It's All Happening : Women In CPG

Danielle Calabrese
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

It's All Happening : Women In CPG is an ongoing conversation about the ins and outs of everything related to launching and running a successful CPG business. Join Danielle Calabrese, a multifaceted leader and CPG expert, in diving into the juiciest conversations with fellow female leaders about everything from branding to sales strategy, scaling, and beyond. You’ll hear firsthand accounts on struggles, triumphs, challenges, and industry secrets that will equip you to be a better entrepreneur. Each episode is laced with actionable takeaways and thoughtful conversations meant to dismantle the barriers around the CPG-space. Visit the It's All Happening Website and on Instagram 

  1. How Purple Drop Is Bringing Peru’s Beloved Chicha Morada to American Consumers

    2d ago

    How Purple Drop Is Bringing Peru’s Beloved Chicha Morada to American Consumers

    Maria Velasquez is the founder of The Purple Drop, a vibrant beverage brand modernizing Peru’s beloved chicha morada for a new generation. Before entering the beverage industry, Maria spent more than a decade leading marketing and demand generation for enterprise technology and cybersecurity companies, building high-growth programs, global campaigns, and brand strategies across the B2B tech space.After years in tech, Maria traded software for sips and co-founded The Purple Drop with her husband Roger, inspired by his family’s homemade chicha morada recipe and a transformative trip to Peru. Built from purple corn, real fruit, and warming spices, The Purple Drop brings an ancient Peruvian tradition into a clean, ready-to-drink format designed for modern consumers. As a Moroccan-born founder raising a multicultural family with Peruvian traditions at the center of the table, Maria is passionate about using food and beverage to connect people to culture, storytelling, and shared experiences. Today, she’s building a bold, culture-forward beverage brand that celebrates Peru’s rich culinary heritage while supporting the communities and farmers behind its iconic ingredients.Follow The Purple Drop on Instagram. It's All Happening WebsiteIt's All Happening Instagram Follow Danielle on LinkedinLaunch Lab

    38 min
  2. Birdie Bakes : How two moms are building a brand that solves a real problem

    May 30

    Birdie Bakes : How two moms are building a brand that solves a real problem

    Birdie Bakes Co makes the first easy-to-bake muffin mix with real fruits and veggies in every bite. Founded by two moms, Victoria Tawney and Katie Nugent who know the challenge of feeding kids well while juggling everyday life. Like so many parents, they wanted to get more fruits, veggies, fiber, and protein into their kids’ diets. Muffins were one of the only guaranteed yeses, but the options weren’t good enough. Baking from scratch was messy and time-consuming, and store-bought mixes lacked real nutrition. So they created what didn’t exist. Made with real ingredients like banana, apple, carrot, and sweet potato, Birdie Bakes Co mixes deliver fiber, protein, and nutrition from real food. They’re loved by kids, genuinely easy to make and designed to be fail-proof for busy families.  And with 50% less sugar than most leading mixes, they’re something parents feel good about serving. Birdie Bakes Co is built on keeping things simple, honest, and always fun proving that nourishing your family doesn’t have to be complicated or boring. Follow Birdie Bakes on Instagram. It's All Happening WebsiteIt's All Happening Instagram Follow Danielle on LinkedinLaunch Lab

    44 min
  3. Growing A Cottage Cheese Pudding Brand With The Founder Of Curd

    May 24

    Growing A Cottage Cheese Pudding Brand With The Founder Of Curd

    Monica McClellan is the founder of Curd, a modern take on pudding made from real cottage cheese. She started the company during her postpartum period, when she was looking for foods that were both deeply nourishing and genuinely satisfying, but kept coming up short. Frustrated by options that leaned heavily on protein powders, artificial ingredients, or didn’t actually keep her full, Monica set out to create something better. Curd was born from that need: a high-protein, fiber-rich pudding made from real, whole ingredients that feels indulgent, but supports how you actually want to eat. With over a decade of experience in marketing and product strategy, Monica has spent her career launching and scaling products, but Curd is her first venture building something entirely her own. She’s currently bringing the brand to market through early retail launches and partnerships, with a mission to make nostalgic foods genuinely nourishing again. Follow Curd on Instagram. It's All Happening WebsiteIt's All Happening Instagram Follow Danielle on LinkedinLaunch Lab

    37 min
  4. Yes Way Rosé Growth Story

    May 18

    Yes Way Rosé Growth Story

    Erica Small and Nikki Huganir are the co-founders of Yes Way Rosé, a modern wine brand rooted in creativity, community, and female friendship. The lifelong friends launched the brand in 2013, first building a highly engaged online audience and lifestyle community before introducing their first wine in 2018. Today, Yes Way Rosé has grown into one of the leading rosé brands in the U.S., with more than 13 million bottles sold to date and a portfolio spanning still, sparkling, canned, and non-alcoholic wines. Drawing from backgrounds in editorial, fashion, graphic design, and creative direction, Erica and Nikki built Yes Way Rosé with a distinct point of view that helped redefine what a modern wine brand could look and feel like. Erica’s experience as a fashion editor and writer for publications including Interview, Esquire, Glamour, and The New York Times informed the brand’s voice and cultural relevance, while Nikki’s background in design and art direction shaped its instantly recognizable visual identity and aesthetic world. Together, they have grown Yes Way Rosé into a category-defining brand known for its crisp, dry French rosé, strong creative vision, and loyal community. They are also the co-authors of Yes Way Rosé: A Guide to the Pink Wine State of Mind. The brand has been featured in Forbes, Food & Wine, Vogue, Wine Enthusiast, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Cherry Bombe, and more. Erica lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son, and Nikki lives in Baltimore with her husband and two daughters. Follow Yes Way Rosé on Instagram. It's All Happening WebsiteIt's All Happening Instagram Follow Danielle on LinkedinLaunch Lab

    36 min
  5. How to have a standout launch with Amrit Richmond of Indie CPG

    May 10

    How to have a standout launch with Amrit Richmond of Indie CPG

    Amrit Richmond is a strategist who studies consumer goods for work and play. You can find her on Instagram at @indiecpg where she creates content and community for humans building brands. Reach out to her when you're launching something new or if you want to meet like-minded founders to collaborate with on your next flavor, product, event or campaign. It's All Happening WebsiteIt's All Happening Instagram Follow Danielle on LinkedinLaunch Lab

    43 min
  6. Building Emma's Snacks with Emma Weeden

    May 2

    Building Emma's Snacks with Emma Weeden

    Emma Weeden is the founder of Emma's Snacks, a Los Angeles-based snack brand known for its chocolate-covered potato chips made with kettle-cooked chips and high-quality, thoughtfully sourced ingredients. She started the company while working a full-time job, building it from the ground up through grassroots sampling, organic marketing, and early retail partnerships. What sets Emma's Snacks apart is its commitment to clean, whole-food ingredients — think organic fair trade chocolate, avocado oil instead of seed oils, and no natural flavors or additives — proving that indulgence and intention don't have to be mutually exclusive. Emma spotted a gap in a category that had been largely untouched by the better-for-you movement and set out to upgrade every part of the chocolate-covered chip, from the oil it's fried in to the chocolate it's dipped in. Emma's Snacks is focused on redefining indulgent snacking with a premium, modern approach. Follow Emma's Snacks on Instagram. It's All Happening WebsiteIt's All Happening Instagram Follow Danielle on LinkedinLaunch Lab

    32 min
  7. Drinking dirty martinis like it's her job - Nikta Mansouri of La Saum

    Apr 25

    Drinking dirty martinis like it's her job - Nikta Mansouri of La Saum

    Nikta Mansouri is the Founder and CEO of La Saum, the Los Angeles-based dirty martini brand she launched in 2025. La Saum is built around the idea that the martini is more than a drink, it's a ritual, a mood, and increasingly, a cultural signal. The brand sits at the intersection of taste and intention, for the thoughtful consumer. Before founding La Saum, Nikta spent nearly a decade in entertainment, working at Gloria Sanchez Productions and Saturday Night Live, where she developed a sharp eye for culture and what makes something feel undeniably of-the-moment. She holds a dual degree from NYU's Tisch School and Stern School. Her dog’s name is Humphrey Bogart. Follow La Saum on Instagram.   It's All Happening WebsiteIt's All Happening Instagram Follow Danielle on LinkedinLaunch Lab

    41 min
  8. The fast launch that put Noodo on the map with Liana Krasnow

    Apr 18

    The fast launch that put Noodo on the map with Liana Krasnow

    Liana Krasnow is the co-founder of Noodo, a better-for-you sauce brand reimagining pantry staples with clean, functional ingredients, featuring bone broth as a core component for added nutrition and depth of flavor. She is building the company alongside her dad, Enzo, combining family roots with a modern approach to food. With a passion for wellness and entrepreneurship, Liana has taken Noodo from concept to retail shelves, sharing an honest look at what it takes to grow a brand from the ground up.In this episode:  How Liana and Enzo have evolved and commercialized the family recipe  The lightspeed branding job that put Noodo on the map at Expo West  The strategy behind the regional distribution approach that the brand is taking  It's All Happening WebsiteIt's All Happening Instagram Follow Danielle on LinkedinLaunch Lab

    42 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

It's All Happening : Women In CPG is an ongoing conversation about the ins and outs of everything related to launching and running a successful CPG business. Join Danielle Calabrese, a multifaceted leader and CPG expert, in diving into the juiciest conversations with fellow female leaders about everything from branding to sales strategy, scaling, and beyond. You’ll hear firsthand accounts on struggles, triumphs, challenges, and industry secrets that will equip you to be a better entrepreneur. Each episode is laced with actionable takeaways and thoughtful conversations meant to dismantle the barriers around the CPG-space. Visit the It's All Happening Website and on Instagram 

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