Jeni Britton on Reinvention, Fiber, and Building Floura After Jeni’s Ice Cream | Forbes Talks Shop

Key Concepts

• Microbiome & Fiber Diversity: The central focus of Flora, emphasizing the importance of gut health and consuming a wide variety of fiber sources.
• Renaissance in Midlife: Jenny Britain’s experience of renewed energy and opportunity in her 50s, driving her new venture.
• Mindful Entrepreneurship: Balancing business pursuits with personal well-being, prioritizing sleep, nature, and self-awareness.
• Creative Rituals: Utilizing specific routines (coffee, writing, forest walks) to foster creativity and focus.
• Product as Personal Expression: Building brands rooted in personal experiences and values, like community with Jenny’s Splendid Ice Creams and health with Flora.

The Evolution of an Entrepreneur: Jenny Britain on Flora, Wellness, and Creative Rituals

This Forbes Talks Shop episode features Jenny Britain, founder of Jenny’s Splendid Ice Creams and now Flora, a fiber bar company. The conversation centers on Britain’s entrepreneurial journey, her recent focus on wellness, and the daily rituals and tools that fuel her success.

From Ice Cream to Gut Health: A Personal Awakening

Britain describes experiencing a “renaissance” in her 50s, marked by a confluence of experience and new opportunities. After 30 years with Jenny’s Splendid Ice Creams, she stepped back from day-to-day operations and began researching the microbiome and the critical role of fiber in health. She discovered a widespread deficiency in fiber intake, including her own, and experienced significant personal benefits from increasing her fiber diversity. This realization, coupled with the statistic that 60% of Americans have chronic illness, with 41% of children affected, many of which are diet-related and potentially mitigated by fiber, spurred the creation of Flora.

Flora differentiates itself by utilizing produce trimmings – watermelon rind and apple cores – which are richer in fiber than the edible parts of the fruit. These are processed into concentrated, diverse fiber bars, launched in January after two years of development. Britain emphasizes the importance of fiber diversity, aiming for 30 plants per week, with each Flora bar containing 12. She highlights a shift in the conversation around fiber, moving beyond simply addressing gut motility (like with Metamucil) to understanding the impact of fiber on the chemicals produced by gut microbes and their connection to chronic illness.

Daily Rituals & Creative Fuel

Britain’s daily routine has evolved to accommodate her new venture and prioritize her well-being. Acknowledging she’s “not a morning person,” she structures her day around her peak brain function, typically working in the evenings after family time. She takes afternoons off for walks in the forest or naps, recognizing the importance of rest and disconnecting.

Her morning ritual revolves around coffee, specifically La Colom’s Nita blend, chosen for its chocolatey flavor profile reminiscent of Italian espresso (which she finds less acidic than American espresso). She describes a hobby-level dedication to espresso, even having her machine “modded out” to specific specifications. Beyond coffee, she prioritizes feeding her gut microbes first thing with fiber.

Key elements of her workspace include a dedicated desk, a preference for formality to enhance focus, and a reliance on pen and paper for brainstorming and note-taking, despite also utilizing digital apps. She emphasizes the importance of physical work and often spends time at the produce company Flora partners with.

Style & Self-Expression

Britain’s wardrobe choices reflect her personality and the demands of her day. She favors slightly oversized suits with tight waists and t-shirts, offering versatility for meetings or casual work. However, her go-to outfit for hands-on work is a white Oxford shirt and jeans, a style she’s embraced for years, harking back to her days with Jenny’s. She also prioritizes comfort and ritual, traveling with silk pajamas and an eye mask (Manta brand) to ensure quality sleep.

Evening Wind-Down & Inspiration

Britain’s evening routine is crucial for de-stressing and preparing for sleep. She dedicates two hours before bed to activities that disengage her from social media and stimulate her mind, currently immersed in researching her ancestry through Ancestry.com. She also enjoys reading, particularly history, believing it allows for “time travel” and fosters creative problem-solving. She utilizes a sound machine with brown noise and tracks her sleep with an Aura Ring. A nightly cup of vanilla tea from the Republic of Tea is another cherished ritual.

This or That & Final Thoughts

The “This or That” segment revealed Britain’s preferences: night owl over morning person, both coffee and tea, notebook and pen (for brainstorming), ice cream over snack bars, big city energy and nature retreats, building something new over mentoring, direct flights, lab bench experimentation, and long walks.

Britain’s journey exemplifies a mindful approach to entrepreneurship, prioritizing personal well-being alongside business success. Her story underscores the power of listening to one’s intuition, embracing new challenges, and building brands rooted in personal values and a desire to make a positive impact. She stated, “We get the best ideas because when we listen to ourselves.” Her current focus on fiber and gut health reflects a commitment to addressing a significant public health issue and empowering individuals to take control of their well-being.