Daily Harvest Founder, Rachel Drori Shares Her Tips for Staying Healthy

|Updated Jun 3, 2020

@DailyHarvest

When Rachel Drori was pregnant and raising money to start her company, Daily Harvest, she was sometimes asked how she expected to do both– run a startup and raise a small baby.

She passed on to those investors. Understanding that women can do both--work hard and raise children--and that they wanted to do it and be healthy, was one of the keys to DH's success. Now a busy working mother of two, Drori has grown Daily Harvest into full-service food delivery, that offers a range of frozen meals, plus the latest launch: A line of vegan ice cream.

Her first task was to solve the problem of how a busy woman (whether working from home or from an office) can put in a full workday and still eat healthy, plant-based nutrient-dense food, without having to shop and chop, cook and clean up.

As a marketing executive (she was at American Express after graduating business school) she needed to walk in the door and have a healthy, organic, plant-based meal in 30 seconds. She launched DH in 2015 as a clean aesthetic solution to this evergreen problem. Her second task is to grow DH, something she has done through social media and adding more plant-based options every year. The latest, Scoops, is a treat that is both healthier than most ice creams and tastier than the average healthy cold treat. In fact, she just made our summer a little sweeter.

Too Be Healthy, Eat Foods That Take Care of You

Drori tells The Beet she was inspired by her years working for the Four Seasons, to cater to guests and anticipate their needs. That translates now into Daily Harvest's mission to "take care of food, so food can take care of you." To be healthier she wants women to take care of themselves, prioritize their time values and spend time doing what is meaningful to them -- which may not be taking the time and effort to cook every meal.

Now Daily Harvest has grown into a juggernaut company that offers their original line up smoothies, plus grain and green bowls, vegetable soups, lattes, flatbreads and now a new exciting line of frozen treats -- essentially ice cream that is dairy-free and healthier for you, with no added sugars and all the taste with none of the bad stuff.

Drori has built a supply chain that allows the nutrients of the frozen ingredients to be picked at its nutritional peak and get sent to you with the full spectrum of antioxidants and nutrients locked in, so that when you eat the bowls and drink the smoothies the food is best for you.

Drori makes sure to hire women and keep women on her cap table, to reflect the base of female consumers she is targeting. She encourages women to start their own tech-based companies in an interview last spring.

Before Drori shares her secrets to healthy living success, know this:

DH is offering $25 off your first order, with the code THEBEET.

Q: Rachel, what made you want to launch Scoops?

RD: At Daily Harvest, we develop our food directly with the people who eat it! Our devotees love our Bites for a sweet treat but were craving more delicious dessert options, and other ice creams on the market today–both dairy and non-dairy–simply don’t cut it. Most options are full of gums, fillers, additives and refined sugars. They asked us to make something better - a plant-based ice cream that is truly decadent and made with real ingredients. So, our in-house chefs and nutritionists got to work, and that’s how Scoops came to be!

Scoops are completely indulgent, naturally rich, and actually clean, a.k.a. free of anything artificial, chemical or highly processed. With this new collection, I’m excited to expand our portfolio with a plant-based dessert that you can feel good about eating.

Q: How do YOU stay fit and healthy — while eating treats?

RD: Between running a business, raising kids and making sure we all stay safe and sane right now, I’m busy and short on time to take care of myself. I try to achieve balance by squeezing in some form of physical activity every day. Whether I go on a walk with my family, take a virtual yoga class with DH team members or fit in a quick Peloton session while doing a 1:1 (I just learned I can do a video conference on the bike!!!), a little bit of sweat goes a long way and helps me keep my sanity!

I definitely have a sweet tooth, and don’t believe in denying myself my beloved dark chocolate! It’s really all about balance and nourishment. I’m a big believer that tricking your body is never a good thing. If I am craving something sweet, I’m going to eat something sweet - but all sweeteners are not created equal. I choose the unrefined, unprocessed, non-chemical sugars that my body knows how to process. I’ve always had a knack for creating treats out of ingredients like chickpeas, avocado and dates so they don't just end a craving, but they include real nutrition and balance which signal satiety to my system.

Q: What is a typical day of eating ? Be HONEST here, nobody's perfect.

RD: I always start my day with a matcha latte for a caffeine boost. Daily Harvest’s Matcha + Lemongrass Latte is quick, easy, and energizing! I pair it with almond milk that I make using an Almond Cow.

For lunch, I’ve been living on our new Flatbreads! I jokingly call them “baked salads” and let me tell you, they’re so much more delicious and satisfying than shoveling down a sad desk salad in between meetings. I top our Kale + Coriander with a fried egg or Tomato + Cremini with plant-based mozzarella for a perfectly delicious meal!

Since we’ve been home, I’ve also had time to cook dinner almost every night, which has been such a rare treat. I’ve always been passionate about food and loved to cook! I’ll whip up crispy-skin salmon with roasted veggies or shrimp with cauliflower rice and garlic bread. I have an unhealthy obsession with my airfryer...

As I mentioned, I do have a huge sweet tooth and often treat myself to dark chocolate (the darker and more raw, the better). Tasting Scoops samples with my whole family as we’ve been developing them has also become a weekly tradition. Lately I've also been capping off a long week (or day) with a strong beverage - I prefer my drinks with tequila and spice! It’s all about balance, right?

Q: Also what is your mantra — what words do you live by?

RD: I believe Hippocrates was right when he said “Let food be thy medicine.” Living good starts with good food, and when I eat better, I feel better and can perform at my peak. I love helping other people nourish themselves to feel their best, and this gets me out of bed every morning.

Q: What else? How is it running a highly successful company in a pandemic?

It’s definitely new territory! As a company, we’re focused on feeding our customers and helping them stock their homes with nourishing food (without having to leave home!) when they need it most.

Our team at HQ has been working remotely since mid-March. It’s certainly an adjustment for a company like ours, that is accustomed to a very lively and interactive HQ with multiple teams working together to meet our objectives. To stay human and connected while physically apart, we’ve incorporated things like:

Daily working-team Zoom meetings and weekly company-wide Zoom meetings.
Weekly virtual activities such as a company-wide talent show, trivia night, happy hours, and yoga sessions.
#wfh Slack channel to share recipes, playlists, five-minute “brain breaks”, schedule impromptu hangouts, trade tips on how we’re staying sane, etc.
Encouraging team members to schedule a Slack/Zoom video chat or lunch date with at least one team member every day beyond team check-ins.
We also sent “WFH kits” to everyone to help make the experience more comfortable.

This situation is far from ideal, but I think we’re making the best of it!

Enjoy your Scoops $25 off your first order, with the code THEBEET while supplies last.