How Denise Woodard Built Partake Foods into an 18,000-Store Retail Brand

Some of the best businesses don't begin with a business plan.

They begin with a problem that someone refuses to accept.

For Denise Woodard, that problem was finding safe snacks for her daughter after discovering she had multiple food allergies. Despite shopping in some of New York City's best grocery stores, Denise couldn't find products she trusted.

Instead of waiting for someone else to solve the problem, she decided to build the solution herself.

Today, Partake Foods has grown into one of the country's leading allergy-friendly snack brands, sold in more than 18,000 retail locations including Target, Whole Foods Market, Walmart, Kroger, Wegmans, and many more. Along the way, Denise raised more than $30 million, landed national retail partnerships, and built a purpose-driven company that's changing both the snack aisle and the CPG industry.

If you're building a food brand or dreaming about getting your product into grocery stores, Denise's journey offers a blueprint worth studying.

Why Allergy-Friendly Snacks Continue to Grow

The allergy-friendly food category has experienced tremendous growth as consumers become increasingly aware of food allergies, ingredient transparency, and clean-label products.

Parents today aren't only shopping for children with diagnosed allergies. Schools, daycare centers, sports leagues, and community events increasingly require snacks that are safe for multiple dietary needs. At the same time, many shoppers without food allergies are actively choosing products made with simpler ingredient lists and free from common allergens.

This shift has created significant opportunities for brands like Partake Foods that solve a real consumer problem while delivering products everyone can enjoy. Retailers continue expanding better-for-you snack assortments as demand grows for inclusive products that meet a wide variety of dietary preferences.

Solving a Personal Problem Became a Business Opportunity

Before founding Partake Foods, Denise spent years working at Coca-Cola, helping emerging beverage brands grow through the company's Venturing and Emerging Brands platform.

Entrepreneurship wasn't originally part of her plan.

Although she'd built several successful side businesses over the years, it wasn't until her daughter Vivian was diagnosed with allergies to tree nuts, eggs, and sesame that Denise found a mission she felt compelled to pursue.

After struggling to find snacks she trusted, her nanny offered simple advice:

"You're helping other people build businesses every day. Why don't you build one for yourself?"

That conversation changed everything.

Learning Before Launching

One of Denise's first lessons was recognizing what she didn't know.

She understood sales.

She understood retailers.

She did not understand commercial food production.

Instead of guessing, she reached out to founders across the food industry to learn about contract manufacturers, food scientists, commercial kitchens, and what it actually takes to bring a packaged food product to market.

She also discovered another important lesson:

Your first product may not be your first choice.

Denise originally wanted to launch crackers, but after finding an allergy-friendly manufacturer that specialized in cookies, she adapted.

Cookies became Partake's first product.

Founder Lesson

Don't let perfection delay progress.

Work with the opportunities available today while keeping your long-term vision intact.

Selling Cookies Out of the Back of Her Car

When Denise officially launched Partake Foods, she wasn't calling distributors.

She wasn't hiring a sales team.

She wasn't waiting for retailers to discover her.

She personally delivered cookies throughout New York City from the back of her car.

To identify potential customers, she simply looked at where competing allergy-friendly brands were already being sold.

If a retailer already believed in the category, they might be willing to believe in Partake too.

This grassroots approach helped Denise understand both retailers and consumers before expanding nationally.

Sampling Was the Company's First Marketing Strategy

Denise credits in-store demos as one of the biggest drivers of Partake's early success.

Whenever a retailer agreed to bring in the product, she made another promise:

She would come back and help sell it.

Sampling accomplished two critical goals.

First, it introduced shoppers to a completely new brand.

Second, it allowed Denise to hear customer feedback firsthand.

Those conversations shaped nearly every early decision the company made.

Founder Lesson

Retail success doesn't happen because your product reaches the shelf.

It happens because consumers actually discover it.

Customer Feedback Changed the Brand

Those early demos revealed insights Denise never expected.

Parents without food allergies wanted school-safe snacks.

Consumers preferred familiar flavor names instead of ingredient-based names.

Most importantly, shoppers loved Denise's founder story but felt the packaging didn't reflect it.

The original brown packaging focused heavily on allergen claims.

Consumers told her it didn't communicate the warm, joyful brand experience they heard in person.

Budget constraints delayed the redesign, but Denise eventually transformed Partake's packaging into the bright, colorful branding shoppers recognize today.

Founder Lesson

Listen to your customers.

They'll often tell you exactly how to improve your product.

How Partake Landed Whole Foods

Like many founders, Denise dreamed of selling in Whole Foods Market.

She had no buyer introductions.

No broker.

No connections.

So she opened LinkedIn.

Denise messaged every category manager she could find until someone connected her with the Southwest regional buyer.

That persistence paid off.

Partake launched in 43 Whole Foods stores across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana while also expanding into Wegmans around the same time.

Founder Lesson

Cold outreach still works.

You only need one person willing to say yes.

The Relationship That Led to Target

Target wasn't a lucky break.

It was the result of years of relationship building.

At Expo West, Denise's husband handed cookie samples to Target's supplier diversity team while waiting in a bathroom line.

That introduction led to years of conversations.

Target didn't immediately approve Partake.

Instead, the retailer shared exactly what Denise needed to accomplish before becoming ready for national distribution.

Denise followed the roadmap.

She executed.

When Target finally called, the opportunity was enormous.

Nearly every Target store in the country.

For a company with only one employee, it was a defining moment.

After confirming manufacturing capacity and financing, Denise said yes.

Raising Capital to Scale

Growing a national food brand requires significant investment.

Denise began with small checks from former colleagues and friends before eventually raising institutional funding.

Today, Partake Foods has raised approximately $30 million, including investment from Marcy Venture Partners and other strategic investors.

Her advice for founders?

Learn from both successful entrepreneurs and those whose businesses didn't go as planned.

Sometimes the greatest lessons come from understanding what didn't work.

Denise's Advice for Product-Based Founders

Denise's journey offers valuable lessons for every founder preparing for retail:

• Build a business around a problem you're deeply passionate about solving.
• Learn from customers through demos and direct conversations.
• Don't wait for perfect conditions before launching.
• Use customer feedback to improve packaging and messaging.
• Start small so inventory and operations remain manageable.
• Build genuine relationships with buyers over time.
• Prepare for retail growth before saying yes to major opportunities.
• Diversify your retail, marketing, and distribution channels.
• Stay close to your customers no matter how large your company becomes.

Final Thoughts

Denise Woodard didn't build Partake Foods overnight.

She built it one customer conversation, one demo, one retailer, and one relationship at a time.

Her story reminds founders that retail success isn't about finding shortcuts.

It's about solving real problems, listening carefully, and consistently showing up for both your customers and your retail partners.

Whether you're developing your first product or preparing to pitch your dream retailer, Denise's journey proves that purpose, persistence, and preparation can take a business from the back of your car to thousands of store shelves across the country.

Listen to the Full Shelf Talks Episode

Hear Denise Woodard share even more lessons about building Partake Foods, landing Whole Foods and Target, raising capital, and scaling one of America's fastest-growing allergy-friendly snack brands.

Spotify: Listen Here

Apple Podcasts: Listen Here

YouTube: Watch Here