Most people know kale as the green, leafy, cruciferous vegetable that is rich in nutrients. It is considered to be a super food that offers a lot of health benefits for the body. However, another notable trait that kale has is the not-so pleasant taste it has.There are many people that have not had or purchased the super food due to lack of accessibility and or food deserts.
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EasyKale® ‘s CEO, Bilal Qizilbash, has the solution for making super foods likes kale accessible, affordable, and taste good. The EasyKale® Kale Shaker is a container of powdered kale that lowers the flavor profile while also maintain the health benefits of kale. This makes it easier to add kale to nearly any dish or meal.
Originally I was supposed to meet Bilal earlier the year at the SXSW Pitch Competition. At the time Bilal was a finalist in the competition that who was slated to present at the competition. The SXSW Pitch has traditionally featured finalists across the following categories: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Voice, Augmented & Virtual Reality, Blockchain, Consumer Technology & CPG, Enterprise & Smart Data, Entertainment & Content, Health, Wearables & Wellbeing, Innovative World Technologies, Smart Cities, Transportation & Logistics, and Social & Culture.
Unfortunately, we were unable to meet due to SXSW’s cancellation as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, I still got a chance to talk with Bilal about his work, his love of geek culture nd the how it has inspired him to pursue his career in science and more.
The decision to develop EasyKale® was a result of founder Bilal Qizilbash’s research (B.S. in Biology, M.S. in Medical Sciences) into kale’s cancer-fighting properties. What he found was that, in a controlled laboratory setting, juiced kale would attack and kill melanoma cells while not affecting non-cancerous cells. The discovery led him to patent the process and brainstorm possible products for getting more kale into people’s diets.
As the CEO of EasyKale Labs, he continues his research on the effects of kale on cancer cells, while offering a next-generation product for making kale consumption easier: Bilal’s EasyKale®—a convenient container of powdered, tasteless kale designed to maintain its health benefits while minimizing its flavor profile. Just one tablespoon of the powder on any of your favorite food provides all of the nutrition of four cups of leafy kale.
Along with his scientific research and CEO duties, Bilal Qizilbash is a social entrepreneur; one of his passions is feeding the hungry, something he does weekly in his adopted home town of Jackson, Mississippi, through his non-profit organization, the Draw a Smile Foundation.
Bilal even pledges 2.5% of net profits from the sale of Bilal’s EasyKale to the Draw-a-Smile Foundation. Another 2.5% of net profits goes to the Mississippi Coding Academies, a passion project for Bilal’s co-founder, Rich Sun, helping at-risk kids build technology careers.
