138: From a Vegan Cookie Side Hustle to a Brand in Whole Foods: How This Ex Coke Exec Did It (Denise Woodard of Partake Foods)

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today in the guest chair we have Denise Woodard, the Founder of</span> <a href= "https://partakefoods.com/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Partake Foods</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Partake Foods provides meals and snacks that are delicious, safe and nutritious for conscious eaters. They are free of gluten, the top 8 allergens, and artificial ingredients. Made with real foods like sprouted grains, fruits, and vegetables, Partake products give peace-of-mind to those with dietary restrictions and simple enjoyment to those without.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In June 2017, Partake debuted three flavors of mini cookies to independent, natural food stores in the Northeast. Distribution has now grown to include Whole Foods, Wegmans, and over 150 other retailers, as well as Amazon and the Partake Foods website.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Partake Foods has even been featured by People, Reader’s Digest, and Babble.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Denise was a member of the 2017 Cohort of Project Entrepreneur and Fall 2018 class of the Chobani Incubator, as well as the winner of the 2018 SheKnows Media BlogHer pitch competition and the 2017 Google “Black Founders” program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prior to launching Partake Foods, Denise spent the past 12 years in consumer packaged goods at various Fortune 100 companies. Most recently, she held the title of Director, National Sales in Coca-Cola’s Venturing & Emerging Brands division.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On today’s episode, we get into:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why Denise is so passionate about gluten and allergen-free food</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How she, a non-baker, was able to start a cookie and snack brand</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The pivotal point when she made the decisio