Nearly four years ago, Denise Woodward began experimenting in her kitchen to create snacks that her then 1-year old could enjoy. Earlier that year her daughter, Vivienne, had a near fatal allergic reaction to a store bought snack and it was later revealed that she was allergic to corn and tree nuts.
Instead of limiting the things her daughter could enjoy, Denise began creating her own family friendly snacks from scratch.
“Naturally, I set out to find the healthy, allergy-friendly snacks we’d need to fuel our active lifestyle,” Woodard writes on her website. “I came away from the stores frustrated and mystified. Nothing on the shelves met our dietary needs and health standards.”
In 2017, she took things a step further and her company Partake Foods was born. The startup brand specializes in allergen-free cookies which are free from the top eight food allergens: cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soybeans, and wheat. Woodward made the decision to quit her job at Coca Cola to focus on the company, often selling the items out of the trunk of her car.
The brand caught the attention of Jay-Z’s investment firm, Marcy Venture Partners, and in 2019 they invested $1 million into Woodward’s company. This investment made Woodward the first Black woman to secure a $1 million investment in a food startup.
After much success, Partake officially announced this week that it will now be sold in over 1,600 Target stores across the country. There are also plans to expand its cookies into Sprouts, The Fresh Market, and additional Whole Foods Market regions across the country.
To learn more about Partake Foods, you can visit the website: www.partakefoods.com.
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