Sticky mess triggers new industry for local mom

Kristin Ahmer is riding the wave of being a mom and owning an expanding company.

“I’m a juggling businesswoman,” said the Post Falls woman, CEO and founder of The Sili Company, which makes reusable and spill-proof food pouches.

Ahmer, 34, typifies many women of her generation. She’s on-the-go with the business while helping husband Mike raise their children — Will, 5, and Sage, 3.

“The seven moms who work for me and I have the same lifestyle,” Ahmer said. “We work in home offices, we can take our kids to school, but our hours are all over the place. There’s a lot of flexibility. I have a computer on the kitchen counter, but we still operate around the mentality of family first.”

Her company’s tagline is, “Squeezing the goodness out of what we are given.”

The entrepreneur is an example of how some modern moms are redirecting their careers, on their own terms, to strike a better balance.

The family moved to Post Falls from southern California nearly three years ago.

“We wanted out of the rat race,” Ahmer said. “We’re big nature people and Mike was a stay-at-home dad while I transitioned the company.”

Mike now works for the Idaho Department of Lands.

The story of The Sili Company is one of rapid expansion.

Kristin had a moment of awakening when Will, who was 1 at the time, had his food pouch explode all over him, the car and herself, creating a sticky mess.

That’s when Ahmer’s entrepreneur instincts kicked in.

The accident led her to launch The Sili Company in 2011 and create the Sili Squeeze, a reusable pouch that allows kids as young as 6 months to enjoy mess-free pureed food, yogurt, applesauce and more while on the go.

As Will became an even more active child with school, sports and play adventures, Ahmer realized she and other parents needed a solution for older children.

So Ahmer rolled out the Sili Squeeze with Eeze, the company’s “second-born” product, later in 2011.

The initial success of both products, which are available in different colors and sell online and in specialty stores for $14.99 each, came through word of mouth and grassroots efforts with independent retailers. The products are made in China and can be purchased at Mother’s Haven in Coeur d’Alene.

When Ahmer looked to expand her products to big-box retailers, she was told that the cost is a bit high for “bottles” in retail stores.

“It’s not a bottle; it’s a squeeze,” the company’s trademark states to counter such a belief.

However, Target in January picked up a reusable food pouch line of Ahmer’s specially designed for the nationwide, family-friendly retailer that’s based on the original Sili Squeeze collection. The Sili Squeezer with Eeeze, for example, sells for $10.99 at Target.

“It’s not a cheaper version, but it is designed to look more affordable,” she said, adding that the cap and assemblies are different and it takes a little longer to clean.

Other major retailers courted Ahmer at the Natural Products West Expo 2015, adding to the nationwide expansion of The Sili Company.

Ahmer isn’t stopping there.

On June 1 she plans to launch a re-branding of the company under The Original Squeeze in the name of competition and further expansion.

“Why not be known for the original squeeze?” she said, referring to her decision to re-brand. “It reminds people that we were No. 1. I created this product to fill a need.”

She said the name will also be more encompassing and help when she expands into products to serve folks with special needs or who have medical conditions and for athletes. She said testimonies and demand from adults are driving those future and pending expansions.

“Sili sounds fun and light, but it also has a juvenile-sounding feel,” Ahmer said.

Ahmer said The Sili Company has given her and other moms who work for her the best of both worlds.

“I realize the mentality is not for everyone, but I love that juggling mentality,” she said, adding that technology has allowed her to do that whereas working mothers 20 years ago may not have had such an opportunity.

For more information, visit www.thesilico.com.