FreshDirect is proud to be powered by women leaders, from experts on our own teams to the farmers, creators, and entrepreneurs behind many of the items we offer. This March, in honor of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the female food industry professionals who are crafting, innovating, and paving the way for a more equitable food system.
From business owners who are using their platform to give back to local communities to agricultural pioneers with a focus on sustainability, these women inspire us every day with their dedication and ingenuity.
Learn more about and shop women-led food brands on FreshDirect below.
Blue Marble
Blue Marble was founded in 2007, when founders Jennie Dundas and Alexis Gallivan embarked on a simple mission: to offer a product that made tastebuds happy and hearts feel good. They began with super-premium local dairy and the best organic ingredients to create a ridiculously delicious scoop. Then, they built a company that cared for the world around it through its sourcing, business practices, and community involvements. Blue Marble has worked hard to grow in responsible, sustainable ways and to offer their wholesome, super premium ice cream to as wide and diverse an audience as possible.
Culina
Culina began few years ago, when founder Erin Asaad had to remove dairy, sugar, and gluten from her diet. At that time, there weren’t any clean non-dairy yogurt options out there, but Erin channeled her obsession for cooking into creating a yogurt that fit all her needs. After trial and error, Erin created Culina, a coconut-based yogurt that was so good her friends kept stealing it from the fridge!
Further Food
Further Food is a line of food-based nutritional products started by founder Lillian Zhao, who began with a quest to bring the ancient healing practices in Eastern medicine to those with chronic health conditions. Today, Lillian works with a select group of leading women’s health experts to create products that really work.
She is committed to making Further Food a company that inspires people to take control of their health, treads lightly on our delicate planet, and gives back to the community.
Hepworth Farms
Established in 1818, Hepworth Farms is a seventh-generation family farm in Milton, NY and one of the premier organic growers in the Hudson Valley. Under the direction of sisters Amy and Gail Hepworth, this FreshDirect partner farm is a leader in responsible and sustainable agriculture and a mentor to and collaborator with other farms in the area.
Hepworth Farms preserves and maintains approximately 550 acres of biodiverse and nutrient-dense soil at their location just 90 minutes north of New York City. During their peak growing months from May through late November, they provide FreshDirect with a huge array of vegetables including tomatoes, leafy greens, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, zucchini, roots, and squashes.
When you order any of Hepworth Farms’ produce, you know you’re getting something special that’s grown in support of achieving a better food system. The best way to try them out is by getting one of their farm share boxes, which contain an assortment featuring the very best of the season.
McBride Sisters*
McBride Sisters wine was founded in 2005, when sisters Robin and Andréa set out to shake up the industry with a blend of old-world elegance and new-world finesse. Their wines reflect the terroirs of the places where they grew up, and have flavors designed for all palates. The duo also created the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Professional Development Fund in 2019 to promote the professional advancement of women in the wine industry, help close the gender and race gap, and create opportunities where there were not before.
Meadows and More
Tama Matsuoka Wong is the forager behind Meadows and More, a wild foraging company located on 28 acres at the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Tama works with top chefs in the New York City area to source foraged goods for their menus, while also working with FreshDirect to bring these wild gems straight to you. From dazzling mushrooms to greens with intense flavor, each of her finds is truly one-of-a-kind. Tama thrives off the enjoyment of seeing other people have more meaning in their lives through better eating and a reconnection with nature.
Satur Farms
Satur Farms started when wife-husband team Paulette Satur and Eberhard Müller bought their original farm in Long Island in 1997 with the goal of growing vegetables and herbs for Müller’s New York restaurant. Colleagues were soon clamoring for Satur Farms’ produce, and the farm as a business became a reality. Today, Satur Farms produces specialty salads, leafy vegetables, root vegetables, and herbs on 250 acres on Long Island and 500 acres in the winter in Florida to deliver the freshest produce year-round. Their sustainable farming operation follows European farming techniques and firmly believes in socially responsibility and paying employees living wages.
Trade Street Jam Company
Trade Street Jam Co. is a Black and woman-owned small batch jam company founded by chef Ashley Rouse. Based in Brooklyn, Trade Street creates fruit-forward, clean-tasting vegan jams that are low in sugar and high in flavor. Their spoonable jams (yes, the texture is very different) are great on toast, but even better in recipes – we’re talking craft cocktails, sauces, glazes, baked goods, yogurt, overnight oats, salad dressings, and so on. Ashley and Trade Street are also committed to giving back through education and helping those who face food insecurity.