Plant Sumo Interviews - sadrah schadel

Sadrah Schadel

No Evil Foods

Sadrah is the co-founder and chief creative officer of No Evil Foods. She pours her 15+ years of food experience and a lifetime of plant-based expertise into her company and fuels the movement toward a better food system. Under Sadrah’s leadership, she has successfully scaled recipe concepts created in her home kitchen, and grown her company from the farmers market to a national brand that pushes the boundaries of what it means to be a purpose-driven, sustainable company. As an advocate for sustainability, social justice, and helping people and animals, Sadrah drove No Evil Foods to become the first plastic-negative plant-based meat brand, as well as a Certified Fair Chance Business, and regularly speaks at engagements and summits around the country.

Company Profiles

In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?

Shifting my mindset. Keeping a positive mental attitude is a simple thing that can feel incredibly difficult at times. It's actually something we hold as a core value at No Evil Foods because it's so transformational to how we receive information and process events. Recognizing the way that our response to any given situation is in our control, and in fact how we react is the ONLY thing we control, really shifts dynamics between people you're seeking to make a collaborative impact with.

Tell us about your business. What does it do and what value do you add?

No Evil Foods is committed to taking plant-based meat back to its roots in the kitchen. We got our start at local farmer's markets, and our awareness and empathy for the consumer have propelled us into a national brand. ​ ​Where we shine is the intersection of clean label plant-based food and true meat experience. We are responding to the growing demand for health-focused plant-based meats that don’t compromise on flavor or texture and do so while acting on a clear social mission to put more good into the world.​

Where do you see your industry in the next 5 years?

I see plant-based meats following the same trajectory as plant-based milks - that is to say, becoming mainstream and reaching a greater level of acceptance in the lives and homes of a broad range of people from a variety of diets and lifestyles. Plant-based brants on the other hand will move to become increasingly available by increasing price and geographic access to their offerings. I think there will be a greater emphasis on clean label foods with consumers seeking out products with recognizable vegetable ingredients.

What's your favourite colour?

Red

What popular celebrity do you admire the most and why?

Greta Thornburg. She's a celebrity in my book. She is an inspirational leader and advocate who gives me hope for generations to come.

Are you vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian or something else entirely?

Was born a vegetarian and am now vegan.

What's your star sign?

Libra

What's your favourite vegan meal?

So hard! When I get a heaping plate of really well done, fully-loaded vegan nachos, I'm in my happy place.

What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?

Last month, I made the decision to invest in myself by purchasing a treadmill desk. Between work demands and a busy home life parenting two small children I wasn't finding any time to move my body. I find myself looking forward to meetings now because it's an opportunity to stand up, walk a bit, refresh my body, and get my mind working in a different way than it did when I sat at a desk all day.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore?

You don't need to do things the way they've always been done. Having an openness to this perspective can shift mindsets in a way that's really freeing. When you discover that there are very few hard rules in life and almost every boundary can be pushed, the world opens up. Life becomes more exciting when you live it on your own terms and the world will be a better place for it.

What careers advice would you give to your 21-year old self?

Don't worry - you'll figure it out. Just keep going.

How has Covid-19 changed your company?

We've become more focused on our people. It's always been a priority for us, but over the past 10 months, we've placed even more emphasis on providing a safe, consistent, flexible workplace for our team. The pandemic has driven us to have greater empathy for the additional life challenges all of us are facing during this time and do the best we can to accommodate them. It's removed a lot of the walls between work-life and home-life and we know more about our team members' children and families than ever before - it's an unexpected upside.

What's your favourite vegetable?

Beets

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

An apple and LOTS of coffee

About the Author

Heather-PS

Heather Wilkinson is a globe-trotting content creator and PR enthusiast who’s finally put down roots in her native UK. When she isn’t working, you’ll find her pretending to care about Minecraft for her son’s sake, while secretly reading the latest Ace Atkins novel (or sleeping – her second favourite past-time).