November 21st 2023.
Denise Woodard is a shining example of a successful entrepreneur for women of color. The Black Korean-American businesswoman is the founder of Partake Foods, a successful snack company that caters to those with food allergies. Forbes even considers her company a leading brand in the highly sought-after consumer packaged goods.
Woodard's daughter, who was diagnosed with severe food allergies in the summer of 2016, is the inspiration behind the company. In her own words, Woodard says, "At the time, my now eight-year-old daughter was one and had been recently diagnosed with allergies to tree nuts, eggs, corn, and bananas. I was anxious, scared, and frustrated with the existing options. I felt there were some gaps from a taste and nutritional perspective."
At the time, Woodard was a working full-time as a national sales director for Venturing and Emerging Brands at the Coca-Cola Company. Despite her demanding job, Denise Woodard left Coca-Cola in August 2017 to focus solely on Partake Foods.
Since then, Woodard has been able to grow the company significantly. Partake Foods is now in more than 12,000 stores across the U.S., such as Target and Walmart. They've even partnered with Ben & Jerry's, DoubleTree by Hilton, and American Airlines. Woodard comments on the journey, saying, "I've been told 'no' a lot along the way. So funding has been a big challenge. I've been very deliberate in how I've raised capital and who I've raised capital from, as well as in the composition of our board of directors. Our investor base is predominantly people of color...We've raised over $20 million of outside capital."
Partake Foods is focused on creating a healthy culture for both customers and employees. They offer 15-minute weekly meetings for employees to discuss personal and professional matters and 15-minute weekly coffee chats. Furthermore, the company has launched a fellowship program to help increase diversity in the food industry while also working towards eradicating childhood food insecurity.
Woodard credits her success to mentorship and advocacy. In the "Owning Your Niche" episode of BLACK ENTERPRISE's Sisters Inc. on December 22, 2021, Woodard said, "I don't think we'd be here today if people hadn't been willing to help me."
Partake Foods is one of many success stories of African and Asian American entrepreneurs. Denise Woodard is a great example of what can be achieved when you follow your dreams and have a bit of help along the way.
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