Black Owned Cookie Company Gets Co-Sign From H.E.R.

In the wake of George Floyd‘s murder and the nationwide protests against racial injustice, we’re all trying to find ways to reinvest our dollars strictly into Black owned businesses. 

One actionable way to do so, is to rethink our shelves and the foods we’re buying from the grocery store. Partake Foods, for example, is a delicious cookie company founded by a mom who has a daughter with multiple food allergies. It is one of many Black business owners seeing viral social media posts translate into notable increases in sales online and on shelves. 

Denise Woodard, Partake’s Founder and CEO sought to make cookies that are free from the top eight food allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, milk, soy, fish, and shellfish), specifically because research shows that African-American children are more likely to have food allergies and suffer from food-induced anaphylaxis. Not to mention, African-American and Hispanic children also have higher odds of emergency room visits due to food allergies. 

The best way to ensure her daughter, and other Black kids across the country, were consuming safe snacks was to make them herself — so she started Partake Foods.

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“As women and women of color, it is important to know your business inside and out. There is even more pressure to know the numbers, the data, and to understand the why. When I started early on, I would get brushed off by investors as ‘how cute, another mompreneur.’ Numbers don’t wear a color, or a gender, so I would lead with the numbers,” says @dgwoodard. And, that she did! Today, we’re excited to announce Partake has received additional funding from existing investors, as well as a new investor in @recordingacademy / #GRAMMYs award winner @hermusicofficial. Read the piece on @forbes at the link in our bio, and stay tuned for more to come from Partake!

A post shared by Partake Foods Cookies (@partakefoods) on Jun 17, 2020 at 6:45am PDT

After leaving her job at Coca-Cola in 2017, Woodard sold cookies out of her car before she caught the eye of Jay Z and earned herself an $1 million investment from Marcy Venture Partners, a venture capital firm co-founded by the musician. She went from selling cookies out of her car to selling them at 300 stores.

This helped boost Partake to a new level. 

Now, 3 years later, another superstar is putting her coins into this healthy approach to snacking. Its newest investor includes Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter H.E.R.

It’s easy to see why Jay-Z sensed potential in Partake Foods, and now H.E.R. “Not only are the products delicious, but I love the story and inclusive values behind the brand. I am excited to partner with Partake, and help to grow and support their business.” said artist, H.E.R.

In May 2020, the brand launched nationwide in Target stores and online at target.com. On July 20, Partake will further expand into additional Whole Foods regions which will include; Florida, South (AL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN), Northern California (Nor Cal, Northern Nevada, ID) and Mid Atlantic (MD, DC, NJ, OH, PA, VA). The Target partnership and expansion into Sprouts, The Fresh Market, and additional Whole Foods Market regions across the US will place Partake in over 2,700 stores by the end of 2020.

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