Lifeway Foods: Julie Smolyansky

Thank you for tuning into "Starting Small", a podcast about brand development, entrepreneurship, and innovation in the modern world. In this episode, I am joined by Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway Foods, America's largest manufacturer of kefir. Lifeway began in 1986, when Julie's parents, Russian immigrants Michael and Ludmila Smolyansky began making Kefir in the basement of their Skokie, IL home. The cultured dairy drink had been popular in Eastern Europe for centuries, but the Smolyansky family was determined to share their delicious health secret with their newfound home. While finding massive success with Lifeway, Julie's father ended up passing away in 2002, which led her to take over the position as CEO...

With the new position, Julie became the youngest female CEO of a publicly held firm at age 27. Under her leadership, the Company has expanded distribution throughout the United States, Mexico, the UK, and Ireland as well as portions of Central and South America and the Caribbean. Continuing the companies growth, Lifeway went from $12 million in annual revenue when Julie first took over to surpassing $120 million in annual revenue. 

Make sure to check out Lifeway Foods at: https://lifewaykefir.com/

 

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