From Nut Butter to Social Impact: Building a Mission-Driven Brand with Julie Loos
In this episode, I sit down with Julie Loos, co-founder of Ground Up, a nut butter brand built around a job training program for women overcoming adversity, for a conversation that proves business really can be a force for good.
Julie's story begins in Uganda, where at 22 years old she oversaw a job training program for 160 women, helping them save enough to start their own small businesses and watching that impact ripple through entire families and communities. When she moved home to Portland, she couldn't let go of one question: why couldn't this model work here? She met her co-founder Carolyn, who was making remarkable nut butter out of dietary necessity, and Ground Up was born.
Ten years later, Ground Up has employed and empowered over 100 women through its six-to-nine month job training program, expanded into more than 1,000 grocery stores, and proven that mission and profitability don't have to be at odds — even without outside investors.
We talk about what it actually takes to scale impact alongside growth, the cost of saying yes too often, the power of delegation, and how becoming a mother completely reshaped the way Julie leads.
Tune in!
Key insights:
How two years in Uganda became the blueprint for Ground Up's job training model
The six-to-nine month program: how it works and the transformation it creates
Why Ground Up doesn't run background checks — and what that means for hiring with grace
Navigating the tension between mission and growth as a small, investor-free company
What it actually takes to "do business for good" — for founders and individual contributors
Finding and supporting B Corps and mission-driven brands
The cost of saying yes — and how motherhood taught Julie to say no with confidence
Learning to delegate, ask for support, and let go of "doing it all"
Why celebrating wins matters more than chasing the next milestone
Ground Up's evolution: from a custom-order kitchen table business to 1,000+ grocery stores
Dive deeper with us!
The conversations don’t end here, they ripple into real life.
Ways to be Supported:
Follow @grounduppdx on Instagram
Shop at grounduppdx.com — use code SHINE for 15% off
Find B Corps to support at bcorporation.net/find-a-b-corp
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