Today, Denise Woodard, CEO and founder of Partake Foods, sits down with Shannon to discuss the importance of storytelling, community support, and perseverance in entrepreneurship. Denise shares her journey from Fayetteville, North Carolina, to becoming a grownwoman as a successful entrepreneur. Having been inspired by her daughter's food allergies, she started Partake in 2018. Initially, she won a $10,000 pitch competition at “Start Something Challenge” and later secured a $1 million seed round from Marcy Venture Partners. Partake has raised over $30 million and is now available in 18,000 stores nationwide, including Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, and Kroger. The company focuses on inclusivity, offering allergy-friendly snacks. Denise highlights the impact of her work, including donating over a million meals and supporting HBCU students through the Black Futures Fellowship. Tune in and discover how Denise is creating a world where everyone can sit at the table and enjoy a delicious moment together, one goodie at a time. KEY POINTS 0:00 Snacks with Soul: How One Allergy Sparked Denise Woodard’s Food Revolution 01:03 Denise’s upbringing and educational background 05:10 Corporate climb experiences on Philip Morris, FedEx, to Coca‑Cola. 07:28 Brands that exude passion with social impact 09:29 The peanut‑oil scare on Denise’s daughter, Vivi 13:10 From winning a weekend pitch competition to discovering a mission 16:43 The evolution of Partake Foods products 18:45 The start of raising money for a cause — paying it forward 20:18 The reality of entering entrepreneurship 22:02 Magic: Being yourself and authentic storytelling 24:22 The journey from the first store to having a major investor 30:48 From relentless rejections to having a yes from Jay Z 36:53 Partake Foods Now? Scale with soul – 18 000 + stores, $30 M raised, and more. QUOTES “I'm good at selling a vision. And I think it's not even selling a vision, because we live it, and we show it even in the smallest of ways.” – Denise Woodard “I came up with the name partake because as I looked at the store shelves, everything felt like really negative coming from this exclusionary place: free from this, no, this, x, this. And I was like: No, this should be about… everyone can participate and everyone can partake.” – Denise Woodard “I thought about the emotional impact that having food allergies has on people when you're not able to safely and confidently participate in social events that include food, which is like all of them, especially for a kid.” – Denise Woodard GUEST RESOURCES Denise Woodard IG | @denisegwoodard Find Partake in 18,000+ stores nationwide. Learn more at partakefoods.com RESOURCES Shannon Allen Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/ IG | @swalkerwil 🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More 🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org 📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram @swalkerwil 🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform. grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network
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9 mins