Member Bzzz Interview: Sara O’ Leary
Sara O’Leary
Plant Based Foods Association
Beacon Member
A passionate foodie, Sara kicked off 2019 as a new member of BEAHIVE.
I’m a(n)…
foodie.
I’m passionate about…
spending time outdoors with my husband, traveling into the unknown, exploring new restaurants.
Briefly describe your work.
I work for a nonprofit trade association called Plant Based Foods Association. I help recruit new members and engage our current members. Have you seen all the milk alternatives in the cafes? Oat milk/Oatly is one of our members. We are helping the plant-based movement grow by removing obstacles to a fair and competitive marketplace for alternatives to animal ingredients. We just wrote to the FDA.
What do you love about what you do?
I love learning about new food companies. I love making connections and helping these companies succeed — I just started a mentor program where I matched 15 companies together. I love going to the food trade shows to see what new foods will be in the supermarkets.
How did you start (your work)?
I was always interested in food and knew I wanted to do something in that world. I started as a receptionist in NYC for a great company called the Specialty Food Association. I worked my way up there for 7 years and about 1 year ago started to work for PBFA.
What do you like best about BEAHIVE?
I just recently moved to Beacon and started to work remotely. I didn’t like staying in the house all day and love coming to BEAHIVE. With the natural sunlight and open space I feel so productive. I also love getting the Field Goods bag (subscription small farms food delivery) every Friday.
Where do you see your work going in the next year… five?
Just like you have many options in cafes for milk alternatives, soon I think pizza and delis will have plant-based cheese and meat options.
Anything else you want us to know?
I love that Stewart Airport is so close. I just booked a trip to Norway since the flights were so inexpensive. 🙂
