Female-Founded Companies
It’s Women’s History Month and a wonderful time to celebrate the brilliance, innovation and creativity of female-founded companies! I truly delighted sharing these outstanding brands with incredible backstories with the Third Hour of NBC’s TODAY show!
Today Show
Ink & Alloy
Gretchen Hollingsworth founded her modern, bohemian, handmade jewelry brand as a means for women to feel empowered and bold in their everyday accessories choices. Her bright and colorful earrings and bracelets are best sellers with other jewelry categories growing, with all pieces manufactured in India, employing local, women artisans in its craftsmanship. Five percent of each purchase is donated to educate marginalized young girls in India.
Kiki World Peel-Off Nail Polish
Pretty Nail Graffiti Peel-Off Nail Polish, $29, kiki.world
Kiki World
Jana Bobosikova created her Kiki World nail polish pen to be easy to use for quick-nail color application and removal since no nail polish remover is needed…it simply peels off! It’s great for nail color and on-the-go…I’m known to paint my nails in the green room before a segment as it calms me down too! Jana also asks her community of Kiki World followers to get involved in selecting new colors and upcoming products, so it’s a highly interactive community. This innovative, peel-off nail color is available in 8 luminescent and opaque colors, and is so much fun!
Humble Suds Natural Cleaning Products
Humble Suds Natural Cleaning Products, from $12.95, humblesuds.com
Humble Suds
Founded by two moms and friends, Humble Suds is the brainchild of Holli and Jennifer when they couldn’t find green cleaning products at the store…so they created their own! Each product features six or fewer very familiar yet powerful ingredients alongside essential oils that are plant-based and clean for people and the planet. Their products can be grouped in three categories: cleaning (All Purpose Cleaner and refills), laundry (Laundry Soap) and tools (Wool Dryer Balls). One of my favorites is their new, Miracle Cleaning Bombs that harness the power of citrus as a descaler to tackle anything water touches: toilets, dishwashers, humidifiers. All packaging? You guessed it: reusable, recyclable or compostable.
Vine to Bar Chocolate
Superfood Chocolate from $8, vinetobar.com
Vine to Bar
These Vine to Bar Chocolates–founded by friends Peggy Furth of Chalk Hill Vineyards and Barbara Burke of Jackson Family Wines, both of Sonoma County, upcycle Well Vine Coastal Chardonnay Marc grapes into earth-friendly dark chocolate. It’s like super food-infused chocolate!
They take dried and milled grape skins, seeds and pulp that would typically be discarded in the winemaking process and incorporate these nutrient-dense ingredients into the dark chocolate. This adds a slight fruit taste that complements the dark chocolate to taste less bitter.
Available in 2 chocolate bars, $8 each:
Almonds with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Bar
Tart Cherry and Cocoa Nibs Dark Chocolate Bar
Available in 4 types of 8-count Chocolate Tasting Squares , $10 each:
Original Dark Chocolate Tasting Squares
Almonds with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Tasting Squares
Chardonnay Smoked Salt and Cocoa Nibs Dark Chocolate Tasting Squares
Tart Cherry and Cocoa Nibs Dark Chocolate Tasting Squares
Available in 2 almond types, $11 each
Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
Chocolate Covered Almonds with Himalayan Pink Salt
Marcoot Jersey Creamery
The Grazer Cheese Gift Box, $54.99, marcootjerseycreamery.com
Marcoot Jersey Creamery
In 2010, Marcoot Jersey Creamery was on the verge of being sold like so many American farms, when the owners said they had no one to take over. The owner’s daughters Amy and Beth alongside their best friend Audie Wall gave up their professional lives to move back to Greenville, Illinois and run the farm. Today, it’s a 7th generation working dairy farm that is women-owned and operated!
The Grazer Gift Box offers:
3 Marcoot Jersey Creamery Artisan Cheeses [types of cheese in the box TK]
1 Box of Crackers
1 Package of Summer Sausage Snack Sticks
At the time of segment airing, the cheese selections include (but are subject to change pending cheese production and seasonal offerings):
Caved Aged Alpine: described as “Asiago meets Swiss.”
Creamy Havarti: a mild, creamy cheese with a delightful buttery taste with a hazelnut finish.
White Cheddar: A mild, buttery tasting cheese is a unique take of traditional white cheddar cheese.
Bell's Reines Mini Cookies
Market Bag Mini Cookies from $14.95, bellsreines.com
Bell’s Reines Gourmet mini cookies is a groundbreaking Black and women-owned cookie business based in Maryland. Founded by a mother and daughter duo, Teneisha and Angel, Bell's Reines feature premium quality with no artificial ingredients!
Market Bags have twelve mini cookies (12) and are available in 8 gourmet mini cookies flavors:
-Matcha White Chip
-Oatmeal Raisin
-Snickerdoodle
-Chocolate Chip
-Double Chocolate Chip
-Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip
-Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin
-Gluten-Free/Vegan Snickerdoodle
To watch these products in action in this editorial segment, watch the Third Hour Today show clip!