It's All Happening : Women In CPG

 It's the Season 4 finale and we're going out with a bang! In this solo episode, Danielle takes you on a whirlwind victory lap through every single conversation of the season, from cottage cheese dips and heritage grain cake mixes to dirty martinis, designer sponges, and shelf-stable kids' meals you make with just hot water. Sixteen brilliant women in CPG, sixteen brands solving real problems, and...

After spending more than a decade in tech helping companies grow and maximize ROI, Yuliya Wilson felt called to build something of her own. Something that aligned with her passion for nutrition, wellness, and creating products that genuinely help people feel their best. What started as homemade granola shared with friends and family evolved into Cruno, a premium granola brand known for its bold fl...

Roopa Annadatha is the founder of Nomie , a line of organic pantry meals for kids: shelf-stable, complete, and ready in ten minutes with just hot water. The meals don't require a fridge, microwave, or cooking. Before Nomie, Roopa spent 15 years managing operations and supply chain at Apple, Microsoft, and Peloton, bringing new products to market at scale. After her son became a toddler and started...

Maria Velasquez is the founder of The Purple Drop, a vibrant beverage brand modernizing Peru’s beloved chicha morada for a new generation. Before entering the beverage industry, Maria spent more than a decade leading marketing and demand generation for enterprise technology and cybersecurity companies, building high-growth programs, global campaigns, and brand strategies across the B2B tech space....

Birdie Bakes Co makes the first easy-to-bake muffin mix with real fruits and veggies in every bite. Founded by two moms, Victoria Tawney and Katie Nugent who know the challenge of feeding kids well while juggling everyday life. Like so many parents, they wanted to get more fruits, veggies, fiber, and protein into their kids’ diets. Muffins were one of the only guaranteed yeses, but the options wer...

Monica McClellan is the founder of Curd, a modern take on pudding made from real cottage cheese. She started the company during her postpartum period, when she was looking for foods that were both deeply nourishing and genuinely satisfying, but kept coming up short. Frustrated by options that leaned heavily on protein powders, artificial ingredients, or didn’t actually keep her full, Monica set ou...

Erica Small and Nikki Huganir are the co-founders of Yes Way Rosé, a modern wine brand rooted in creativity, community, and female friendship. The lifelong friends launched the brand in 2013, first building a highly engaged online audience and lifestyle community before introducing their first wine in 2018. Today, Yes Way Rosé has grown into one of the leading rosé brands in the U.S., with more th...

Amrit Richmond is a strategist who studies consumer goods for work and play. You can find her on Instagram at @indiecpg where she creates content and community for humans building brands. Reach out to her when you're launching something new or if you want to meet like-minded founders to collaborate with on your next flavor, product, event or campaign. It's All Happening Website It's All Happening...

Emma Weeden is the founder of Emma's Snacks, a Los Angeles-based snack brand known for its chocolate-covered potato chips made with kettle-cooked chips and high-quality, thoughtfully sourced ingredients. She started the company while working a full-time job, building it from the ground up through grassroots sampling, organic marketing, and early retail partnerships. What sets Emma's Snacks apart i...

Nikta Mansouri is the Founder and CEO of La Saum, the Los Angeles-based dirty martini brand she launched in 2025. La Saum is built around the idea that the martini is more than a drink, it's a ritual, a mood, and increasingly, a cultural signal. The brand sits at the intersection of taste and intention, for the thoughtful consumer. Before founding La Saum, Nikta spent nearly a decade in entertainm...

Liana Krasnow is the co-founder of Noodo , a better-for-you sauce brand reimagining pantry staples with clean, functional ingredients, featuring bone broth as a core component for added nutrition and depth of flavor. She is building the company alongside her dad, Enzo, combining family roots with a modern approach to food. With a passion for wellness and entrepreneurship, Liana has taken Noodo fro...

Afternoon Toast was founded by Kimmy Pace, a technology audit consultant turned beverage founder whose lifelong health challenges inspired a line of ready-to-drink teas that support digestion and effortless hydration. Crafted from steeped ginger, roasted barley, and water, Afternoon Toast has a slightly nutty, toasty, and warming flavor. Gentle on the gut, it helps ease bloating and supports diges...

Gina Moore is the founder of Pantry Gems , a modern pantry brand on a mission to solve the very specific, very relatable problem of leftover tomato paste. Pantry Gems creates perfectly portioned tablespoons of organic tomato paste so home cooks can use exactly what they need without wasting the rest. Gina is based in San Diego and is a mom of three young kids. She is building the brand from the gr...

Daniele Orellana is the co-founder of Mitts, a design-forward brand creating sleek, non-abrasive sponges for delicate glassware and fine kitchen tools. By day, she works full-time as a pediatric dentist and serves as an attending at a hospital in Brooklyn. Alongside her clinical career, she also helps run Mitts, leading efforts across marketing, social media, and partnerships. The daughter of immi...

Sandra Diez is the founder of BRISCA , a premium Spanish extra virgin olive oil brand bringing the culture and flavor of Mediterranean olive oil to the American table. Originally from Barcelona, Spain and now based in Portland, Oregon, Sandra created BRISCA after realizing that in the U.S., olive oil is often treated as a background ingredient rather than something to savor. She set out to change...

In this episode, we break down how to actually get a return on your investment at Expo West — and it’s not just about buyer meetings or badge scans. Using our Expo West itinerary as a guide, we talk through how to approach everything from the Innovation Summit and Pitch Slam to CPG Sisterhood, Ladies Lounge, Anti-Expo, and the after-hours house parties with real strategy and intention. The biggest...

Alyssa Fernandez is the founder of Ollin, a cake mix company that is making cakes real again with better grains. She's bringing stone-milled heritage wheat from Texas farmers to your kitchen— because gluten isn't the problem, it's what we did to it. Ollin (pronounced all-in) is a Nahuatl word meaning "movement" or "to come full circle"—which is exactly what Alyssa is doing with baking. She's calli...

Cotto reimagines classic dips with high-protein whipped cottage cheese and clean, simple ingredients to create lighter, fresher versions of nostalgic flavors. Designed to be enjoyed straight from the container, added to everyday meals, or shared with friends, Cotto brings ease, elevated flavor, and clean protein to modern eating. Founded by Kendall Kransdorf, Cotto was inspired by her journey to r...

With 16+ years in CPG, Danielle has scaled brands from zero to $40M, revived a legacy brand, guided 100+ brands to $75M+ in sales, and secured hundreds of SKUs with top distributors and retailers. It’s All Happening™ was built for founders who refuse to watch from the sidelines. From the CPG School to the high-touch Brand Catalyst Advisory, everything is powered by the proprietary IAH Launch Formu...

Emily Steele is the CEO and cofounder of Hummingbirds , a venture-backed platform that connects CPG brands with over 30,000 everyday content creators. With a deep belief in the power of authentic partnerships, Emily and team have scaled Hummingbirds to dozens of U.S. cities, helping brands drive shelf-level awareness by matching them with creators eager to try & share their products with frien...

Francesca Pittaluga founded Ciao Pappy in 2022, inspired by her first-generation Italian roots and her love for both the California and Italian coasts. Growing up between these two worlds, she developed a deep appreciation for the beauty of Italian tradition and the laid-back vibrancy of the West Coast. Following a 14-year career in luxury fashion, Ciao Pappy brings those influences together—blend...

Blakely and Jordan are best friends, creative pros, and food lovers who met in art school fifteen years ago. Jordan is an award-winning designer and entrepreneur with a sharp eye for branding, while Blakely has spent over a decade running creative operations at a top global ad agency. Together, they created SaladSprinkles—born from a shared love of clean ingredients and clever shortcuts, and built...

Clara Veniard is the co-founder and CEO of Coro Foods, a premium salami brand that marries old world techniques with unexpected flavors like Orange Cardamom and Lemongrass. With a life and career that has taken her all over the globe, it's no surprise that Clara has a deep passion for food and international ingredients. Sharing food is a way of life, whether it’s assembling after school snack plat...

Sisters Meena and Tabi, first-generation Afghan Americans, founded Tursh to share the bold, soulful flavors they grew up with. Inspired by their mother Furoozan’s cherished recipes, they’ve reimagined traditional Afghan chutneys for the modern kitchen. Every small-batch jar of Tursh is handcrafted with real ingredients, no shortcuts, and a whole lot of heart—bringing tang, tradition, and a taste o...

Lucy Dana is the co-founder and CEO of One Trick Pony, a peanut butter company making two-ingredient peanut butter using Argentinian peanuts. Before launching the brand, Lucy worked at Uber and Blue Bottle Coffee, where she honed her skills in operations and ecommerce. She eventually joined forces with her brother and sister-in-law to build a CPG brand rooted in quality, simplicity. One Trick Pony...