True Made Foods
Employer of the Week | True Made Foods committed to veteran career transition
How did you spend your Labor Day holiday? Our Employer of the Week spent it by selling healthy sauces to benefit a non-profit organization.
Former U.S. Naval aviator Abe Kamarck faced challenges transitioning to civilian life after the military. Now a certified dietitian, father and entrepreneur, Kamarck founded his own company called True Made Foods, which makes nutritious sauces that serve as alternatives to ketchup.
“True Made Foods turns America's favorite junk foods into superfoods,” he explained. “We started with America's favorite condiments -- ketchup, barbecue sauce and sriracha. We removed the sugar and naturally sweetened these American staples with real veggies instead. We turned these empty-calorie, sugar dense, American faves into nutrient-dense, paleo, superfoods.”
Kamarck supported aspiring veteran entrepreneurs over Labor Day weekend by donating 10% of his profits to the PenFed Foundation and also invests in veteran startups and provides for those in need in the military community.
Kamarck transitioned from the military at the beginning of 2008.
“I was not ready and I had no plan, though I thought I did,” he said. “It was an awful experience.”
At the time, Kamarck and his wife had just had their first child and their second was on the way. They also both had student loan debt.
“The civilian job market is not straightforward and is the complete opposite of what we are trained for in the military,” he said. “I don't want other veterans to have to go through the pain that I experienced. We have so much to offer, it just needs to be packaged and presented correctly.”
While currently not large enough to have a full-fledged veteran hiring program, Ture Made Foods has expansion plans.
“Someday, if our fan base keeps growing and people keep buying our incredible ketchup and barbecue sauce, I hope we can initiate a veteran hiring program,” he said.
For now, Kamarck said he is focused on helping transitioning veterans by leveraging his personal network and providing as much advice as possible.
To learn more about True Made Foods, click here.
Know a great company that hires and supports veterans and the military community? Email Julia@connectingvets.com.