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Formulating a Better World for New Parents
Words by Anh-Minh Le
Photos by Kelsey Wisdom
When Sara Ahmed Holman had her first child in 2018, a Facebook mom’s group clued her into someone selling baby formula imported from Europe. “The only options that really existed on shelves in the U.S. were these big, archaic brands,” the Carmel mother of two recalls. “If you wanted a clean, simple, small-batch product, you had to go to Europe for it.”
One aspect of the European Union’s formula guidelines that stood out to her: the mandated level of DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid present in breast milk. But she ultimately became uneasy using an intermediary to procure formula. Around that time, though, a friend told her that former Airbnb executives Laura Modi and Sarah Hardy were starting a European-style, American-manufactured organic baby formula company, called Bobbie.
By then, Holman had pivoted from law and was working in venture capital, primarily in the food/agriculture and life sciences spaces. Holman’s friend connected her and she initially joined Bobbie as an advisor in 2019. Two years later, when it launched, Holman came on board full-time. Today, as chief commercial officer, she oversees innovation, growth/revenue and new channels/business development.
For the Georgia native, who once dreamt of becoming a chef, the role merges numerous passions: “food, organics, sustainability,” she says, noting that “we source from small family farms across the U.S.” Daughters Salma, 6, and Sarina, 3, are among the 500,000-plus “Bobbie babies” who have been fed the formula. In addition to the product itself, which Holman describes as “the best of both worlds”—meeting U.S. and E.U. standards—the mom-founded and -led company’s activism and education efforts resonate with her.
In 2022, Bobbie embarked on a bold campaign to help normalize “combo feeding” (breast milk and formula). “We put [model] Ashley Graham’s—she has twins—tits out, on a billboard in SoHo, with a baby on one boob and a bottle in the other baby’s mouth,” Holman says. The headline: There is no one size feeds all.
Bobbie’s research shows that 80% of parents feed their babies formula during their first year, with 70% of these formula-feeding parents doing combo feeding. Holman had an idea. She sketched it out in her notepads and, last year, it came to fruition: The company partnered with retail giant Target for a novel concept at stores nationwide, offering its formula alongside breast pumps by Elvie on Target endcaps. “Your feeding journey is uniquely yours and can be however you want,” Holman says, adding that “no parent should feel guilty.”
“Your feeding journey is uniquely yours and can be however you want ... no parent should feel guilty.”
<div class="quote-attribute">Sara Holman</div>
Her own journey involved “a traumatic birth with my first daughter,” she shares. “I broke my back during labor and delivery. I had to choose for myself: Was I going to continue to attempt to breastfeed, even though I was going back to work and in brutal pain? Or was I going to take the pills that I needed to help get me out of what was truly excruciating pain, but that wasn’t compliant with breastfeeding?”
It’s clear that for Holman, her work is more than just a job. “When women lead a company, we lead with awareness and compassion about what the real experience is,” she says. A majority of Bobbie’s approximately 162 employees are parents. “We are very focused on making sure that we are talking about the things that no one else is willing to talk about, that affect our customer base,” she continues.
Early on, upon learning from breast cancer survivors that the Affordable Care Act covers breast pumps and lactation support but not donor milk or formula, Bobbie joined forces with The Breasties, a nonprofit that aims to empower those impacted by breast and reproductive cancers. Together, they are behind a petition to improve insurance equity. Additionally, every October—Breast Cancer Awareness Month—Bobbie sponsors a cohort of mothers and families, supplying a year’s worth of infant formula.
The company has also partnered with 4Kira4Moms to support families who have experienced the loss of a mother during childbirth as well as address the maternal mortality crisis, especially among Black women. In 2024, Bobbie’s “Parents Push Harder” campaign, which advocates for increased paid time off for new parents, featured tennis superstar Naomi Osaka and Queer Eye fashion expert Tan France. And this season, Holman helped coordinate Bobbie’s impactful local donation to the Food Bank for Monterey County’s Diapers and Dignity program (read more on that below).
The desire to effect change goes beyond its activism. In 2023, in response to the previous year’s infant formula shortage, Bobbie acquired pediatric nutrition company Nature’s One, including its 90,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Ohio. “We need to own our part in the responsibility of fixing the supply chain,” Holman explains.
Bobbie, whose annual revenue exceeds $100 million, is now poised to better serve more families in the U.S. Recently, Whole Foods began carrying Bobbie formula. Its Boosties, infant supplements such as probiotic drops, are available on the Bobbie website or through Amazon. And another major social impact campaign is slated for 2025.
With such a fast-paced career, Holman expresses deep appreciation for Carmel, which has been home since 2020 (she works remotely). Her husband, Todd, attended Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, and the couple wed at Carmel Valley Ranch. The Holmans both earned law degrees from UCLA, where they met, and share an interest in issues around food and community. (He is on the board of the local environmental education nonprofit, MEarth.) Date nights might consist of dining at the Foray bar, while Corkscrew Cafe is a go-to family spot.
Motherhood has driven Holman professionally and personally. Of her move from San Francisco four years ago, she says, “A big part of it was: Where do I want to raise my kids? It’s the kind of lifestyle I want for my children. There’s a focus on family, on being outside. Carmel is such a magical place.” <img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6457f19f1c1e1601e2c9c3f6/6487a9355b63a6818c705cea_CC-Icon--20.svg"alt="CC" style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; min-width: 20px; width: 12px; height: 12px;">
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Anh-Minh Le is a Bay Area-based freelance writer and editor whose bylines have appeared in publications such as the San Francisco Chronicle, Nob Hill Gazette, WSJ. Magazine, CA Home+Design, Luxe Interiors + Design, Diablo and C Magazine.
<div class="heading-2-large">Uplifting Local Families</div>
Bobbie’s donation to the Food Bank for Monterey County highlights local needs.
More than 40% of Monterey County residents are food insecure. It’s a little known statistic that the Food Bank for Monterey County works tirelessly to upend. Through innovative programs—including Diapers & Dignity, Breast Cancer and Pediatric Patient Food Assistance, Kids NOW (Nutrition On Weekends), Emergency Food Assistance, and many others—the Food Bank serves the needs of more than 160,000 Monterey County residents each month.
In conjunction with our story, “Formulating a Better World For New Parents,” we are proud to unite Bobbie, the mom-led organic infant formula company whose CCO, Sara Ahmed Holman, is based in Carmel, with the Food Bank for a generous donation that will have a real impact this season. Through the Diapers & Dignity initiative, Bobbie’s contribution of formula and diapers goes directly to help local mothers. The program, which is unique to Monterey County, was created in response to the alarming number of infants who lack basic supplies, and the mothers who would otherwise be forced out of work or school due to an inability to afford those supplies and thus maintain daycare. It currently serves 200 mothers, but Bobbie’s donation allows the Food Bank to provide additional assistance beyond those enrolled in the program. (Its waitlist tops 800.)
Diapers & Dignity, in addition to the Food Bank’s other programs, is critical to achieving its goal of a hunger-free community through fresh approaches that center the community’s needs above all else to affect real change.
Get Involved
Volunteer: Join the team of 500-plus helping to feed the need.
Donate: 100% of your gift stays local.
Attend: Feed The Soul, Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. at The Pocket, Carmel-by-the-Sea. All proceeds benefit the Food Bank.
FOR MORE INFO, VISIT: foodbankformontereycounty.org
By the Numbers
Bobbie donated more than 1,500 cases of formula and diapers to the Food Bank for Monterey County for local babies and toddlers in need.