Dear Citrus Diaries

Alysa Seeland is the founder and CEO of FOND Regenerative , which she started in 2015 following a life-changing personal health journey. Today, she is on a mission to support generational health through time-honored, nutrient-dense foods designed for sipping, snacking, and cooking. FOND Regenerative began as a farmers market stand, where Alysa frequently sold out even in the Texas summer heat. Fro...

Freestyle is a woman-founded snack brand on a mission to reinvent savory snacking. Founded by Nikki Seaman, the company transforms premium olives and pickles into convenient, mess-free snacks with bold flavors and modern packaging designed for life on the go. What began as a better way to enjoy olives has evolved into a rapidly growing CPG brand that’s challenging expectations around an overlooked...

Steven is a reformed data scientist who decided to search for the perfect protein source, one that was both sustainable, abundant, and highly nutritious. The Hermit makes a one-of-a-kind calamari jerky product using American wild caught squid. With 31g of protein and zero sugar in a bag, plus all the nutritional benefits of seafood, it’s been delighting seafood lovers since its launch in June. IG...

Andrew Thomas is a seasoned CPG marketing executive whose career spans nearly two decades across challenger brands and global industry leaders. Archer is one of the fastest-growing meat snack brands in the U.S., redefining the category with clean-label, high-protein snacks made from real ingredients, without any fillers or junk. Available in multiple snacking formats from mini meat sticks to jerky...

Felicity Chen is a third-generation sauce maker who grew up inside her family’s food factory. While other kids learned multiplication tables, she learned production schedules. While others smelled like detergent, she smelled like spice. She founded DOU to make Chinese pantry staples the way they’re meant to be: slowly, deliberately, and without chasing trends. Based in Northern California, Felicit...

Founded by Rachel Krupa, 20-year veteran in the CPG space, in 2018, The Goods Mart was an early voice in disrupting what “convenience” could look like, ahead of the recent wave of curated grocery. From the beginning, everything on the shelves has been non-GMO and made without artificial flavors, but beyond that, Rachel curates with a more real-life lens. The result is a store full of emerging bran...

Caroline Foulk’s background is rooted in storytelling. She studied Narrative Writing at the University of Southern California and built an early career in music, touring nationally with artists including Kyle, The Isley Brothers, and Marc E. Bassy Caroline joined her family as they launched Wagon Wheel Brewing Company, initially expecting the role to be temporary. Instead, she found herself deeply...

Hiyo is an organic social tonic designed to elevate how people connect — bringing more joy, more presence, and more feel-good energy to every moment. Founded in 2021 in Venice, California, Hiyo was inspired by the desire to celebrate with intention and enjoy the social rituals people love, without compromise. Made with a proprietary blend of adaptogens, nootropics, and botanical ingredients, Hiyo...

Good Bacteria was born out of founder Anabel Gonzalez’s transformative post-partum journey. Following the birth of her son she suffered from post-partum depression, isolation and paranoia. Good Bacteria is a first-of-its kind rotating symbiotic system, created by scientists, designed to rewild the gut. Inspired by the diverse microbial inputs of nature, the system introduces a new formulation each...

As the Director of Marketing Communications and Brand Partnerships at Once Upon a Farm, Jane leads the brand’s storytelling and public outreach initiatives with vision and heart — overseeing, brand partnerships, cause marketing, influencer programs, and events. Over her seven-year journey at Once Upon a Farm, she has played a pivotal role in elevating the brand’s presence as a purpose-driven power...

In 2020, Sarela co-founded SIMPLi with her husband, Matt Cohen, introducing some of the first Regenerative Organic Certified® ingredients from South America to the U.S. market. Through a vertically integrated model, SIMPLi partners directly with farmers to improve livelihoods, expand market access, and support long-term regenerative transitions. Today, the brand is equally known for its sourcing i...

Max is the co-founder and CEO of Plink! and based out of Burlington, VT where he lives with his wife and three kids. Before co-founding Plink!, Max spent a decade at global trend firm TrendWatching, where he helped companies like Google, PepsiCo, Disney, and Target innovate for the future. As Director of Trends & Insights, he led a global team across three continents and co-authored the book T...

Dr. Erin Stokes, ND believes that transformation begins when we reconnect with the healing power of nature. As a Naturopathic Doctor for 20+ years, Erin has dedicated her career to translating complex health concepts into actionable insights that empower people on their healing journey. Dr. Erin Stokes earned her Naturopathic Medicine degree from Bastyr University in 2001, and worked with individu...

Alyse Borkan has been one of the brains behind building some of the fastest-growing startups in recent years including Billie, Casper, and SoulCycle, and now Rocco. Rocco was founded in New York by startup vets Alyse Borkan and Sam Naparstek after realizing just how outdated the home appliance space really was, especially when it came to fridges. At the same time, drinks were getting more interest...

When Hannah was first introduced to matcha by a friend who had spent time in Japan, it was love at first sip. The energy she felt was unlike anything she’d experienced before: alert, yet calm. As she did more research, she found that most matcha companies at the time offered little-to-no visibility into their matcha’s origin. This matcha was often blended at a distributor using leaves from various...

Intro: Ed Schultz,  President and CEO of Hawaiian Host Group Ed Schultz has been President of Hawaiian Host Group since 2018 and became President and CEO in 2020. For more than 50 years, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts has been serving up macadamia-powered paradise by the handful to consumers across the U.S., Canada and beyond. Founded in Kea’au on Hawai’i Island and now headquartered in Honolulu, Mauna...

Teddy Kim is a writer and founder based in Los Angeles. He is the co-founder of Last Call, an alcohol wellness startup inspired by products in Korea and Japan. He writes an entertainment column for Emily Sundberg’s  Feed Me  newsletter, focusing on the intersection of entertainment and technology, and also writes his own newsletter,  first Derivative . Last Call is an alcohol wellness startup foun...

Intro: Theo Terris, CEO of Uncle Arnies Uncle Arnie’s is a California-born beverage company redefining the way people enjoy THC. Launched in 2020 with a mission to make cannabis approachable, affordable, and undeniably fun, Uncle Arnie’s has quickly become one of the best-selling cannabis beverage brands in the U.S. IG unclearnies | unclearnies.com Francesca Salac, Head of Brand Marketing North Am...

Big Spoon Roasters was founded by husband-and-wife team Mark and Megan Overbay. The duo shared a love for nut butter: Mark, having spent time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zimbabwe, originally learned how to hand-make his favorite food, peanut butter, while living abroad, and Megan's experience as an endurance athlete led her to craft her own nutrient-dense nut butter bars that both tasted goo...

Jane Coxwell is a globally trained chef and the founder of OKO, with a career that spans cooking in the South of France and Southeast Asia to more than a decade as Diane von Furstenberg’s private chef and head chef aboard the super yacht Eos . Known for her elegant, vibrant approach to real food, Jane began creating fresh vegetable blends to help a close friend nourish herself through health chall...

Intro: Importance of fair sourcing + ethical pay in the coca industry as we ramp up for Valentine's Day Taza co-founder and CEO Alex Whitmore took his first bite of stone ground chocolate while traveling in Oaxaca, Mexico. Inspired by its rustic intensity, he learned to hand-carve granite millstones and built the Taza Chocolate factory back home in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife, co-f...

Jessica Hamel has never played by the rules—whether running ultramarathons, racing sailboats, or shaking up the food world. Now, with PlantChi, she’s ditching the wellness fuss and making nutrition effortless, rebellious, and straight-up good. PlantChi is a middle finger to complicated wellness trends, a love letter to nature, and an open invitation to embrace what’s real. PlantChi is a line of se...

Ben Jacobsen is the founder of Jacobsen Salt Co., the Oregon-based artisan salt company he started in 2011 to bring world-class sea salt to American kitchens. After studying and working in Scandinavia, where he first discovered the transformative impact of high-quality finishing salts, Ben returned to Oregon and spent years experimenting with sea water from dozens of Pacific Northwest sites before...

Guittard Chocolate Company is a historic American chocolate maker founded in 1868 by French immigrant Étienne Guittard during the California Gold Rush. What began as a small San Francisco shop quickly grew into a respected confectionery business, and today Guittard stands as the oldest continuously family-owned and operated chocolate company in the United States, now based in Burlingame, Californi...

Vincent Ricchiuti of Enzo’s Table As the fourth generation of his Italian-American farming family, Vincent Ricchiuti was naturally drawn to the family business. A native of Fresno, CA, he spent his formative years working alongside his father and grandfather in the family’s diversified agricultural business. For more than a century, the Ricchiuti Family has diligently worked the land in California...