Core and Rind

Candi Haas and Rita Childers are the dream team behind Core and Rind. After taking a culinary nutrition program, the pair started their journey at a local farmers market in St. Louis, Missouri. Customers coming through loved the cashew-based cheese so much, the duo perfected their shelf-stable recipe and now offer their bold & spicy, rich & smoky, and sharp & tangy varieties of cheese sauce at Whole Foods, Erewhon, and later this month, Sprouts locations nationwide.

SorBabes

Started at an NYC farmers market, SorBabes was founded by Nicole Cardone and Deborah Gorman. Taking sorbet to the next level, these two babes sell their pints in creamy and fruity flavors, and the newer bars are coated in chocolate or a lemon quinoa “crunch” shell. Primarily online, the brand is working on expanding in the Pacific Northwest and can be found in other regions throughout the country at Walmart and Whole Foods. Ask your local store to add SorBabes to shelves so this pair can continue to take over!

Spero Foods

Founded by Phaedra Randolph, business for Spero Foods has been booming since another female vegan powerhouse, Lizzo, just recreated the viral baked feta pasta TikTok trend using the brand as her plant-based cheese swap. Found in Whole Foods and specialty stores across the nation, the eight sunflower-based cream cheese flavors range from savory herb and roasted red pepper to sweet flavors, including chocolate and strawberry—all perfect for dipping, spreading, or mixing to make a delicious sauce.

GoMacro

With how massive GoMacro has gotten over the years, it’s wonderful to know it started as a simple, but powerful, mother-daughter (Amelia Kirchoff and Jola Sonkin) company. All organic, vegan, and gluten-free, the bars are made using 100% renewable energy and come in snack, protein, mini, and kid varieties to satisfy anyone with a sweet craving. As if that wasn’t sweet enough, four options are “Give Back Bars,” each dedicated to providing a portion of proceeds to dedicated charities.

Lupii

Founded by Allie Dempster and Isabelle Steichen, Lupii plant-based bars are made from lupini beans. They are completely vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and each bar is composed of up to 10g of protein and 9g of fiber. The lesser-known legumes are extremely environmentally friendly and sustainable, making them planet-based, too! The beans pack twice as much protein as chickpeas, and the co-founders are on a mission to make the lupini bean mainstream.

Happy Viking

With more and more athletes adopting a plant-based lifestyle, we love that one of the all-time greatest tennis champs, Venus Williams, has created a line of plant-based protein shakes that deliver flavor we love. Inspired by Venus’s own autoimmune journey and plant-based lifestyle, the shakes come in vanilla bean and triple chocolate flavors and are made with sustainable packaging to fuel the planet while you fuel your workouts.

Maya’s Cookies

Chef Maya Madsen founded Southern California cookie staple Maya’s Cookies in 2015, and the brand has been taking over as the #1 Black-owned gourmet cookie company ever since. Soft-baked and available in a wide range of fun flavors—including the Drunken Grandma (oatmeal and rum-soaked raisins) and Brown Sugar Butterscotch—alongside classic varieties, the cookies can be shipped nationwide. Maya’s storefront is located in San Diego.

Realm

After a lot of trial and (mostly) error tasting other on-the-go meal shake options, co-founders Elise Tresley and Lauren Benbassat decided to create their own with Realm. Each plant-based smoothie by Realm packs over 18g of plant protein, 5g of fiber, and 7g of healthy fats, and contains zero added sugar, soy, and preservatives. Boasting “effortless nutrition,” each shake is mixable with water or milk—no fuss necessary. Not sure which to try first? Their site offers a sample set 3-pack to find your new favorite smoothie flavor.

Sweet Loren’s

For those of us who love eating cookie dough raw, Sweet Loren’s saves the day, as it’s just as good straight from the package as it is freshly baked. Loren Brill founded the company after she beat cancer in her early twenties and made it her mission to eliminate processed foods. Offered in pre-portioned cookie dough packs or by the spoonable tub, flavors include chocolate chunk, oatmeal cranberry, birthday cake, and fudgy brownie. Sweet Loren’s is sold in major retailers including Target and Whole Foods nationwide.

Nelly’s Organics

Southern California-based brand Nelly’s Organics offers indulgent candy bars chock-full of nutrient-dense whole foods and fair-trade Italian dark chocolate. Founder Carla Spiropulo named the company after her mother and created Nelly’s Organics after taking an interest in a healthier lifestyle. The flavor varieties match some childhood favorite candy bars, incorporating ingredients like peanut butter, dark chocolate, nougat, and coconut. Best refrigerated, since they are preservative-free, bars can be shipped in 100% biodegradable packaging or found at Whole Foods and local stores nationwide.

Daily Harvest

Rachel Drori first founded and started raising money for Daily Harvest when she was pregnant, and it’s since boomed into a full-service food delivery company. All items are fully-vegan, ready in minutes and the company has celebrity investors, including Gwenyth Paltrow and Serena Williams. Daily Harvest works on a subscription-based model with plans ranging from 9-24 items that can be delivered weekly or monthly. Whether you’re looking for a smoothie, flatbread, harvest bowl, soup, or ice cream, Daily Harvest has something for everyone.

Wanna Date?

Founder Melissa Bartow launched Wanna Date? in 2018 in NYC after taking a gamble that blended dates would be a better-selling, healthier sweet spread option than the other alternatives on the market. On her recent appearance on Shark Tank, investor Mark Cuban put up 100K, and the brand has been expanding quickly into stores ever since. Available in World Market and select Whole Foods, Wanna Date? comes in five spreadable flavors, including chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Lark Ellen Farm

Lark Ellen Farm is a line of plant-based trail mixes, granolas, sprouted nuts, and almond-based pâtés founded in 2015 by Kelley D’Angelo. After cutting out wheat and grains from her diet, Kelley missed her morning cereal and embarked on a mission to create the flavors she craved. First launched at the Ojai Farmers Market, the grain products have since expanded into retail stores, including Sprouts, Bristol Farms, Whole Foods, and health food stores nationwide. If you’re in the area, Kelley’s children still sell the Lark Ellen Farm products on Sundays at the Ojai Farmers Market.

The Naughty Cookie

Founded by Jessica Motes, The Naughty Cookie is a 100% vegan, cruelty-free, preservative-free cookie line that will fool even the biggest skeptics of vegan baked goods. With a growing retail following and cookies that ship to every state, the brand broke through the glass ceiling when The Naughty Cookie became one of the first vegan goodies to be carried by Williams-Sonoma. The Naughty Cookie is also coming up on its three-year anniversary this month. Keep an eye out for a new flavor to celebrate the occasion.