Founded by Denise Woodard in 2017, BIPOC-owned allergen friendly bakery brand Partake has made incredible strides this year, from growing its distribution reach, to collaborating with Sesame Street, to raising over $11 million to continue fueling its mission to make sweets everyone can enjoy.
On shelf, the brand expanded its reach by rolling out at Target and Walmart, while also debuting three new products and multiple new formats. This year, the brand launched two vegan, gluten-free and top-nine allergy-friendly baking mixes through a collaboration with Sesame Street. Most recently, it introduced Mini Cookie Snack Packs for easy, on-the-go, pre-portioned indulgence.
But the company’s work outside of business was just as impactful: Partake also leads the Black Futures in Food and Beverage Fellowship Program, an education and mentorship program that selects applicants from four Historically Black Universities (HBU) to participate in a seven-week CPG crash course. The course returned again for its third year and continues to expand the selected cohort each application cycle.
According to Woodard, while the new funding will go toward the expansion of Partake's team and product portfolio, it will also be used to grow and support the brand’s social impact goals, which are centered around eradicating food insecurity among children. To that end, the company also partnered with nonprofit organization No Kid Hungry this year.
