Dear Citrus Diaries

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 Rocco was founded in New York by startup vets Alyse Borkan and Sam Naparstek after realizing just how outdated the home appliance space really was, especially when it came to fridges.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...

Floura  (Co-Founder + CEO);  Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams  (Founder)  Jeni Britton is an American entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author. She founded Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in an Ohio farmers' market in 2002, transforming it from a small shop into a beloved national brand. Underscoring her commitment to wellbeing and sustainability, Jeni's latest venture, Floura., reinve...

PJ Monte is the founder of Monte’s Fine Foods and the creator behind Monte’s Fine Sauces. Five years ago, he began bottling and hand-labeling his family’s 120-year-old red sauce recipe for local New York restaurants and specialty stores, quickly gaining a following and earning the nickname “Sauce Boss.” what we chat about: Your family’s culinary story runs deep from Monte’s Venetian Room in Brookl...

Wendy Pickett, Co-Founder & EVP of Sales, RationAle Brewing. Bringing 25 years of consumer goods experience to the non-alcoholic craft brewing brand, Wendy has a long history of building legacy brands in the grocery/mass, natural, and specialty channels. As one of the few female leaders in the male-dominated alcohol space, she’s helping reshape the future of NA craft beer, tapping into the sur...

Founded in 2021 by longtime friends Allison Luvera and Lauren De Niro Pipher, Juliet is redefining boxed wine through premium quality, thoughtful design, and sustainability. Juliet’s proprietary Eco-Magnum™ packaging uses over 50% less carbon than glass and holds the equivalent of two bottles. The founders also created the Alternative Packaging Alliance , uniting fellow high-end boxed wine brands...

Dr. Sandra Carter is a trailblazer in the health & wellness industry with over 35 years of experience in community health, corporate wellness, research, & hospital administration. Om Mushrooms offers a range of certified organic, science-backed mushroom products—from supplements and powders to beverages and gummies. Grown in an eco-friendly indoor farm in Carlsbad, California, Om ensures m...

Halfday was founded after Kayvon Jahanbakhsh was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when he was a freshman in college. Losing over 80 pounds, he was forced to dramatically change his diet to focus on his gut health. Kayvon enlisted the help of classmate & best-friend Mike Lombardo to develop a gut-healthy iced tea that reminded them of the classics they grew up with. Each can of Halfday has 6g...

Kate Greer is the co-founder of Cheerie Lane, an innovative popcorn brand that developed the first all-in-one ‘popcorn pod’. Growing up in the Midwest close to her family’s farm, a warm bowl of popcorn was always part of Kate’s family gatherings. Her expertise as a creative and an entrepreneur shows up in the innovative and artistic spirit of the brand. Cheerie Lane is reimagining the way people e...

Founded in 2018 by Aishwarya Iyer, Brightland is a California-based premium pantry staples brand crafting artfully designed and consciously-made olive oils, vinegars, and honeys that elevate everyday moments. what we chat about: A personal health scare sparked the idea for Brightland; Can you walk us through how that moment transformed into building a brand that has become a household name? Spirit...

Neeshi is a women’s wellness brand using real food to ease hormonal symptoms from menstruation through menopause. Founded by Gita Vellanki to help her daughter avoid the side effects of prescription meds, Neeshi offers delicious, functional products—like their Dark Cacao Spread—to support daily hormonal health naturally. The brand’s mission is to help women feel empowered and unburdened by their c...