Celebrate Women's History Month

Maria Loi is the chef-creator of Loi's authentic Greek foods, which is just one of the ways in which she champions her home country's cuisine. In addition to owning the restaurant Loi Estiatorio in Manhattan, she is also an advocate for the Mediterranean diet and a globally-renowned cookbook author, culinary authority, and humanitarian. At FreshDirect, we're inspired not just by what her products bring to the kitchen, but also by how she always leads with her heartwarming smile and energetic personality.

March is Women's History Month, and we're marking the occasion by highlighting the incredible female-led food businesses we work with. This includes women farmers and agricultural innovators who are working to create a more sustainable food system. We're proud to have them in the FreshDirect family, and are committed to honoring their hard work and entrepreneurship.

Started by renowned cheesemaker Allison Hooper, Vermont Creamery has been raising the bar for hand-crafted, artisanal goat cheeses in the US. From their dairy in Websterville, VT, their network of more than 20 family-owned goat farms ensures the best quality milk, and furthers their mission of sustainability and land conservation in the area.

Working as an ad exec at National Geographic, Suniti witnessed the devastating effects of toxins and plastics on our planet. Inspired by her great-grandmother's Ayurvedic lifestyle, Suniti founded Pure Mitti ("Mitti" means earth), a brand dedicated to sharing the essence of ancient science, culture, tradition, and methods in accessible formats for the modern consumer. Their line of products are rooted in Ayurveda and crafted without toxins, plastics, or palm oil, embracing the wisdom of Ayurveda, adapted for contemporary living.

Nutrition turned up a notch: advanced fruit and veggie blends co-developed with a pediatric nutritionist to help address common childhood nutrition gaps using only natural ingredients.

Ashley Thompson co-founded MUSH in 2015 with the conviction that easy, delicious, and nutritious food can elevate the world in powerful ways. Her overnight oats are soaked in dairy-free milk and blended with real plant-based ingredients - from silky rich chocolate to naturally-sweet wild blueberries. MUSH is made to eat anywhere you need to fill up, fuel up, and get on with your day: it's nutrition to help you maximize your potential.

Don't know your cardamom from your coriander? Challenged by Chana? Relax. Maya's done all the work for you. What took her years to perfect can be on your plate in mere minutes. From "speed-scratch" sauces to dals, chana and rice, her time-honored recipes take no time to prep. No roasting, toasting, grinding or measuring required.

Founded in Columbus, Ohio, Jeni's Ice Cream is devoted to making better ice cream that brings people together and makes sparks fly. They started making ice creams the 'old fashioned' way before it was cool - just grass-fed milk and quality ingredients. Each pint has a uniquely smooth texture and buttercream body, with a bright flavor and clean finish (no synthetic flavorings, dyes, stabilizers, or emulsifiers here). The results? A better pint with flavors you'll love.

Hayley and Stephanie Painter raise happy cows at Pennsylvania¿s Painterland Farms, where their family has been farming for four generations. The sisters and their partner farms go above and beyond USDA standards to care for the land, animals, and workers. That results in organic, pasture-raised, and non-GMO milk that tastes good and does good too. It¿s the key ingredient in their extra-creamy skyr-style yogurt, which is velvety thick with a luscious flavor.

A former assistant district attorney and long-time froyo addict, Chloe Epstein started searching for a better-for-you frozen treat when pregnant with her first child. What started from a freezer full of over-ripened bananas has grown to Chloe's Pops: purely delicious, intensely fruity, and creamy popsicles made with simple, pure ingredients. Totally refreshing any time of day, with no weird aftertaste.

Iranian sisters Homa and Nahid Dashtaki, along with their father, Goshtasb, have the brought the art of home-style Persian and Greek yogurt to Brooklyn and we can't stop eating it. Each batch is made completely by hand, just like Goshtasb's mom (and her mom) made it. White Moustache uses only Hudson Valley Fresh whole milk and live probiotic cultures. Each flavor is packaged in a glass jar so it's almost too pretty to open (almost). Pro tip: Persian yogurts are traditionally used like sauces, and we like it best the way Homa likes it: on roasted eggplant!

We know you love bone broth (so do we), so we've added MORE. It's one of the best things to sip when you're looking to eat--or in this case, sip--better. Bonafide Provisions developed their recipes to maximize nutrients + taste. One cup of broth contains 10 grams of protein, no grams of sugar + only 45 calories. Sip it up straight or add it to just about any recipe that calls for broth.