Melissa Hauser

Melissa has spent her career leading North American sales, marketing and operations with hyper-growth sustainable and health-minded CPG brands like Vega, Eco-Products and Rowdy Mermaid, and the portfolio of beverage brands in the Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB) division of Coca-Cola. Many of the brands she’s worked with have gone on to successful exits, and she stays connected to these brands and industry peers through mentorship, panel appearances, and partnerships with local universities. In her current role as General Manager, Melissa is responsible for building the global Minor Figures brand throughout the US and Canada, establishing supply chain, operations, market presence, and distribution, while creating an inclusive, remote culture. Melissa believes deeply in nurturing teams to a sense of belonging and purpose, and building the next generation of leaders.
Melissa lives in Golden, CO with her husband and two children, and takes advantage of all the outdoor activities that Colorado offers.

What area(s) of focus would you most like to address with your mentees?

I’d most like to address how to develop professionally in your career, particularly as a female. How to leverage ‘soft’ skills to develop as a leader, and drive success for an organization.

Beyond that, I’d like to offer guidance on GTM strategies, distribution strategies, and business development.

How do you plan to structure your monthly meetings?

I’d like these to be fairly free-flowing, but based on a pre-set agenda. As example, a week prior to a mentoring session, I’d ask the mentee to email the topics/questions/issues that they’d like to address during our meeting. Then we have the basic expectations of what we’re covering, but it would be the responsibility of the mentee to drive the conversation forward.

Finally, who would be an ideal mentee for you in this program, given your areas of expertise and experience?

A very ambitious junior female would be most ideal, someone who is passionate about natural foods and emerging brands, preferably with a focus on sales, marketing or HR.