Nov. 28, 2023

Creating Clean Nut Butter and Empowering Women with Carolyn Cesario and Julie Sullivan

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Season 1

Ever wondered how a jar of nut butter could contribute to changing lives? Julie Sullivan and Carolyn Cesario, Founders of Ground Up, share their fascinating journey of how their business not only creates nut butter but also empowers women dealing with adversity.

Julie transitioned from living in Uganda where she empowered women entrepreneurs and moved back to Portland, Oregon where she and Carolyn built their company. They discuss some of the challenges working with formerly incarcerated women and how their job training program helps women set goals and transition out of homelessness. From the inception of their job training program to the process of crafting small-batch nut butter, the duo sheds light on how they combine business and social change. 

In this episode, Julie and Carolyn talk to Jen about their inspiration for building their business, the empowering journey of women overcoming adversity, and their unique approach to creating nut butter products.


Key Takeaways

  • [01:10] - The meaning of Ground Up.
  • [01:46] - How Ground Up started.
  • [04:39] - Pros and cons of Ground Up’s business model.
  • [07:35] - How Julie and Carolyn chose nut butter for their business.
  • [10:16] - The difference between Ground Up and other nut butters.
  • [13:04] - Why nut butters are using oils and fillers.
  • [13:52] - Why Ground Up uses roasted nuts.
  • [14:15] - Why gluten and soy-free is important to Ground Up.
  • [15:09] - Flavors that Ground Up offers.
  • [16:07] - How people use Ground Up’s nut butters.
  • [19:06] - Where you can find Ground Up.
  • [20:00] - A transformational story of a Ground Up employee.


Quotes

[01:30] - “Our mission is to is to employ women overcoming adversity.” ~ Julie Sullivan

[09:56] - “It’s fun now to see all the folks that come through the training program start to eat healthier and start to be more conscious about what they’re eating.” ~ Carolyn Cesario

[11:31] - “I think what makes our nut butter unique is we use a blend of nuts.” ~ Carolyn Cesario


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