“We probably slept an hour each,” Garner said luck hours after the company began trading as OFRM.

Curtis founded Once Upon a Farm as a nutritional baby food brand more than a decade ago. More than eight years later, Garner and Foraker joined him to grow the business into a new phase, with all three taking the title of cofounder. (Foraker, the former CEO of Annie’s, is the company’s CEO.) Today, Once Upon a Farm does $200 million in annual sales, according to Filing of S-1and sold in 19,000 stores. While the brand started with baby food, it expanded into food for children, including the popular yogurt pouches.

Once Upon a Farm’s IPO raised $198 million for the company, with a $724 million valuation. Its share price has risen nearly 40% from its $18 listing price, trading at $25.10 today. The S-1 includes details about Garner’s compensation structure at Once Upon a Farm; he will serve on the board of directors of the new public company and will continue to hold his role as cofounder and spokesperson, or “Farmer Jen,” ​​for which he was paid $1 million last year and has $2 million to $3 million in expected compensation each year through 2028. That does not include his stock options and a bonus tied to the company’s IPO price.

The IPO, Garner said, helps Once Upon a Farm continue its mission—”to encourage systemic improvements in childhood nutrition for a happier, healthier and more just world.” If the brand pursues an exit with a major food conglomerate, its current team will lose control of the business. It’s a mission connected to Garner’s longtime work as an ambassador for Save the Children. “Keeping this company independent, running this company ourselves, really gives us the opportunity to stay true to our values ​​of trying to democratize great food for all kids and be an ally to parents,” Garner said.

After raising this capital, Once Upon a Farm plans to focus on its “lunch box,” or offerings for older children.

the Wall Street Journal called the “time of MAHA” Once Upon a Farm’s potential opportunity. The company examined the name of the Make America Healthy Again movement in its S-1 for its potential impact on the food regulatory landscape.

Curtis sees positives in the increased attention paid to ingredients and nutrition. “It’s exciting to see that the US dietary guidelines are finally catching up to what we’ve always stood for, and really promoting real food, less processed, fruits and vegetables,” he said.