‘Bou HQ: Rachel Frosch and her journey to recognize moms with Mom Badge
Welcome to ‘Bou HQ* – Caribou Coffee’s series of spotlighting entrepreneurs whose best ideas started where community happens — over coffee. In this edition, Rachel Frosch shares how her idea for Mom Badge started over Caribou Coffee.
Meet Rachel Frosch
“What if when you become a mom instead of losing yourself – you find yourself?” Intended as encouragement and inspiration about motherhood, and posed to Rachel Frosch by her own mom, the thought stuck with Rachel. It became a guiding principle, and over time something more: the spark of an idea that would become a business.
Rachel Frosch is the founder of Mom Badge, a digital platform and mobile app, designed to see, support and celebrate the often-invisible work of parenting. Through playful, affirming badges, given for anything from surviving a diaper blowout to navigating soccer practices, Mom Badge offers recognition and encouragement from friends and loved ones in the form of digital gift cards.
The idea took shape over time. Rachel began by imagining something that could easily capture the many moments – and rites of passage – of being a mom. A creative person at heart, as well as an experienced photographer, Rachel thinks visually. She started sketching badges and taught herself UX design for when things would move to a digital platform. The first concept badges were drawn on a digital drawing program. Soon she began making them out of fabric and thread, a nod to her mom’s love of textiles. “It felt right to take the extra time to physically make the badges because being a mom is in the real world and the moments moms live through are beautiful.” The idea started to gain traction and over time, built a community of encouragers taking the time to help moms feel seen.
And of course, coffee played its own role. As any mom knows, coffee is more than what’s in the cup. It can be a social lifeline, a daily ritual, and sometimes, even a reset button. Rachel often says that a simple gift card for coffee (or another treat) and the permission it carries: to stop, to savor, to take a breath in the chaos, can really transform a day.
The power of recognition
By 2022, Rachel was pitching the concept in Los Angeles during a startup program to a couple hundred people. “It went really well,” she says, “It was my first opportunity to share an anthem – our mission. People got it. Moms need to be seen and supported in the moments of their lives.” With the help of friends she met after this event, she began developing her app, funded initially by a $5,000 grant she was given – and Mom Badge was officially off and running.
Rachel’s a born motivator and someone who’s always been invested in others. After college, she taught high school history in Anoka. “I like people and their stories,” she says about her career path. Over time she transitioned to an instructional coaching role in the school. “Everyone in the building was doing the urgent work of teaching,” she recalls. “But I had the opportunity to focus on helping people feel supported and inspired to do their work.” The parallel to her development of Mom Badge is an easy one to make with her at the center: recognizing, supporting and in some ways, celebrating those around her.
A mother of four, Rachel is all too familiar with the highs and lows of parenting. “You’re just trying to get milk [from the store] and all of a sudden it’s a survival moment and a major negotiation about gum.” She adds that in a sea of polished Instagram posts and TikTok “sweatpants moms” making jokes about parenting, Mom Badge offers something different: a place not to compare, but to connect – where moms are seen for who they are and the real work they’re doing.
Shareable badges and digital gift cards were introduced in 2023 to monetize the platform. Mom Badge users can now send badges to friends and other moms by text or email as well as attach a digital gift card. Rachel integrated big name retailers like Amazon, DoorDash, and Target as well as beloved, local Twin Cities brands including Rustica and Cardigan Donuts. Rachel credits the community of people around her: educators, early supporters of the idea, other moms who rallied around the idea, and the Caribou community where it all got started, as the helping hands along the way and her inspiration to keep going.
Rachel grew her brand by starting a YouTube series called A Mom’s Odyssey, where she would pick up another mom in her Honda Odyssey, chat about motherhood, and roll through a Caribou drive-thru. It was all about community, being together and delivering a spark of joy to another mom who needed it. One simple idea echoed throughout each episode of the series: sometimes, the most powerful thing you can give a mom is the reminder that she’s doing an amazing job.
“As moms and entrepreneurs, we’re running a marathon,” Rachel says “but it’s all worth it. And we can do so much more when we feel seen, supported, and celebrated in our race.”
What’s next
Since launching Mom Badge, Rachel has continued building tools that help people show up for one another. Today, she is developing Your People Co., a collection of digital products for making plans, rallying support, mapping care, and celebrating meaningful moments. She has also learned to build working products directly with Claude, helping her turn ideas into real tools more quickly than ever before.
Final sip
At ‘Bou HQ, we celebrate innovators who turn coffeehouse conversations into companies that connect people. If you have a story of a business idea or your next big thing that was sparked at a Caribou coffeehouse, we’d love to hear from you. Submit your story – and you could be featured in an upcoming edition.
*The opinions expressed in this story are those of the individual or organization featured, and do not necessarily reflect the view of Caribou Coffee. Caribou Coffee is not affiliated, does not endorse, or receive a benefit from any organization, business, or individual featured in ‘Bou HQ. All photos are used with permission and remain the property of their respective owners.