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ICA invests in Oyna Natural Foods, a small batch organic food company
ICA Fund is excited to announce our newest investment in Oyna Natural Foods, a family-owned small batch organic food company that makes traditional Persian foods with high nutritional value, their signature product a veggie-packed persian frittata called Kuku. Co-founders Aisan Hoss, an MFA choreographer and acclaimed dancer, and Mehdi Parnia, an MSC construction manager by trade, emigrated from Iran to the US in 2013 so Aisan could pursue her passion for dance. With a shared love of cuisine from all cultures, they decided to start a food business, bringing traditional Persian recipes to America. They named it Oyna, meaning ‘to dance’ in the Azeri language of Azerbaijan, where both of their parents are from.
After completing La Cocina’s Incubator Program in 2016, they went on to graduate from the Lab at ICA Fund in 2021. The investment from ICA will support Oyna Natural Foods in expanding to bring delicious and healthy Persian cuisine to consumers in the Bay Area and beyond. This investment was made using the ICA Impact Note, our innovative investment structure that partners with entrepreneurs to prioritize social impact – like good jobs, workforce diversity, and employee wealth creation – as they grow their business. Keep reading to learn more about Oyna Natural Foods and their plans for expansion across the west coast.
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What is your vision for how Oyna Natural Foods will expand healthy food options for customers?
We wanted to bring a new food to our consumers that is natural, made with clean, quality ingredients, and is enjoyable with great flavor. People don’t expect that in packaged food — that all of our ingredients are ones you would find in your kitchen.
What are your plans for the new investment from ICA Fund? What is next for Oyna Natural Foods?
Right now, we are working on getting food safety certified to sell in Whole Foods and we are developing new packaging for our products to appeal to an even wider range of customers by extending our frittata line to the frozen aisle. Our growth plan also includes expanding across the west coast, and the funding from ICA will support the infrastructure needed for these efforts.
Oyna is a graduate of the Lab at ICA and has now received investment. What has been the most valuable part of your experience at ICA Fund?
Organizations like ICA and La Cocina have an absolutely necessary place in the business landscape here, leveling the playing field for immigrant founded startups by providing education, funding, and networking opportunities. We are able to use that capital and take action to make great things happen. There is a lot of movement and engagement with the new investment. We are just getting started with ICA.
We are excited to see Oyna Natural Foods promote healthier living in our community and continue leading the charge in shifting consumer mindsets around what healthy food can be. Try Oyna’s middle eastern frittata at your local Bay Area grocery store or marketplace.
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ICA Fund accelerates great businesses through mentoring and investments to close the racial and gender wealth gaps. We support small businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area led by founders of color and women by providing capital, coaching, and connections. ICA Fund helps entrepreneurs grow the value of their businesses and create wealth for themselves and their employees, driving toward our vision of an economy that works for all.
