The Once Upon a Farm actor and cofounder discusses the lessons she’s learned in the first half-year of running a publicly traded business.
Jennifer Garner celebrated the $724 million initial public offering (IPO) of Once Upon A Farm, an organic baby food company based in Berkeley, California that she cofounded almost ten years ago, by ringing the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange’s balcony in February. Garner claims she has “no interest” in checking the price on any given day, despite the fact that the stock completed its first day of trade up 17% and is currently down roughly 15% for the year. She already knows how to block out Wall Street sounds.
Who is Jennifer Anne Garner?
American actress Jennifer Anne Garner grew up in Charleston, West Virginia, after being born in Houston, Texas. Before starting her acting career as an understudy with the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City, she attended Denison University to study theatre.
Jennifer Anne Garner: Theatre to Hollywood
Renowned American actress Jennifer Anne Garner started her career in entertainment with a solid background in theatre. Garner was born in Houston, Texas, and grew up in Charleston, West Virginia, where she became interested in performance and acting.
Later, she went to Denison University to study theatre and hone her acting abilities. Garner relocated to New York City to pursue her career as an actress after graduating from college.
She gained invaluable theatrical experience throughout her early career as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company. Garner’s early theatre experience prepared her for the lucrative acting profession that would later establish her as a household name in Hollywood.
Jennifer Garner Wants to Change What Kids Eat—and She’s Going Bigger
“Oh, I know you’re checking it,” people remark to me. The 54-year-old actress, who is a member of the 50 Over 50 class of 2026, tells Forbes, “You have to be checking it.” “You underestimate my discipline,” I respond.
“In the same manner that I can’t know what’s published about me in tabloid media, I can’t know that after six months. Garner, who was included in the 2026 Forbes 50 Over 50 list, continues, “It would break me.” “I wouldn’t perform well under that level of pressure or self-examination. That needs to be taken away, and I make every effort to never see my name printed in that manner. The OFRM stock is the same.
Garner has been as dedicated to her Hollywood career over the past ten years as she has been to her children’s food company. She has starred in and produced two popular streaming shows, The Last Thing He Told Me on Apple TV+ and The Five-Star Weekend on Peacock. The $288 million (trailing 12 months sales) business, which reported revenue of $85.4 million in its second quarter (a roughly 17% rise from Q1) on its earnings call last week, has benefited greatly from Garner’s leadership as chief brand officer.
“Beat and raise,” Garner declares, showcasing her expanded vocabulary since coming public. “Families that are raising their children with Once Upon a Farm are incredibly loyal to us. The IPO was a significant lever for us, and we have really high velocities. We increased the number of households.
Garner owns a 7% stake in Once Upon a Farm, which is valued at over $55 million, making him the single biggest stakeholder. However, she claims that her ownership stake in the company is not a key priority. “I never really think about that or remember it from the one time it was mentioned to another.”
According to Forbes, Garner has made at least $125 million over her career via her work in movies, TV shows, and commercials (most notably Capital One and Neutrogena). Since 2014, she has served as a spokesperson for Capital One. She previously appeared in a crossover campaign that highlighted her baby food and the company’s growth as a result of its credit cards.
She was also an early investor in Angel City Football Club, which Forbes says is the most valuable women’s football team in America at $340 million. She still has a very small minority ownership in the squad. Garner laughs and remarks, “That turned out to be good.” “I can’t claim to be a queen investor.”
However, it did present Once Upon a Farm with another chance to grow. Garner assisted in arranging the company’s first-ever sports sponsorship in 2024. The business agreed to be Angel City’s sole partner for kid-friendly snacks for a number of years.
She states, “I’m totally focused on us executing against our mission.” “And the stock will follow if we do that.”
Garner, a mother of three children (with her ex-husband Ben Affleck), joined Once Upon a Farm as a cofounder in 2017 after serving as a trustee for Save The Children for a number of years. Garner said she ‘wanted to be part of solving an issue that I had faced as a mum’. The firm was founded by Cassandra Curtis and Ari Raz after they were unable to obtain organic, farm-fresh baby food in their neighbourhood store.
Garner, a middle-class West Virginian, claims she “didn’t know how to read a spreadsheet” and had never taken an economics or business course. However, she worked it out and identified important locations where she could contribute her viewpoint, such as talks with retailers and visits to farms where the brand buys products.
Regarding spreadsheets, Garner says, “They still really overwhelm me, but I sure as hell love the process of being the student in the room, always.”
In 2017, John Foraker, an angel investor in Once Upon A Farm, joined as a cofounder and rose to the position of CEO. He had previously served as CEO of the Berkeley-based Annie’s organic food brand, which went public in 2012 and was acquired by General Mills two years later.
After a year or so, he remembers going to a major store with Garner and learning that the rate of repeat business was “just not there,” so “they were going to be cutting us back from 14 items to 5, and from over 1,000 stores to about 500.” Foraker remembers that they were “not sure whether to laugh or cry” after leaving the retailer’s headquarters, but Garner doubled back and declared they would “make it work and show everyone that we can” after jokingly referring to the encounter as her “first CPG punch in the face.”
Foraker states, “This is a huge and very successful retailer all these years later.” That’s her tenacity and spirit of competition. For nearly ten years, I have witnessed that continuously.
Foraker continues, “She’s been there at every one of our victories, every one of our numerous defeats, and at every turn from where we began to where we are today, literally in the trenches.”
Since then, Once Upon a Farm has also proven itself on store shelves. More than 25,000 outlets currently carry the brand’s more than 40 goods, which include oat bars and chilled drinkable smoothies. This includes more than 480 Sprouts Farmers Market locations, which are managed by CEO Jack Sinclair, a long-time mentor to Garner.
“Rather than becoming overly corporate, I encouraged Jennifer to use the IPO as an opportunity to stay focused on what has made Once Upon a Farm successful,” Sinclair adds. “We talked about how important it is to create a solid team, keep innovating and expanding the product line, and promote significant change throughout the food supply chain.”
Garner remembers that Sinclair encouraged her to “reinvest in who you are to this company.”
He asked her, “Now what are you going to do?”
As she did with the bankers on the IPO roadshow, she pledged to use the first six months to deepen the connections she has made with retailers over the years.
The mission is still ongoing. Garner’s journey will take her to several locations over the next few months, including Bentonville, Arkansas; Austin, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Minneapolis, Minnesota, together with Foraker and the sales team. After nine years, Garner adds, “I’m really itching to get back out there and to be reinvigorated by what those relationships mean to me.” “I’m still incredibly hungry.”
FAQ: Jennifer Garner & Once Upon a Farm
1. What is Once Upon a Farm?
Once Upon a Farm is an organic baby and kids’ food company co-founded by Jennifer Garner. The brand focuses on making healthier, organic food options for children.
2. When did Jennifer Garner join Once Upon a Farm?
Jennifer Garner joined the company as a cofounder in 2017, after years of work with Save the Children.
3. Why did Jennifer Garner get involved with the company?
Garner said she wanted to help solve a problem she had experienced as a mother: finding nutritious, organic, farm-fresh food for children.
4. How much was Once Upon a Farm’s IPO?
The company celebrated an initial public offering valued at approximately $724 million.
5. What percentage of Once Upon a Farm does Jennifer Garner own?
According to the information provided, Garner owns approximately 7% of the company.
6. Does Jennifer Garner regularly check the company’s stock price?
No. Garner says she deliberately avoids checking the stock price because she believes constantly monitoring it would create unnecessary pressure.
7. How much revenue does Once Upon a Farm generate?
The company reported $85.4 million in second-quarter revenue, according to the information provided, with trailing 12-month sales of approximately $288 million.
8. How widely is Once Upon a Farm sold?
The brand is available in more than 25,000 retail locations and offers more than 40 products, including oat bars and drinkable smoothies.
9. What role does Jennifer Garner play in the company?
Garner serves as the company’s chief brand officer, contributing particularly to brand strategy, retailer relationships, storytelling, and the company’s mission.
10. Does Jennifer Garner have other business investments?
Yes. She was also an early investor in Angel City Football Club, a women’s soccer team.
11. What is Jennifer Garner’s approach to business?
Rather than focusing heavily on daily stock movements, Garner says she is focused on executing the company’s mission, strengthening retailer relationships, expanding the product line, and continuing to innovate.
12. What is next for Once Upon a Farm?
Garner plans to strengthen relationships with retailers and continue expanding the company’s products and presence in the children’s food market. Her message is clear: stay focused on the mission, keep growing, and let the business results follow.
