Owner/CEO's Name & Business's Name
Alicia "Sable" Sable-Hunt / Sable's Foods
Year Established
2006 the business was established. First product launched April, 2009.
Why is your business unique and what's your pitch?
My name is Alicia Sable-Hunt, RN, founder of Sable’s Foods – the first and only line of wholesome and delicious nutrition bars designed by the cancer community for the cancer community. Sable’s Foods Nutritional Empowerment Bars® were born from firsthand knowledge developed over many years caring for cancer patients.
I am a nurse turned entrepreneur building a socially responsible company. There are few products available to cancer patients and Sable's Foods is the only nutrition bar available created to address the patient 3 most common food-related complaints: taste, texture and nutrition.
What led you to start the business?
As a long-serving oncology nurse, I understood the immense struggle of those fighting cancer and what I term cancer’s “nutritional challenge” —- the crucial need for proper nutrition during treatment coupled with the loss of appetite and digestive issues that often prevent patients from receiving the nourishment they need.
In particular, I had a young female cancer patient complaining about her loss of taste, dry mouth and difficulty eating. I was giving her the usual "schpeel" about Ensure and other protein shakes when she slammed her hand down onto my desk and said "I will not walk into the office with a can of Ensure!" That moment combined with similar complaints from hundreds of cancer patients, was when I knew, it was time to address a critical need in the cancer population.
Discontent with patients’ lack of flavorful yet nutritionally balanced options, I felt compelled to direct my experience and empathy toward a solution. I knew that cancer patients needed foods that would meet their specific nutritional requirements while offering flavors and textures that would taste great and be easily digestible. I also wanted to offer them something portable, as I strongly believes that patients should be able to thrive while continuing with their daily lives during treatment and recovery. Championing this cause, in 2006, I stepped into the kitchen and began baking up a solution.
When asked what makes our bars different from others, the answer is simple. Sable’s Foods was developed with insights provided by two primary groups: cancer patients who know best what they want to eat…and nutrition and oncology specialists who know what patients need to eat to support them through their journey and recovery. Pulling it all together was someone with the understanding and commitment to balance the, sometimes conflicting, interests of the two.
Lessons Learned
- Building a business is a lonely process: I knew building a business would be difficult particularly this product for this market. I had no idea it would be so lonely. With all of the bench marketing activities I performed before I started the business, I failed to ask the entrepreneurs about their sacrifices.
- Perform a brutally honest self-assessment: It is so important for an entrepreneur to evaluate their skill set compared to the skills necessary to build the business.
- Take care of yourself: The business does not survive without the entrepreneur so take care of yourself otherwise it is all for not.