Today we’d like to introduce you to Pamela Powell
Hi Pamela, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Pam Powell, the founder and owner of Salad Girl Organics, a women-owned and family-run company based in the Midwest. We specialize in crafting fresh, organic salad dressings, vinaigrettes, marinades, and dairy-free creamy dressings. Our tagline, “Fresh organic dressings for fresh organic greens,” perfectly reflects what we’re all about: creating flavorful, preservative-free, and sustainable products for both foodies and health-conscious eaters alike!
The story of Salad Girl began with my very first summer job as a teenager, working as the “Salad Girl” at Madden’s Resort on Gull Lake in Minnesota. I loved crafting house-made salad dressings using fresh, seasonal ingredients, and though I didn’t realize it at the time, that experience sparked my lifelong passion for creating delicious, seasonally inspired salads and dressings to match.
I continued working in the food industry to put myself through art school, and even after graduation, as a new wife, mom, and freelance artist. On weekends, my husband, Jim, and I ran a small Whole Foods catering company to save for our first home. Designing unique salads with homemade vinaigrettes quickly became my favorite part of our menus, and our clients loved them too. Before long, friends, family, and customers began requesting my dressings for parties and as gifts. That’s when I started dreaming about someday bringing my own line of fresh organic dressings for fresh organic greens to the marketplace.
In 2005, after working as a freelance illustrator and decorative artist for 15 years, the industry began to take a downturn. It felt like the perfect time to revisit my recipes and explore the possibility of getting them into grocery stores. A wonderful chance opportunity came when I was hired to paint a mural for Kowalski’s Markets. As a thank-you gift, I shared some of my homemade dressings with them, and to my surprise, they loved them! They even encouraged me to bring my dressings to their refrigerated produce shelves if I ever decided to start a business.
In the summer of 2007, we decided to take that leap. We test-marketed our dressings at the Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis, renting a small kitchen at our local armory to bottle our vinaigrettes. With the help of family and friends, we set up a booth and sold out every weekend!
By March 2008, we transitioned to working with a Minnesota organic co-packer, enabling us to fill our first official order for Kowalski’s Markets. Salad Girl became the first certified organic, fresh dressing to appear on refrigerated produce shelves in Minnesota.
Today, Salad Girl Organic Dressings are available in over 500 stores across the Midwest. From the very beginning, my focus has been on creating fresh, delicious, and convenient options for healthier meals. We pioneered a cold-blended method that keeps our fresh ingredients uncooked, preserving their natural flavors and nutrients. This innovation helped us secure our spot in the refrigerated produce section—right where fresh dressings belong, next to the greens.
For me, Salad Girl is about so much more than salad dressings—it’s a reflection of our core values: quality, sustainability, integrity, and community. Every bottle is made with care and packaged in recycled and recyclable materials. As a triple-bottom-line company, we are committed to People, Planet, and Prosperity.
Sixteen years after launching Salad Girl, I’m as passionate as ever about crafting seasonal, garden-inspired flavors that make life easier, healthier, and more delicious for busy families, foodies, and label readers alike. It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m so grateful to continue doing what I love every day.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Like any entrepreneurial journey, there have been plenty of challenges along the way, but those struggles have shaped us and made the successes even more rewarding.
As a small, women-owned, and family-run company, we simply don’t have the marketing dollars to branch out into new regions without depleting our ownership or taking a personal financial hit. Expanding into new markets requires a significant investment in marketing and resources—resources that we have to be extremely careful with, especially when it impacts our personal finances. There have been times when the business’s growth has come at the expense of our paychecks, which is a tough but necessary sacrifice for the long-term health of the company.
One of the most significant challenges we’ve faced in recent years has been the shift in focus by many of the Midwest big chain stores. We’ve seen a trend where these large retailers, in their push to prioritize price competitiveness, have started to downplay the value of supporting local, small women owned businesses. This shift has made it harder for companies like ours—women-owned, family-run, and focused on sustainability—to maintain shelf space. These chains are increasingly turning to cheaper national brands and in-store labels, often at the expense of the unique value that local products bring. For us, this has meant navigating a marketplace where price and volume are often prioritized over the quality, innovation, and community impact that small businesses provide.
In the early years, we also faced challenges getting our products onto grocery store shelves. We were the first fresh, organic salad dressing in the refrigerated produce section in Minnesota, and it took a lot of persistence, hard work, and trust-building to secure that placement. As we scaled production, we faced logistical challenges, including the transition from bottling our dressings ourselves to working with a co-packer. This created new hurdles, especially around maintaining quality control and consistency.
The COVID-19 pandemic also added to our struggles. With in-store demos and trade shows canceled, we lost critical opportunities to engage with our customers directly. Sales channels, especially for new customers, slowed down significantly, and it was challenging to maintain growth during such uncertain times.
Despite all of this, we remain committed to our mission of creating fresh, organic, and sustainable products. We’ve learned to be resilient, adapt, and stay focused on what matters most: our customers and the integrity of our business. Every challenge has only strengthened our determination to stay true to our values, and while the road hasn’t been easy, we’re excited for the future and for continuing to do what we love.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Salad Girl Organics?
I’m Pam Powell, the founder and owner of Salad Girl Organics, a women-owned and family-run company based in the Midwest. We specialize in crafting fresh, organic salad dressings, vinaigrettes, marinades, and dairy-free creamy dressings. Our tagline, “Fresh organic dressings for fresh organic greens,” perfectly reflects what we’re all about: creating flavorful, preservative-free, and sustainable products for both foodies and health-conscious eaters alike!
The story of Salad Girl began with my very first summer job as a teenager, working as the “Salad Girl” at Madden’s Resort on Gull Lake in Minnesota. I loved crafting house-made salad dressings using fresh, seasonal ingredients, and though I didn’t realize it at the time, that experience sparked my lifelong passion for creating delicious, seasonally inspired salads and dressings to match.
I continued working in the food industry to put myself through art school, and even after graduation, as a new wife, mom, and freelance artist. On weekends, my husband, Jim, and I ran a small Whole Foods catering company to save for our first home. Designing unique salads with homemade vinaigrettes quickly became my favorite part of our menus, and our clients loved them too. Before long, friends, family, and customers began requesting my dressings for parties and as gifts. That’s when I started dreaming about someday bringing my own line of fresh organic dressings for fresh organic greens to the marketplace.
In 2005, after working as a freelance illustrator and decorative artist for 15 years, the industry began to take a downturn. It felt like the perfect time to revisit my recipes and explore the possibility of getting them into grocery stores. A wonderful chance opportunity came when I was hired to paint a mural for Kowalski’s Markets. As a thank-you gift, I shared some of my homemade dressings with them, and to my surprise, they loved them! They even encouraged me to bring my dressings to their refrigerated produce shelves if I ever decided to start a business.
In the summer of 2007, we decided to take that leap. We test-marketed our dressings at the Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis, renting a small kitchen at our local armory to bottle our vinaigrettes. With the help of family and friends, we set up a booth and sold out every weekend!
By March 2008, we transitioned to working with a Minnesota organic co-packer, enabling us to fill our first official order for Kowalski’s Markets. Salad Girl became the first certified organic, fresh dressing to appear on refrigerated produce shelves in Minnesota.
Today, Salad Girl Organic Dressings are available in over 500 stores across the Midwest. From the very beginning, my focus has been on creating fresh, delicious, and convenient options for healthier meals. We pioneered a cold-blended method that keeps our fresh ingredients uncooked, preserving their natural flavors and nutrients. This innovation helped us secure our spot in the refrigerated produce section—right where fresh dressings belong, next to the greens.
For me, Salad Girl is about so much more than salad dressings—it’s a reflection of our core values: quality, sustainability, integrity, and community. Every bottle is made with care and packaged in recycled and recyclable materials. As a triple-bottom-line company, we are committed to People, Planet, and Prosperity.
Sixteen years after launching Salad Girl, I’m as passionate as ever about crafting seasonal, garden-inspired flavors that make life easier, healthier, and more delicious for busy families, foodies, and label readers alike. It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m so grateful to continue doing what I love every day.
What does success mean to you?
For me, success isn’t just about financial milestones or the size of the business. It’s about staying true to our core values and having a positive impact on the lives of our customers and the community we serve. Success is creating a brand that people trust and love, where the products reflect our commitment to quality, sustainability, and innovation.
I also define success by the relationships we’ve built—both with our customers and our team. It’s seeing people enjoy our dressings, knowing that we’re providing them with healthier, flavorful options that make mealtime easier and more enjoyable. Success is the feeling of pride in knowing that Salad Girl is a brand rooted in integrity, that we’re contributing to the growth of local, organic farming, and that we’ve stayed true to our mission, even when faced with challenges.
On a more personal level, success is about balance. It’s about finding joy in the work we do while also making time for family, community, and the things that matter most outside of the business. Success means not just growing a business, but growing it in a way that reflects who we are and the legacy we want to leave.
Ultimately, success is not about being the biggest or the fastest-growing, but about being authentic, having purpose, and making a lasting, positive impact—both on the people we serve and the world around us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.saladgirl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesaladgirl
