Sakara

Sakara Life is a New York-based wellness and nutrition company that sells organic, plant-based ready-to-eat meal programs and functional nutrition products directly to consumers. Its core offering is a nutrition program built around a proprietary framework the founders call the 9 Pillars of Nutrition — including nutrient density, dietary variety ("eat the rainbow"), plant protein, water-rich vegetables, leafy greens, sulfur-rich vegetables, healthy fats, counting nutrients rather than calories, and "body intelligence." The program is positioned around microbiome and metabolic health and around the idea of food as medicine rather than calorie restriction.

Alongside the meal program, which includes a foundational nutrition program and a Level II detox, the company sells a catalogue of packaged goods and supplements. Products listed on its site include the Metabolism Super Powder, Protein & Greens Super Powder, Metabolism Bite thermogenic gummy, Serene State stress-release gummy, Beauty Biome synbiotic capsule, Night Service sleep-support capsule, Daily Elixir liquid multivitamin, Cell Reset liquid fulvic acid, a complete probiotic formula, protein bars, superfood granolas, and a prenatal formulation, merchandised by benefit categories such as weight management, everyday health, sleep and stress, gut health, and beauty from within. The company also produces branded lifestyle items and limited-edition collaborations, and publishes editorial content on habits, recipes and nutrition.

Meals are prepared in company-operated kitchens; as of 2021 these were in Long Island City, New York and Gardena, California, near the company's densest customer bases, with equipment capable of washing and drying 8,000 pounds of produce, filling 2,000 soup cups and baking 4,500 muffins per hour, plus handmade items such as a 15-layer lasagna and plant-based burgers.

Founding story

Co-founders Danielle DuBoise and Whitney Tingle became best friends in seventh grade math class in Sedona, Arizona. Both experienced health problems in their twenties: DuBoise developed a severe eating disorder while taking acting and modeling work to pay for medical school in New York, and in 2010 was hospitalized with pneumonia after a seven-day fast; Tingle gained weight and developed cystic acne while working as an investment banking analyst. After consulting doctors, holistic practitioners and nutritionists, they adopted an organic, plant-based diet focused on the microbiome and gut health, then began sharing it with friends. They launched the business with $700 raised from friends at a dinner party, operating from a 500-square-foot New York apartment and delivering meals by bicycle. The name Sakara is described by the founders as meaning "thoughts become things" in Sanskrit.

Business model

Sakara sells directly to consumers on a subscription and one-off purchase basis. Customers can register for up to three ready-to-eat meals per day, five days a week, with a standardized daily menu delivered to all customers. Meals are prepared in company kitchens and delivered twice per week — by Sakara's own drivers for customers near its kitchens and via overnight shipping elsewhere. Alongside the meal program, the company sells packaged functional foods and supplements at price points such as $34–$76 per item and bundles at $96–$221. The founders describe a profitable model built without large outside rounds, deliberately raising only what was needed so they could retain majority ownership.

Revenue comes from consumer sales of subscription meal programs and from direct sales of supplements, functional foods and lifestyle products, with bundle pricing and discounts offered on the company's website.

Traction

Started with $700 and operated without founder salaries for two and a half years; revenue grew from $1.8 million in 2014 to $5.7 million in 2015 and to a reported $150 million annually by March 2021, with 60% growth in each of the three preceding years. The company reported delivering millions of organic plant-based meals nationwide and having over 200 team members as of mid-2021.

Latest developments

In 2025 the company continued expanding its supplement line, including a new line of supplements for targeted health solutions and the availability of its Beauty Biome supplement online and at Credo Beauty. Recent site merchandising highlights a reissued 30-serving Metabolism Super Powder in its original formula, bundles across metabolism, skin, sleep and morning-routine categories, restocked Foundation and Foundation: Prenatal products, a waitlisted Fiber Super Powder, and limited-edition collaboration items including a Kinto tumbler and a NETTE candle.