Denise is the Founder and CEO of Partake Foods, a natural food company that was inspired by her daughter’s experience with food allergies. Launched in 2017, Partake’s first product — delicious, better for you, allergy-friendly cookies — can now be found in more than 10,000 retailers including Walmart, Target, Trader Joe's, Kroger, Whole Foods Market. In 2021, Partake released a line of Baking Mixes—Brownie Mix, Blondie Mix, and a Pizza Crust Baking Mix—all available on partakefoods.com. In January 2022, Partake introduced Pancake & Waffle Mixes in Classic & Confetti flavors available at select Target stores nationwide.
Denise is the first Black woman to raise more than $1 Million publicly for a CPG food startup. Prior to launching Partake, Denise spent a decade in consumer packaged goods at various Fortune 100 companies. She lives in New York City with her husband, Jeremy, and daughter, Vivienne. She graduated with her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Arizona State University.
During this episode of The Food Means Business Podcast, we discuss:
- The inspiration behind Partake Foods and the event that forced Denise to tell her employer that she started a food business
- Using LinkedIn to find product development help
- Going from bootstrapping to raising seed round of funding
- Hiring employees and creating company culture during the Pandemic
- The impact of entrepreneurship on her daughter
Connect with Denise:
- Instagram: @partakefoods
- Denise on LinkedIn
- Website: partakefoods.com
Recommendations from the episode:
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