Our Team

Sara Andrews, Founder & CEO

Sara is passionate about accelerating the pace of regenerative agriculture by contributing to a food system that works with nature instead of against it. She believes that a food system should be climate friendly (sequestering carbon and protecting biodiversity), equitable, and nourishing.

The granddaughter of Montana ranchers, Sara has worked in various parts of the food ecosystem —including as an agricultural policy advisor to U.S. Senator Max Baucus and the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and as a consultant with the NGO TechnoServe in Zimbabwe. In addition, she has spent many years as a strategy consultant helping to grow and build emerging businesses within large organizations. 

After spending time working in Zimbabwe, she realized that a new type of food company was needed to provide the type of products that customers want. She founded Bumbleroot to provide nutrient dense, delicious food and beverage products with full supply chain transparency to consumers and to celebrate the farmers, ranchers, and harvesters contributing to a regenerative food system. 

Sara holds a bachelor’s degree and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.

 

Jessie Bridges, Director of Community Engagement

Jessie has always been drawn to the food and beverage industry; but not in the traditional sense.  While she has worked in kitchens as a cook, front of house as a hostess, a server and a manager,  and wine sales focusing on direct to consumer and club, her passion is the customer’s experience.  Because ultimately, it’s the people she encounters and how they interact with the product being offered that seems to be the thread linking each of her roles.

Having been a customer and consumer countless times herself, Jessie understands the value of communication and responsiveness.  Even the most seemingly mundane and uninteresting task or question can open up a whole conversation that allows those involved to make connections.  There always seems to be at least one common interest, value, place or person.  It just takes careful and attentive correspondence to unlock this dynamic. 

Additionally, having worked with businesses that place the highest value on product quality and source, Jessie knows the importance of where the products she is selling come from.  What one consumes ultimately becomes part of them, so of course it makes the most sense to ingest the absolute best ingredients.

Born from an inherent love of good food and wine, and her desire to both make and enjoy those things, Jessie’s customer service skills perfectly compliment the other tools in her tool box.  Her curiosity to understand another’s experience paired with her abilities to trouble-shoot and communicate her findings, make Jessie a great addition to the Bumbleroot Foods team.

Jessie holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies from Loyola Marymount University.  She also has a Culinary Arts Certificate from the California Culinary Academy.

Jessie lives in Santa Barbara, CA, with her husband, Kevin, their 2-year old son, Leon, and their dog, Banjo.