Christina Dorr Drake / Willa's Kitchen

<p>On Today's episode of Brands in Action we talk to Willa's Oat Milk CEO and Co-Founder Christina Dorr Drake. It's not enough that she launched a brand that challenges all the category conventions during a global pandemic, she also did it while facing and beating cancer. If there's a more heroic tale we don't know it. Lots of perspective and good advice in this one.</p><p><strong>00:18</strong> - Christina Intro</p><p><strong>00:59</strong> - How did ad agency career lead to entrepreneurship</p><p><strong>02:23</strong> - Starting a business requires being somewhat naive</p><p><strong>03:01</strong> - Willa’s origin story</p><p><strong>04:56</strong> - Food waste and climate change</p><p><strong>05:55</strong> - How Willa’s is different from other plant based milks</p><p><strong>07:19</strong> - Difference between almond milk processing vs. Willa’s</p><p><strong>08:02</strong> - Grandma Willa</p><p><strong>09:39</strong> - Taking the handmade recipe to production</p><p><strong>12:36</strong> - Purpose of the brand</p><p><strong>13:52</strong> - Articulation of the brand</p><p><strong>14:58</strong> - Willa’s marketing and pivot with Covid</p><p><strong>18:20</strong> - To grocery or not to grocery</p><p><strong>19:55</strong> - Iconography of the brand</p><p><strong>21:28 </strong>- With an ad background, how design was looked at differently</p><p><strong>23:18</strong> - Feedback from design</p><p><strong>23:58</strong> - How personal health affected conviction of the brand’s purpose</p><p><strong>29:41</strong> - Cancer changing how Willa’s is thought of in a broader sense</p><p><strong>30:48</strong> - Importance of real vanilla</p><p><strong>31:48</strong> - How flavor is accomplished without added sugar</p><p><strong>32:46</strong> - Importance of whole grain compared to filler in other products</p><p><strong>33:25</strong> - Where you can buy Willa’s</p><p><strong>34:06</strong> - What kind of cocktail is Willa’s</p><p><strong>35:57</strong> - Outro</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://willaskitchen.com"><strong