Gail Becker spent 16 years building a career in corporate America but ultimately became disenchanted and decided she was ready to make a change and pursue a more meaningful purpose.
Two things happened that fueled her decision. The first was the passing of her father, who had come to America as an immigrant with nothing and built a small business.
Gail told us, “His death made me wonder if I should do something more meaningful with my life.”
In addition, Gail has two sons who were both diagnosed with Celiac Disease, an immune disease in which products that contain gluten damage the small intestine.
“Over the years, I noticed that the food industry was adding a lot of junk in gluten-free food. After the death of my father, it occurred to me that it was time to develop gluten-free products that could safely be consumed by everyone. I couldn’t wait any longer for someone to come up with a solution. I had to do it myself.”
Here was a woman with a family, a good career, and a steady paying job. She was not a risk taker, but with the passing of her father she decided the best way to honor him was to follow in his entrepreneurial footsteps. A few short years later she is now an award-winning entrepreneur leading a frozen foods company made famous by their cauliflower crust pizzas. Her company, CAULIPOWER, is recognized as the true disruptor of one of grocery’s most stagnant categories and is now one of the fastest growing food brands and the #1 better-for-you pizza in the United States.
The Beginnings
Gail left the security of her job in May of 2016 and launched CAULIPOWER in February 2017 with four pizzas. At that time her CAULIPOWER pizzas were only available through Amazon and in 30 Whole Foods stores in Southern California.
“We didn’t know anything about the industry, but I was betting everything I had. In poker terms, I was “All IN!”
Getting her product into Whole Foods was no easy task because it is impossible to get an interview or a meeting with a Whole Foods representative. Gail shared with us that the only way they will consider a new product is if you drop off a sample at a regional office.
“I remember driving to Whole Foods with a little white Styrofoam cooler packed with ice and four pizzas. I was very nervous, I had to leave it with the receptionist, which was a sort of like handing over your child.”
Next came the waiting, but Gail didn’t have to wait too long. Just a week later Whole Foods contacted her and told her, “We love the product, and we’ll be bringing it into the stores.”
Today Gail’s company produces a number of different frozen food products and is in 25,000 stores nationwide, including Walmart, Target, Kroger and CVS. In the past year they have expanded their product line to include Sweet PotaTOASTS, the first-ever “superfood toast,” made from roasted sweet potato slices and CAULIPOWER tortillas, the first frozen vegetable-first tortilla on the market. This fall they launched their most recent innovation, baked (not fried) chicken tenders, giving the classic chicken tender a nutritional makeover with 45% lower in calories with 86% less fat and 29% less net carbs than the category average.
The Keys to Being Successful in the Competitive Frozen Food Industry
The most competitive aisle in a grocery store is the freezer aisle. There are only so many freezers and space is very limited. Gail believes that her lack of industry knowledge when she started was both a challenge and a blessing. Because she didn’t know better, she wasn’t afraid to do things differently.
Gail’s advice is, “I think part of anyone’s success is listen to the people who do know the industry and definitely follow a set of rules, but also don’t be afraid to break a few of your own, which I think we’ve certainly done.”
She attributes the rapid success of her company to these three things:
- Timing – The timing was perfect. Consumers were searching for healthier versions of their favorite comfort foods. There were over 500,000 cauliflower crust pizza recipes on the internet, but none were being sold in retail.
“The everyday working mother doesn’t have 90 minutes two or three days every week to make a pizza. I know I certainly didn’t. Our products help those mothers save time in the kitchen.”
- Branding – The overall marketing strategy and branding resonates with the public.
“We stood out in several different ways. Our packaging, the way we speak to our growing fan base, plus we didn’t and still don’t take ourselves too seriously. We have a very unique brand in a very crowded space.”
- Product – In the same way real estate stresses, location, location, location, food companies focus on three important things: Product, Product, Product.
“We created a great tasting product that is embraced by more than just people looking for gluten free products. Everything we make is gluten-free but we don’t market ourselves as a gluten-free company. We’re a company that makes great tasting better-for-you products that happen to be gluten-free so that everyone can share from the same plate.”
Another important suggestion Gail shared was to never be afraid to admit what you don’t know and hire people who are smarter than you that can help fill in the gaps. Many entrepreneurs feel pressured to know everything since it’s their company. But Gail found that to create a successful and thoughtful company, it was really important to hire people that she could learn from so that the business wouldn’t suffer during her ramp up period.
The Awards
Here are a few of the awards that Gail Becker has recently received:
Nielsen 2019 Breakthrough Innovation
Female Entrepreneur of the Year – Consumer Products –11 to 2,500 Employees GOLD STEVIE® WINNER
NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) Woman Business Owner of the Year
Los Angeles Business Journal – #1 Fastest Growing Private Company 2019
When we mentioned these awards, Gail quickly noted how she appreciated the accolades but immediately gave all the credit to her incredible team for making it all happen.
“Our growth is unprecedented. I have the best team in the business. I mean that sincerely. Our rapid growth speaks to the brilliance of this team and also to the many customers who have discovered our great tasting products.”
The company has grown from only 3 employees at the end of 2017 to now 50 employees and Gail believes that one of their secrets to success is that everybody there does everything. She enjoys being out where she gets to interact with people and hear what they enjoy, what they’d like to see more of, and hearing firsthand how impactful it can be for people to have a healthier option that they feel good about.
Gail Becker has created a product line that not only solves a healthy eating problem but is also about convenience and innovation. From that original risk of starting a new venture, she has succeeded in producing great tasting, healthy food options that everyone around the table can enjoy.
Listen to our podcast interview with Gail where you’ll learn even more about her success and company. To learn more about CAULIPOWER visit https://eatCAULIPOWER.com/ and join the @CAULIPOWER community on social media
