Donuts for Health with Kathrin Henon of Planet Bake
America has a major sugar problem, which is evident in the fact that the United States consumes more sugar than any other country in the world! To explain how her company is helping to ease this particular pain point across the country, we are joined today by the Founder and CEO of Planet Bake, Kathrin Henon. Kathrin begins by explaining how her German background and America's diabetes problem combined to inspire her to help solve the sugar problem in the United States. Then, our guest explains why she adopted a vegan and sugar-free diet before walking us through the ins and outs of Planet Bake, the wonders of allulose, the value of avocado oil, and the problematic culture of brands hiding certain troublesome ingredients. We also learn about Kathrin's education and how it informed the way she built her brand, the important lessons she's absorbed as a founder, the future of Planet Bake, and why she loves being involved in research and development.
Key Points From This Episode:
The (worrying) state of diabetes in America.
Beyond the sugar: The ins and outs of Planet Bake.
Why Kathrin chose to adopt a plant-based, zero-sugar diet.
Why our guest reveres allulose as the perfect sweetener, and her list of sweeteners to avoid.
Understanding her choice to use avocado oil in Planet Bake's products.
The way her degree in Strategic Design and Management influenced how she built her brand.
How some brands hide problematic ingredients but Planet Bake is fully transparent.
The biggest lessons she's learned as a founder and brand-builder.
What Planet Bake aims to achieve in the next 5 years, including its in-house chocolate line.
“Growing up in Germany, we didn't really have [those] extreme sweets available. I mean, there were some, but I feel like when you compare a German cake versus an American cake, [the American cake] is triple times as sweet.” — Kathrin Henon [0:02:56]
“Diabetes is a crazy issue in the United States. Diabetes is projected to triple over the next couple of years, and especially children being affected by it.” — Kathrin Henon [0:04:45]
“Avocado oil is my go-to oil in business and in my personal [life]. It basically reduces cardiovascular disease where tropical oils do exactly [the] opposite.” — Kathrin Henon [0:19:18]
“I think sustainability is in all aspects of every business today in the world, and people have to think about it.” — Kathrin Henon [0:23:55]
“The big goal for Planet Bake is to become the next Nabisco, but made entirely of healthy ingredients.” — Kathrin Henon [0:33:10]
“A better world means, for me, that every human is responsible for their actions.” — Kathrin Henon [0:41:28]
