Gail Becker is the creator of Caulipower, a unique brand changing the frozen food aisle with its creative cauliflower-based products, making gluten-free options for people who normally wouldn’t have them. Her journey into the food industry began in 2016 when she sought to create a delicious cauliflower-crust pizza for her sons, who have Celiac disease. Unable to find satisfying options, Gail took matters into her own hands, transforming her kitchen innovation into a rapidly expanding product line that has made Caulipower a household name, boasting over $100 million in annual sales.
Gail’s career foundation was built on Capitol Hill, continued as a broadcast journalist in the late 80s. She sharpened her skills at Warner Bros. as a communications strategist during the early era for even DVDs. These varied experiences laid the groundwork for a quick rise in the food industry.
Her contributions have not gone unnoticed; Gail was honored in the 2021 “50 Over 50” list and ranked #97 in America’s Self-Made Women the same year. In this interview, Gail shares her thoughts and opinions about leadership and what Caulipower will look like in the future as one of the leaders in healthy convenient foods.
Her Agenda: How does your background in the communications world influence your approach to leading a start-up?
Gail Becker: It’s such an interesting question because when I came from the agency world, I had a lot of opportunities to have a front row seat to how companies are created and managed and led, and sometimes we would give advice or counsel, and then sometimes it was taken, and sometimes it wasn’t. So really, particularly from a marketing perspective, seeing what has worked for companies and what hasn’t, has really been an advantage in creating Caulipower.
Her Agenda: What role has your family played in this company?
Gail Becker: My family has played a huge role because my sons were actually the inspiration for starting Caulipower in the first place. Both my sons have celiac disease, and when they were diagnosed at such a young age, there was no gluten-free food in the store. So it really gave me a good perch for watching the industry evolve, and what I began to notice was how much junk the industry was putting in gluten-free food. And so, I thought someone would do something about it, and then I sort of waited, and no one really ever did. And so that’s when I finally started. [I said] you know what? I’m going to jump in and do it myself. Interestingly, you know, most people who buy Caulipower are not gluten-free. You know, that’s the reason I started the company, but most people just want a lighter, better-for-you pizza. And that was really the ethos of the brand…creating something that everybody could enjoy and share.
Her Agenda: How do you stay on top of trends in the food world?
Gail Becker: We’re very lucky because our consumers share their needs and desires with us. We obviously have a tremendous amount of data, so we see what’s working, what’s not, where the holes in the market are, and what consumers are gravitating toward. Still, we’re very on top of social media trends as well, and what’s working and what is really here for the long haul. Trends are important, but we really want to create a food that’s going to be what consumers need for the long term.
Her Agenda: Can you share some of the challenges you faced when starting Caulipower and how you overcame them?
Gail Becker: The biggest challenge was that I didn’t know the industry. I didn’t know what all the acronyms meant. I didn’t know how the industry worked. I didn’t know the things to do or the things not to do. But I knew how I wanted to be different, and that was really helpful. So I would say that sometimes not knowing gave me a little bit of an advantage, because when people were working in the industry for so long, they sort of stopped poking in interesting directions and stopped being provocative because they thought it was something you couldn’t do. I was told a hundred times, ‘You can’t make a pizza out of cauliflower.’
Her Agenda: What strategic goals did you aim to achieve through the acquisition with Urban Farmer?
Gail Becker: Well, basically, we are merging with our manufacturers. This is a really exciting time, because it means we have our own manufacturing. So we can be quicker, we can be more nimble, we can do more limited runs, so special opportunities or seasonal products, things that we never could do before. It is a really exciting time for us to ensure the quality of our products and give consumers what they’re looking for in real time.
Her Agenda: What role does sustainability play in Caulipower’s business model?
Gail Becker: It actually plays an important role. All of our packaging is created in a really sustainable manner. A couple of years ago, we took out the cardboard circles. We’re trying to use less paper products. There are challenges in the frozen [food] world, but we are doing everything that we can and continuously improving our sustainability.
Her Agenda: Can you discuss a personal or professional achievement that you’re especially proud of as a woman?
Gail Becker: Caulipower is bigger than I certainly could have ever hoped, and that’s wonderful, and that makes me very proud. But I would say the thing I’m most proud of is that I took that bet in the very beginning. When I left my comfortable, corporate job, my successful corporate career, and I chucked it all to take a bet on a company in an industry that I knew nothing about, that’s the thing I’m most proud of. I bet on myself, and I hope that this inspires other women to do something similar.
Her Agenda: What personal experiences have shaped your views on gender equality and leadership?
Gail Becker: The thing that brought it most to life, honestly, was trying to raise money. Raising money, as a startup, as an entrepreneur, is hard; doing so as a woman is 100 times harder. That’s not me saying it, that’s the facts saying it, you know, only 2% of venture capital dollars go to women, go to female founders, go to female-led companies. So, experiencing that firsthand, seeing how much trouble we had, raising money when companies that were far less successful and led by men were raising money much easier and faster. That was a very hard and insightful lesson for me.
Her Agenda: What legacy do you hope to leave through your work with Caulipower?
Gail Becker: I hope that Caulipower reminds people that taking a bet on a female founder or female led company, created by a woman for a lot of female consumers, I hope it shows that we’re a pretty good bet, and I hope it makes it easier for future female entrepreneurs to raise money and be successful and make a real impact in the world.
[Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
