When Laura Meemken and her husband, Michael, learned their children suffered from food allergies, conjuring different meals became a challenge.
"There weren't simple meal solutions for us in the stores at all, so we were cooking everything from scratch," Laura Meemken said.
That required Laura, then a full-time marriage and family therapist, to cook various foods, including bread and crackers, from scratch.
Over the years, though, what had become a daily routine for the Meemkens turned into delicacies they would share with friends and family. From there, the idea to make it a business grew.
"It became apparent to me it was something I could share with other people," she said.
In February, Meemken turned her meals into a business, creating All Clean Food for those in search of allergy-friendly dishes. She co-founded the company with her brother, John Moksnes, who helps with strategy and operations. Michael Meemken helps run the business as well.
Operated from the Meemkens' home in Minnetonka, All Clean Food makes ready-to-cook pasta meals. The company will add a vegan macaroni-and-cheese and children's snacks later this year. In just over a year, the business has grown to nearly $1 million in sales revenue, she said.
The pastas, which are gluten-free, can be found in local food cooperatives like Lakewinds and Harvest Moon, but this fall, will be available in Lunds & Byerlys, as well as Hy-Vee and Meijer stores across the Midwest, Meemken said. The items are also available inside the Brand Builders Market at St. Paul food hall Keg and Case, and Meemken is in talks to continue sales at Kowalski's Markets.
