West Hartford Start-Up: Healthy and Convenient Foods and Beverages

ewalsh • January 22, 2018

West Hartford start-up Bare Life launched last fall, and offers allergen- and irritant-free foods.

Interview conducted by Nan Price, Innovation Destination Hartford (innovationhartford.com). Text and photographs republished with permission

—

Ali Lazowski is Founder of West Hartford-based Bare Life, which is one of many startups participating in the 2018 reSET Impact Accelerator. The program is designed for entrepreneurs in the early stages of business development.

Ali discussed some of her startup challenges and her experience with the accelerator.

INNOVATION DESTINATION HARTFORD: When and why did you start your company?

ALI LAZOWSKI: Cancer and chronic illness actually started Bare Life, not quite the typical startup plan. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2012 as well as Lyme Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I had been very ill for a while. Those diagnoses pushed me to adopt cleaner and healthier diet (gluten free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free, and organic).

At the time, I just thought I was making hot cocoa and other recipes I loved; there really was no plan beyond feeding myself. In talking with people in my community, I realized a lot of people also wanted access to healthy food that didn’t taste like cardboard. Even though these have been the most challenging years of my life – and the challenge is not over – finding something I love to do, feel passionate about, and can possibly help other people has made it all worth it.

I launched Bare Life in October 2017.

Bare Life’s first product is an innovative instant hot cocoa, that’s organic, non-GMO, dairy free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, kosher, paleo, and vegan. Photo courtesy of Nan Price, Innovation Destination Hartford

IDH: Tell us about the startup and what makes it innovative.

ALI: Bare Life is an allergen- and irritant-free brand, based in West Hartford, CT. Our mission is make crave-worthy, body-friendly foods convenient for people coping with chronic illness. Our first product is a unique instant hot cocoa, that’s organic, non-GMO, dairy free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, kosher, paleo, and vegan. We also have Sweets and Thanksgiving cookbooks coming out later this year.

IDH: Why did you become involved in reSET Accelerator program?

ALI: Why wouldn’t you want to be involved with reSET? Their team is so supportive, collaborative, and engaging, every time I talk to a team member it’s clear they just want to help us succeed. It’s truly a special place.

IDH: In what ways is your company making a social impact?

ALI: It is very important to me to help people coping with chronic illnesses. Having a chronic illness is unbelievably hard. I am fortunate to have wonderfully supportive family and friends who help make my journey a bit easier. But I know not everyone has that.

If Bare Life can make food choices easier, help people feel less alone through our support groups, or create flexible employment opportunities, that would be an amazingly wonderful thing to me.

IDH: What has been your biggest challenge as a startup?

ALI: I think my biggest challenge with Bare Life has been what started the company—my chronic illnesses. A startup requires a lot of energy, you’re working all the time and there are no days off. Balancing startup life and my health is no easy feat, and I am definitely not good at it yet. But as I continue to build my great team around me I know we can overcome this challenge.

IDH: What resources do you need most to move your company forward?

ALI: With a startup I think it’s always two things: financing and strategic advice or partnerships. We just completed our crowdfunding campaign and we raised about $10,000. We didn’t hit our big funding goal, but that allowed us to move forward with no margin for error. Mistakes are also always part of a startup. That’s where strategic advice or partnerships come in, like reSET. Hopefully I can learn from other people’s experiences and avoid repeating some of their mistakes.

IDH: What is the best advice you have given/received?

ALI: The best piece of advice I’ve received was from my father. I was at a crossroads and he told me to never make a choice, to stick with something, because the other choice seemed worse or harder. To always go with what felt right and that the rest would work itself out. So far, he’s been right.

Learn more about Bare Life:

WEB: www.eatbarelife.com
FACEBOOK: /EatBareLife
INSTAGRAM: eatbareliefe
TWITTER: @eatbarelife

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Leadership Transition Announcement: reSET Executive Director to Step Down in 2026

By awalsh • February 13, 2026

Dear reSET Community, The Board of Directors today announces the departure of Sarah Bodley as Executive Director of reSET in a planned transition later this year. The Board has immense gratitude for Sarah and all her contributions over the years. Over the last seven years, Sarah has built an amazing foundation for the organization and she leaves reSET in a strong position for continued growth and service. Sarah joined reSET in 2018 and over the past seven years has solidified and expanded reSET’s mission of supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs throughout Connecticut. Here are a few key highlights from Sarah’s time here: Facilitated the acquisition of Collab New Haven, expanding reSET’s footprint to a statewide geography and further enhancing our mission Developed and implemented new core programs including the award-winning Food Incubator, as well as the Food Accelerator, Retail Incubator, Measure What Matters, and Digital Marketing Mastermind Established reSET as a founding partner of the Hartford Culinary Collaborative, enabling greater connectivity and cooperation among food-centric support organizations in our region Doubled the organization’s budget to over 1 Million Dollars, securing multi-year State government grants Won the prestigious Neighborhood Builders Award from Bank of America, and the Leadership Greater Hartford Polaris Community Award in 2022 Established an endowment fund thanks to support from the Zachs Family Foundation to support the long term sustainability of reSET’s mission Over the coming months, we will be continuing our search to find reSET's next Executive Director. Sarah will stay onboard through June to ensure a smooth handoff to our next leader, and will be available as a resource throughout 2026. It is the Board of Directors’ priority, along with Sarah's, to make this transition as smooth as possible to continue the great work Sarah has helped us do over her tenure. The Executive Director’s Job Posting can be found at this link, and we invite you to keep in mind any potential candidates in your community or network that you think might be a great fit. The Board of Directors wishes Sarah the best of luck in her future endeavors. We are appreciative of the dedication and enthusiasm she has given to reSET over the last seven years, particularly navigating our organization seamlessly during the historic times of the pandemic, changes in administration, and an ever-evolving landscape of opportunity for entrepreneurs. We are confident that with Sarah’s support, this transition will be a smooth one for our Connecticut entrepreneurs, partners, and generous supporters. We look forward to continuing our growth and to serving our mission of supporting the social enterprise sector. If you have any questions or concerns during this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out via contacting admin@resetco.org to get in touch with the board. Sincerely, Ali Lazowski + Dave Menard, co-chairs, reSET Board of Directors

Applications Open for Spring 2026 Impact Accelerator

By awalsh • February 10, 2026

Inviting Impact Entrepreneurs Into Transformative Growth

reSET Announces Pitch Competition Winners from Fall Food Accelerator and Floor–Plan Retail Incubator Programs

By awalsh • November 25, 2025

21 Businesses Participated, Gaining Valuable Impact-Driven Business Training

reSET to Host Two November Events Celbrating Connecticut's Next Generation of Food and Retail Entrepreneurs Making an Impact

By awalsh • October 27, 2025

Special Discount Available for Attendees Purchasing Tickets to Both Events

reSET Announces Second Food Accelerator Cohort

By awalsh • October 1, 2025

11 Impact-Driven Food Businesses Ready to Scale Operations and Community Impact

reSET Announces 5th Cohort of Floor - Plan Retail Incubator Featuring 10 Emerging Entrepreneurs

By awalsh • September 22, 2025

Program Partnership with Breakfast Lunch & Dinner Supports Early-Stage Retail Businesses with Social Impact Focus

reSET Food and Retail Programs Featured in Radio Interview

July 7, 2025

Listen in to the replay of John Voket of Connoisseur Media's interview of reSET Food Program Manager Katrice Claudio and Program Manager Ndubisi Okeke that aired on Sunday July 6, 2025. They talked about the reSET programs that are enrolling for the fall--the Food Accelerator for food businesses looking to scale, and the Retail Incubator for early stage product-based businesses looking to ramp up for holiday markets in Connecticut. Listen here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8745230-reset-fall-program-preview The interview aired on the award-winning "For the People" show on Sunday, July 6 on WEBE 108 FM, STAR 99.9, WPLR FM and THe VOICE of Connecticut and on the podcast.