You should know these women-founded brands

At Youshd we proudly support and partner with women-founded brands all year round. This being said, it’s Women’s History Month, so it’s the perfect time to shine a light on women-owned brands that inspire us every day. The wage gap is unfortunately not shrinking and it remains women earn 84 cents on the dollar compared to men, with women of color facing much larger disparities. With these brutal truths, it’s no wonder that more women than ever are founding their own businesses. 

In the USA today 42% of brands are founded or cofounded by women, and of new businesses founded last year 64% of those are female-founded. For the first time in history, the momentum is with women leaders at brands. We love to see it. 

In no particular order here are eight inspiring female-founded brands that deserve your attention and money:

Evio

Brandi Leifso was only 21 years old and living in a domestic violence shelter when she founded Evio Beauty Group Ltd. Evio is an impact-led clean beauty brand on a mission to break stigmas with inclusive, good-for-you beauty products that connect us, not divide us. When you shop their site you can opt to not only shop by product, but also by cause, currently FreeFrom.org and ReproductiveRights.org. 

Nutr

Alicia Long co-founded Nutr with her husband a little over two years ago. The product was built with sustainability in mind. Nutr is a sleek patent-pending machine that easily allows you to make your own nut milk at home. If you’re plant-based and are done with wasteful packaging, you’re going to fall in love with Alicia’s vision and the Nutr machine. 

Brother Vellies

Brother Vellies was founded in 2013 by Aurora James. Her goal was to keep traditional African design practices, and techniques alive while also creating and sustaining artisanal jobs. Beyond her deserved icon status in fashion, James also founded The Fifteen Percent Pledge which asks businesses to dedicate 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands. 

Chippin

Founded by Haley Russell, a lifelong animal lover and environmentalist, Chippin provides delicious, planet-friendly food for dogs that any pet parent can be proud to serve. As Haley says on her website “By choosing Chippin we’re all “chipping in” to provide better options for our pets and our planet. Can’t wait for your pups to taste our drool-worthy treats!”

Tilden Cocktails

Tilden Cocktails has not one but two women founders, Vanessa Royle and Mariah Hilton Wood. If you’re sober, dry-curious or just have excellent taste, Tilden is a must try. From their site: “Together they set out to create non-alcoholic social beverages that would change the way society thinks about celebrating. Prototypes, concocted by hand in Mariah’s kitchen, were tasted, tested, sold, and refined until the team perfected the elements of a true social beverage—something to be sipped, swirled, and savored. With careful attention to aroma, mouthfeel, and flavors, each of Tilden’s non-alcoholic cocktails delivers a flavorful experience with a beginning, middle, and finish.” 

Bobbie

Bobbie is another wonderful brand founded by two powerhouse women, Laura Modi and Sarah Hardy. Bobbie is disrupting the baby formula industry with their organic infant formula with complete nutrition modeled after breastmilk. A fact that makes us trust their incredible product ten fold: Bobbie is the only mom-led infant formula company in the USA. In moms we trust. 

Knix

Joanna Griffiths launched Knix “with the goal of transforming an underwear market that had too much frill and not enough function.” Known for their diverse and inclusive campaigns, Knix has won the hearts of women around the world, which is why it’s no surprise that they were recently acquired. Essity bought Knix for $320 million USD. We’re in awe of Joanna. 

Morepeas
Founded by two devoted mamas, Allison Fadden and Jess Severt, Morepeas is not only functional and helps parents get more food in the bowl and the belly and off the floor, but it has a huge heart. A large percentage of March sales go to support the family of a close friend and young mom who recently succumbed to cancer.