Stabenow, organic leader attend Iftar dinner
July 26, 2013 | 02:00 PM
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Shazi Visram, the 36-year old founder and CEO of Happy Family Organic Superfoods, were among the guests Thursday evening at the White House’s fifth annual Iftar dinner, Obama Foodorama reported today.
The Iftar is the meal that breaks the day of fasting during Ramadan, when Muslim families eat together after sunset. During the dinner, President Barack Obama saluted Visram as a “rock star of the new economy.”
Shazi Visram
"We celebrate entrepreneurs like Shazi Visram, whose parents came here from Pakistan and Tanzania to give their children a better life,” Obama said.
“And as the founder, CEO and ‘Chief Mom’ of Happy Family, Shazi is a leader in affordable, organic foods for children — which makes Michelle very happy,” referring to First Lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to improve nutrition and fight childhood obesity.
“In just seven years, she’s grown to 58 full-time employees, 75 part-time working moms, and they’re on track to hit $100 million in revenue this year.”
“By the way, every time that they sell one of their products, they contribute to global efforts to end child hunger,” Obama said. “So Shazi is not only just an outstanding businesswoman, but also a leader that all of us can emulate.”
According to Happy Family's website, Visram founded the company after watching a friend struggle to find healthy food options for her baby that didn’t involve hours of work in the kitchen. She started with Happy Baby, a minimally processed frozen, organic alternative to baby food in a jar, and now has a comprehensive line of organic foods for all ages.
Michigan has a large Muslim population, and the White House said that members of Congress besides Stabenow who attended the dinner included Reps. John Dingell, D-Mich., and Dan Kildee, D-Mich. Members of the diplomatic corps also attended the event.
The Iftar is the meal that breaks the day of fasting during Ramadan, when Muslim families eat together after sunset. During the dinner, President Barack Obama saluted Visram as a “rock star of the new economy.”
Shazi Visram
"We celebrate entrepreneurs like Shazi Visram, whose parents came here from Pakistan and Tanzania to give their children a better life,” Obama said.
“And as the founder, CEO and ‘Chief Mom’ of Happy Family, Shazi is a leader in affordable, organic foods for children — which makes Michelle very happy,” referring to First Lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to improve nutrition and fight childhood obesity.
“In just seven years, she’s grown to 58 full-time employees, 75 part-time working moms, and they’re on track to hit $100 million in revenue this year.”
“By the way, every time that they sell one of their products, they contribute to global efforts to end child hunger,” Obama said. “So Shazi is not only just an outstanding businesswoman, but also a leader that all of us can emulate.”
According to Happy Family's website, Visram founded the company after watching a friend struggle to find healthy food options for her baby that didn’t involve hours of work in the kitchen. She started with Happy Baby, a minimally processed frozen, organic alternative to baby food in a jar, and now has a comprehensive line of organic foods for all ages.
Michigan has a large Muslim population, and the White House said that members of Congress besides Stabenow who attended the dinner included Reps. John Dingell, D-Mich., and Dan Kildee, D-Mich. Members of the diplomatic corps also attended the event.
