Zak Normandin

Zak Normandin
Born January 29, 1984
Leominster, MA
Residence Brooklyn, NY
Nationality American
Alma mater Franklin Pierce University (BS)
Occupation Founding Partner at REDWOOD new york
Children 3
Website
www.redwoodnewyork.com

Zak Normandin (Jan 29th, 1984) is an American entrepreneur and founder of Little Duck Organics,[1] a privately held New York City based company focused on organic children's snacks.[2] Normandin is best known for innovative consumer product packaging designs, and advocacy of organic food products.[3][4] He is currently Founding Partner at Redwood New York, a Brooklyn-based creative agency.[5]

Early Life & Career

Normandin was born in Leominster, MA. He began his career as a Marine Engineer in the United States Coast Guard. The inspiration to create a food company came after becoming a father, when he was unable to find healthy, sugar-free foods for his children.[1][6] He started Little Duck Organics in his basement in 2009.[7][8] The brand quickly gained popularity and helped him in raising funding rounds from notable angel investors and venture capitalists including Chris Burch and Tom First.[9]

In 2011, at Natural Products Expo East, he was awarded Best Packaging for a design Normandin created for the Tiny Fruits product line.[10] In 2012, Little Duck Organics was recognized in a round-up of the "World's Most Dazzling Trade-Show Exhibits" with Nintendo, Nike, and Red Bull.[11] In 2013, Little Duck Organics won the Most Innovative Award at Expo West 2013. Later in 2013, his company was awarded with the New Arrival Award - Best New Products of 2013, for its new product Mighty Oats.[4][12]

Normandin worked on Plantable packaging for his product Mighty Oats that can yield vegetables if planted. As of 2014, Under his leadership, Little Duck Organics achieved a retail presence in more than 30 countries.[13] In 2014, Normandin sold majority control of Little Duck Organics, and left the company to start a creative agency and product development house.[14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kolodny, Lora (5 December 2013). "Fatherhood Inspires Little Duck’s Healthy Snacks for Kids". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Little Duck Organics Founder On Being A Dad And An Entrepreneur – with Zak Normandin". Mixergy. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Hendrickson, Dyke (March 22, 2012). "'Little Duck' a strong swimmer". Daily News of Newburyport. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Spinner, Jenni (October 20, 2011). "Little Duck Organics wins best packaging honors at Expo East". Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Moving On". September 17, 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Blum, Brian (April 28, 2013). "Abe’s Market: natural, organic, and founded in Israel". Israel21c. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Little Ducks Organics Baby Food". Babble. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Goldberg, Max (April 26, 2012). "Little Duck Organics is a Real Winner for Kids…. and Parents". Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Jane Wakefield, Kylie (4 June 2014). "Little Duck Organics’ Natural Road to Success". Greenpoint Gazette. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  10. ↑ Kuchler, Hannah (14 May 2014). "Tech start-ups to look out for". Financial Times. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "If you want big rewards, you have to take risks.". Think Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Wimberly, Rachel (September 27, 2011). "Natural Products Expo East Grows After Return to Baltimore". Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Little Duck Organics is Moving Forward with Organic Baby Foods". Under30ceo.com. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "The National Parenting Publications Awards". Retrieved 9 March 2015.

External links

Official website