Today we’d like to introduce you to Lexie Hagan.
Hi Lexie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Before Mindfully Mina’s, I had just graduated from Temple University and was pursuing a career in environmental science, working a hands-on field internship that I thought was my dream path. As that chapter came to an end, I was looking for a new challenge and found myself becoming increasingly interested in our food system, ingredients, and the growing better-for-you movement.
I’ve always believed that what we eat directly impacts how we feel, and as someone constantly looking for healthy, convenient snacks, I started paying closer attention to the products available. I noticed a disconnect between how many food brands were being marketed and what was actually on the ingredient label – especially in the protein snack category. So many products focused on impressive macros and health claims, but still relied on heavily processed ingredients and sacrificed the taste and texture that actually makes food enjoyable. I especially struggled to find a protein cookie that had ingredients I felt good about and tasted like a delicious cookie.
I had no background in food or recipe development and had never imagined myself starting a food business, but I saw an opportunity to create what I couldn’t find. I began developing each recipe with the belief that a better-for-you product shouldn’t require you to choose between nutrition, good ingredients, great flavor, or the overall experience of eating it. Healthy eating should feel simple, enjoyable, and add value to your life – not leave you confused or unsatisfied. That belief became the foundation of Mindfully Mina’s: creating cookies and protein balls made with whole-food ingredients and taste delicious, indulgent, and genuinely satisfying.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges was developing our protein cookie recipes. I had no baking or recipe development experience, so I spent over a year testing recipes for hours every day in my parents kitchen. Creating a cookie without gluten, dairy, eggs, or refined sugar that still tasted and felt like a homemade cookie, while also balancing nutrition and shelf life, took a lot of trial and error.
Since then, the challenges have continued to evolve. I had to learn how to actually build a business from the ground up, from forming an LLC, getting insurance, and figuring out pricing to developing a website, creating packaging, and eventually putting the product and mission out into the world to see if people would connect with it. That learning curve was incredibly challenging, especially because so much of it was completely new to me.
Last December, I brought on Sarah full-time, and she has been such an important part of Mindfully Mina’s because she shares the same drive, passion, and work ethic that I do. It’s just the two of us running the business, so we’re involved in every part of it. From making and packaging the products by hand, to operations, finances, sales, marketing, social media, events, and deliveries. A huge part of building Mindfully Mina’s has been learning how to do more with less, solve problems as they come, and keep moving forward even when I’m navigating something for the first time.
More than anything, the process has taught me how important it is to trust myself. Building a business constantly pushes you into uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations, and I’ve learned that mindset matters just as much as strategy. I try to stay positive, continue laughing, and enjoy the journey and all that comes with it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Mindfully Mina’s?
Mindfully Mina’s is a small-batch food brand specializing in soft-baked protein cookies and protein balls made with whole-food ingredients. Every product has 8g of protein and is plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, and made without refined sugar.
What really sets us apart is that we don’t start with the protein and try to build a snack around it – we start with the recipe. Flavor, texture, and the overall eating experience matter just as much to us as nutrition, because I believe a better-for-you product should still taste delicious and indulgent.
We’re incredibly ingredient-conscious and transparent about what goes into everything we make. From homemade peanut butter chips to monthly protein ball flavors like PB&J, blueberry muffin, banana bread, and salted vanilla latte, we put a lot of care into making our products feel creative, elevated, and exciting rather than like a typical protein snack.
What I’m most proud of is the trust and community we’ve built around the brand. Mindfully Mina’s started with me testing recipes in my parents kitchen and has grown into a brand carried by local retailers, cafés, and grocery stores, but we’ve stayed incredibly hands-on throughout that growth. More than anything, I want people to know that Mindfully Mina’s exists to make healthy eating feel simple and enjoyable, and to prove that you shouldn’t have to choose between ingredients you feel good about and food you genuinely look forward to eating.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people in my corner. I’m incredibly grateful to have such supportive, encouraging, and uplifting people in my life, including my parents, family, friends, my boyfriend and his family, Sarah, and our customers. Starting a business has been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever pursued, and their belief in me, guidance, encouragement, and willingness to show up along the way have played such an important role in the growth of Mindfully Mina’s.
Whether it’s helping with production in the kitchen, standing beside me at farmers markets on the weekends, making wholesale deliveries, or simply being a shoulder to lean on during the harder moments, they have been part of this journey with me. Their willingness to show up in so many different ways means more than I can put into words, and I have an endless amount of appreciation for each of them.
That support is also a constant reminder that this business is so much bigger than me. I try not to make Mindfully Mina’s about myself, but about the people we serve, the community we’re building, and the positive impact the brand can have on the people who support it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mindfullyminas.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfullyminas
