S P R I N G 2 0 1 6 | NORTH BAY WOMAN 37
Urban Remedy founder Neka Pasquale is focused
on creating drinks, salads, energy bars and
cleansing packages. – Photo provided by Urban Remedy
enough, but she had just
launched Urban Remedy's website when she
found out she was pregnant. It was, in her
words, "a challenging time." She managed,
thanks to her "right hand lady," Amanda Stroud,
now the district manager. "She ran everything
for me," Pasquale says.
Eventually, something had to give. Despite
misgivings, she closed her acupuncture prac-
tice to focus on her juice business.
Luck stepped in at this point in the form of
"a friend of a friend" — investors excited
about the name and the concept. They
created a website, promoted the online
growth and built Urban Remedy a new kitchen
— one Pasquale outgrew after just six months.
And still the business grew. "It got to a point
where I was not doing what I loved," Pasquale
says. So, she hired an chief executive to
manage the business aspect of Urban Remedy
while she concentrated on creating products
— drinks, salads, energy bars, and cleansing
packages.
In 2012, supermodel Cindy Crawford be-
came a partner and the Urban Remedy "brand
ambassador."
What drew Crawford to Urban Remedy,
indeed what drew clients and investors before
her: Pasquale's authenticity.
"My passion is empowering people through
food," Pasquale says. ■
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