J
ulie Jeremy is a native Californian, which is where
her specialty food company, Native Kjalii, got its
oddly spelled name. "I made it up," she says, explain-
ing it's pronounced, 'Cali,' like the first two syllables of
the state. San Francisco, where she was born and raised,
is home base for the enterprise, its local bounty the
inspiration for her preservative-free, fire-roasted salsas.
And since tortilla chips are salsa's natural vehicle, she
was driven to also develop higher-quality, GMO-free,
taqueria-style chips.
It takes creativity and grit to
establish a successful food business.
This San Franciscan has spent two
decades developing both.
BY JULIE BESONEN
PHOTOS: NATIVE KJALII FOODS
Julie Jeremy,
Native Kjalii Foods
Fire-Roasted
Flavor
producer profle
98 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com