Buffy the Vampire Slayer is taking on the giants of baking. Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy on TV for six years, co-founded Foodstirs in 2015. The Los Angeles-based company sells dessert baking kits and mixes online and in stores such as Whole Foods, Fresh Market and Costco. The company uses only organic and GMO-free ingredients in its mixes and kits, which are designed to make baking into a fun family event. The online kits come with all the ingredients and directions to make desserts like Frosted Cake Pops and Celebration Cupcakes. If you’re familiar with meal subscription services such as Blue Apron and Plated, then you’ll understand what Foodstirs is all about.
The kits can be purchased individually – the Movie Night Kit features popcorn cupcakes, for instance, and is $14.99 – but customers can also sign up for a three-, six- or 12-month subscription service ($59 to $215) that delivers a holiday-themed baking kit each month. The kits are kid-friendly, and some even come with special cookie-cutters.
Co-founders Galit Laibow (CEO) and Greg Fleishman (COO), who has a long history with consumer packaged goods companies, such as Fuze and Kashi, are concentrating on building out Foodstirs brick-and-mortar presence this year. Gellar’s title is co-founder and chief brand officer. The company has raised $5 million from investors, including Beechwood Capital and Cambridge Companies.
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