This week is the beginning of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as Mother’s Day (Sunday). Chi Nguyen of Purpose Tea (shown with her daughter), Theresa Motter of Van’s Kitchen, QT Truong of QT Cook Shop, and Nikky Phinyawatana of Asian Mint all get double honors this month as moms of Asian heritage.
Kudos to these women for founding such successful companies – and for raising amazing children!
Companies that are run by moms and their children are a unique blend of family and
business. An east Dallas favorite isCita’s Kitchen, maker of delicious, award-winning salsa in several flavors. Mother (Cita) and Daughter (Lena) sell their products at farmer’s markets around the DFW Area as well as retailers such as Central Market.
DFW CPG Partner News: Another mother/daughter team, Shannon Ross and her mom, Diana Ross, with Springer Dog Water Bottles in Austin, are excited to share that they will be featured on Shark Tank on May 13th. Shannon and her family were in the first SKU Dallas cohort and their mentor was our very own Executive Committee member,Genevieve Poirier-Richards at The Marketing Spectrum. Hope everyone can tune in!
DFW’s Prebiotic soda brand Poppi announced it has named former Talking Rain chief executive Chris Hall as CEO. Hall spent the last 15 years at Talking Rain, the parent company of Sparkling Ice. “We’ve been super impressed with what Chris has accomplished during his time at Sparkling Ice and can’t wait to blend his years of expertise with our disruptive approach to brand building,” said co-founders, Stephen Ellsworth and Allison Ellsworth.
Last month, we asked readers to send us some of the eco-friendly ideas that they are doing at their companies. Brett Cristoffel, founder of DFW-based All Y’all’s Foods, makers of yummy vegan jerky, has announced a new partnership with Rowdy Girl Sanctuary, to donate a portion of its proceeds to support the care of the cattle, goats, pigs, sheep and chickens living there that would have otherwise gone to slaughter. Great news, Brett!
Another green topic: Wonderful to see DFW’s Rakkasan Tea, co-founded by veterans,Brandon Friedman and Terrence Kamauf, featured in the Dallas Morning News. Their biodegradable tea bags are a small way that this dynamic duo is saving the planet, one tea bag at a time.
Join The Women’s Business Enterprise Council on May 11 at 9:30 am to hear what four different divisions of Amazon have on their procurement radar.Amazon has over 300 million active users buying from them – do you ever wonder what Amazon buys? Participants will hear from diversity experts at Amazon about their supply chain needs. You may be able to fill one of their gaps. Register here.
Dallas’ Impact Ventures invites all to attend their Community Happy Hour to learn more about upcoming opportunities. Connect with Impact VenturesAlumni, meet their newest Cohort of 19 companies, network with Mentors, Partners, and Funders. Wednesday, May 18, 5:30 PM at Good Coworking at 1808 S Good Latimer Expy, Dallas, TX 75226. RSVP here.
Impact Ventures has also partnered with Santander Corporation’s Cultivate Small Business Program for food-industry or food-adjacent businesses, taught by Babson College. The program will have a focus on women-, immigrant-, and BIPOC-owned businesses and includes a FREE 12 week (September-November) mini-MBA for eligible food entrepreneurs. Apply here through June 15th.
The SMU Cox Southwest Venture Forum (SWVF) presents “Alternate Sources of Venture Capital” on Thursday, May 19 at 7:00 A.M. DFW CPG member Abe Minkara will be one of the featured panelists at the event. The $50 cost includes breakfast. Park City Club, 5956 Sherry Lane Suite 1700, Dallas, TX 75225. Click here to register.
Applications are open for SKU Dallas. SKU is looking for founders of innovative emerging brands for their 12-week program that kicks off Aug. 23rd, supported by DFW CPG. The curriculum covers topics important to CPG startups, including Mission + Vision, Branding, Channel Strategy, Supply Chain and Innovation. Apply here by May 30.
Mark your calendar so you don’t miss the sign-up period for opportunities in the GO TEXAN Pavilion at the 2022 State Fair of Texas in Dallas on Sept 30th – Oct 23rd. Interested in a sponsorship? Click HERE for 2022 GO TEXAN State Fair sponsorship opportunities.
If you have something you would like to share with the DFW CPG community, send us an email.