes anywhere with you.
Kroma Wellness Fall/Winter 2022. Photos by STUDIO 1208
What inspired the decision to make products in powder form as opposed to another medium?
LISA: What we’ve done is reimagined the pantry. So what is shelf stable? Whether you’re at home [or] on an airplane and if all you have access to is water. Could you have a nourishing food or beverage?
We took all the complexity out of having that nourishing meal or beverage. Having owned cafes, one of the beautiful things is that people still stop. But we can only reach a certain amount of audience in those markets. I [wanted to] reach people everywhere and give people access to this healthy food anywhere, anytime.
It’s used to supplement [your food intake in] the fast-paced world. You can focus on everything else in life. And the only way to do that was through powders.
Kroma Wellness Fall/Winter 2022. Photos by STUDIO 1208
A company’s aesthetic communicates a lot about the brand’s values. How did you decide on Kroma’s packaging aesthetic and what did you want it to communicate?
LISA: Beaming was the same way in the sense that we want to create experiences that people look forward to. Health is your most precious asset. This is a gift, right? This is something that we get to do.
The packaging and the unboxing and the colors and the vibrancy [are] also metaphorical to bringing that vibrancy of life. And that’s how we want you to feel. You’re excited when that box shows up on their doorstep. Whether it’s the Five Day Reset or it’s the Beauty Matcha Latte or the granola or [the] smoothies or any of the 25 different products that we have.
Every one of them has its own kind of vibrant personality within the brand. Everyone always comments about how beautiful it is. And that’s how we want you to feel.
As a mother-daughter business team, you each bring unique qualities to the table. What are some qualities that you admire in each other?
LEXI: The number one thing that my mom has taught me is [an] abundance mindset. Anything is possible. Just throw something out in the universe and don’t have attachment to it. Later on down the road, it kind of unfolds. That’s been a huge lesson for me, to think big [and] shoot big.
I’ve learned so much just from hearing her do investor pitches [and] hearing her on calls. Even on calls like this, it inspires me every time listening to her [because] she’s such an incredible speaker.
I’ve learned so much over the last 13 years of watching her. I would say the abundance mindset is definitely something that I’ve picked [up]. It’s been ingrained in me. That’s a huge quality I wish so many more people had because it just makes life so much better.
LISA: [Lexi] has the most incredible disposition and grace and just how she interacts with people. Her energy and her softness, her powerful softness. Even the way she manages social media, among other things. The way she responds to DMS and makes people feel seen. [Lexi is] so grateful, humble, kind, and engaging.
That’s her regular disposition that translates beautifully into the brand. I love seeing who she’s become. Not only how fun it is for us to work together, but how much she’s grown and evolved. To see her be able to just command presence and articulate. As a mom, that [is] very cool and special [to see].
Kroma Wellness Fall/Winter 2022. Photos by STUDIO 1208
What are some lessons you’ve learned as business owners?
LISA: One of the biggest [lessons is] things never go as planned. [It’s] really being nimble, patient, and tenacious. You’re constantly tested. Some things go better than planned. So you always get the little bluebirds, and then a lot of things don’t go as planned. And so [it’s] being able to navigate those turns. If it’s raising money, it’s usually going to take a lot longer. If it’s building the business, it’s probably going to cost a lot more than you thought. It’s going to take a lot more time than you thought.
I think you have to be realistic in building any kind of business and managing it. There’s the tenacity to get through the tougher times. There’s also the grace of how you navigate those tough times without panicking.
As things are throwing curveballs it’s just opportunity. It’s an opportunity to redirect or reassess. Is this the right direction? Or is there a better way? It’s so easy for us to just get unraveled. Sometimes things are really clear and you can act and other [times] you have to kind of sit with it and better understand before you make the next move. I think it’s just having the patience, grace, and tenacity to get to that next step.
LEXI: Resilience is one thing you need as an entrepreneur. [Being an entrepreneur is] so much harder than people make it out to be. [People think], “Oh, I can make my own schedule. I can work from Europe. I can do this and that.” No, it’s not like that at all.
I’m the social media piece, or the influencer piece, [and] those things change every week. Algorithms, technology, AI, and having to be adaptable to the culture and the environment. There’s just so much happening. It’s a wild time to have an e-commerce brand.
LISA: It’s so saturated, right? There’s always another shiny object every day in our inbox. So how do you stand out within that? [It’s] really understanding who you are, what you are here to do, and what problem you are solving as a brand and as a service to the consumer. You’ve got to articulate that and then show up consistently throughout every interaction.
Kroma Wellness Fall/Winter 2022. Photos by STUDIO 1208
Is there a silver bullet in wellness?
LISA: I don’t believe in silver bullets. And I think that’s a very different philosophy in wellness, because we’re constantly bombarded that this product is going to do this and this person can do that and this person has solved that problem. No one product is going to solve anything; it is the sum of the whole and its consistent practices. It’s a piece of the puzzle. And I think that is really important.
A drink with apple cider vinegar is not going to heal your gut, right? And our matcha absolutely is going to make you feel better but it’s not a silver bullet that’s going to completely transform your health. It’s a piece of the puzzle. So it’s how you’re making those different choices, because they’re all choices. And it’s all about that mindful choice. It’s not about making perfect choices all the time. It’s all about having that balance that works for you.
Then the other piece of that is that it’s not just food. I mean, we’re in the food business. We’re offering a really important piece of your wellness practice. We’re simplifying it for you. But you can eat the healthiest food in the world, and still be really unhealthy. If you’re not sleeping well, if you’re not managing your stress, if you’re not moving your body, if you’re not spending time with people that you love, if you’re not laughing, [and] if you’re not immersed in life, then all the best food in the world isn’t going to make you healthy.
It’s all of those things and those choices that really lead to overall well-being.
Is there anything you can tell us about upcoming innovations for Kroma?
LISA: We launched the company in July 2022 with 18 products, and we just introduced six new ones. So I would say that a lot of our big innovation just happened over the last two months starting with the Super Ramen and Super Granola. The two new plant-based smoothies [Cacao Banana Plant-Based Protein and Vanilla Cinnamon Plant-Based Protein], our Fasting Matcha, and The Jet Setter. We have some other interesting solution bundles that are coming out. But from an innovation standpoint, it’s really about how we continue to educate on the products that we have and what they can do for you.
We are going to come out with a really cool product in two months that I just came up with. It could be pretty game changing and super interesting in the [wellness] space. So there’s always something, but I don’t force anything. It happens when the idea comes and it feels relevant.
We’re not going to create products for the sake of creating products. We’re going to create products that fit a solution. And that’s where we’ll step in is where we know there’s something that we can do better than anyone.
Check out more of Kroma’s products at https://kromawellness.com/
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
