“Now you will have my personal email too.” She signed it “bye for now.” “You did have the correct phone number - our good ol' landline,” Withey wrote. So a few weeks ago, I left a voicemail for a number that I figured had a 50-50 shot of being accurate. Her number isn’t on the boxes of mac and cheese anymore, obviously. The more I read about Annie’s, the second-most popular mac and cheese brand in the United States behind Kraft, the more I wanted to know about the mysterious woman behind the brand. There’s been much debate and reporting about the ethical dilemmas that arise when an enormous company like General Mills acquires an ostensibly environmentally conscious, organic brand like Annie’s, whose mission is upholding “sustainable agriculture, organic ingredients, no artificial ingredients support for farmers and communities.”īut noticeably absent from those discussions, and noticeably absent more generally, is Withey herself. Withey was listed as “inspirational president” during the Solera Capital era, then left completely when General Mills took over. The long and the short of it is Solera Capital became the majority investor in Annie’s in 2002, then General Mills (which is having an interesting week) bought out Annie’s in 2014 for a whopping $820 million. magazine, “I don't really like business.' Or media, for that matter.īusiness, however you want to define it, has made Withey a wealthy woman, even as she’s completely removed herself from the company that she created (which is far more than just mac and cheese offerings these days).

In 1988, then in her 20s, she succinctly told Inc. She lives quietly, privately on a farm in Connecticut. Withey never relocated to California though.

Once, at 3 a.m., she was awakened to a voicemail by an ensemble of partying surfer bros on the West Coast who wanted to know how to get their hands on a bulk order of mac and cheese.įunnily enough, Annie’s Homegrown is now based out west its brightly colored headquarters, which includes a lovely looking garden, was established in Berkeley in 2011 and is where 50 or so employees normally work.Ī photo of the Annie's headquarters outdoor garden circa 2013.

Strangers called Withey at all hours of the day.

Annie's mac and cheese lactose free