• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

3

Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

3

Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50

Nobody puts baby food in a corner

By
Shelley DuBois
Shelley DuBois
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Shelley DuBois
Shelley DuBois
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 22, 2013, 8:13 AM ET
Courtesy: Happy Family

As a health nut and foodie, 36-year-old Shazi Visram had a problem with processed baby food. Namely, it was gross, and people felt bad about feeding it to their kids.

But most parents are pressed for time and don’t have alternatives to mushed meals in glass jars. So, after attending business school at Columbia University in New York, Visram drafted a business plan and ultimately launched her own baby food company on Mother’s Day in 2006. She called the company Happy Baby, and it sold organic, nutrient-enhanced baby food in pouches, not glass.

Now called Happy Family, Visram’s company has grown remarkably since its birth. In 2011, it pulled in $34 million worth of revenue and nearly doubled that by 2012, earning about $60 million.

Happy Family has performed so well, in fact, that it caught the eye of France-based multinational food giant Danone. On Mother’s Day this year, Danone announced that it had agreed to purchase Happy Family for an amount that neither company would disclose.

This year, Happy Family also made the No. 1 spot on the annual Inner City 100 list, a ranking of the fastest-growing businesses in urban America.

This is far from the first time Visram has been singled out for her ingenuity. In 2011, she won an American Express competition to represent small businesses in a commercial. The exposure was extremely helpful, Visram has said, and she continued to work with American Express after the initial spot. Also in 2011, Visram won Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year for New York. And she earned a spot on Crain’s New York’s “40 Under 40” list in 2012. Earlier this March, the World Economic Forum selected her to be a member of the Young Global Leader class of 2013.

She was trying to catch a breath of fresh air when she spoke with Fortune from her vacation in the Bahamas, without much luck. “I didn’t expect it to culminate in signing this past weekend,” she said of the Danone deal. “All of a sudden, the pressure was on, and they really wanted to put a release on the wire Monday morning, Paris time. I found myself in the hotel room when we got here and I didn’t sleep for 48 hours.”

Still, Visram says she’s pumped. “I don’t really anticipate anything that could be negative about it,” she says, and while big acquisitions can spook small companies, “they want me to continue to run the show, they love our spirit and they are not proposing any management changes.”

Though Danone sells yogurt brand Activia and Evian water in the United States, it doesn’t have a huge presence in the infant nutrition market here. Visram thinks her company can help change that. Already, Happy Family has 4% market share of the U.S. baby food industry.

So move over Gerber. When Happy Family launched, Visram says,”Gerber in the U.S. owned 80% of the market. For them, why take the time to change that up and disrupt a category that they already dominated?” Danone’s resources should help the company continue to gain market share in the U.S.

And of course, the partnership should extend the company’s global reach, especially in China. The Chinese middle class is growing, Visram said during an interview at Ernst & Young’s 2011 Strategic Growth Forum: “They’re looking for American-made baby food and they’re looking for the very best for their baby. [We’ve] just had tremendous interest in the Chinese market, and it is a phenomenal market that can’t be overlooked.”

Lucky for her, 40% of Danone’s baby nutrition business comes from the Asia-Pacific, with China as the largest market. Danone continues to expand in the country — on May 20, it signed a new deal with China Mengniu Dairy.

If all goes as planned, the acquisition of Visram’s company should create one more even bigger happy family.

About the Author
By Shelley DuBois
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Trump says a deal with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz has been ‘largely negotiated’
PoliticsIran
Trump says a deal with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz has been ‘largely negotiated’
By Munir Ahmed, Samy Magdy, Matthew Lee and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
23 minutes ago
U.S. debt is the ‘elephant in the room’ amid bond market rout as Fed-fueled interest costs could drive even larger deficits, analysts warn
EconomyDebt
U.S. debt is the ‘elephant in the room’ amid bond market rout as Fed-fueled interest costs could drive even larger deficits, analysts warn
By Jason MaMay 23, 2026
1 hour ago
The Fed’s worst inflation fears may be coming true as consumers lose faith in long-term prices—and even Trump supporters doubt he can bring relief
EconomyInflation
The Fed’s worst inflation fears may be coming true as consumers lose faith in long-term prices—and even Trump supporters doubt he can bring relief
By Jason MaMay 23, 2026
4 hours ago
gf
SuccessEntrepreneurship
Meet the 32-year-old who is America’s only full-time spelling bee coach — he charges up to $180 per hour
By Ben Nuckols and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
5 hours ago
o
PoliticsOregon
Oregon Democrats wrote a gas tax, watched it get destroyed and now Jeff Merkley has a fight
By Claire Rush and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
5 hours ago
t
North AmericaMedia
‘Hello, Goodbye’: Paul McCartney closed the lights on a Late Show that CBS couldn’t cancel quietly
By Mark Kennedy and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
2 days ago
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
Success
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
By Emma BurleighMay 22, 2026
1 day ago
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
Success
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
By Preston ForeMay 22, 2026
1 day ago
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
AI
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
By Jake AngeloMay 22, 2026
1 day ago
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
4 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 22, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 22, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 22, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.