SkinnyDipped’s Mother-Daughter Founders Are Making an Impact That Goes Far Beyond Health

Val and Breezy Griffith lead their mission-driven healthy snack company with love and give back with every bite.

SkinnyDipped

The kitchen is the heart of a home, and for SkinnyDipped founders Val and Breezy Griffith, it is where they came up with these snacks that are healthy and still delicious. The mother-daughter duo had no idea that their small Seattle-based family business would evolve into an over $100 million powerhouse in the snacking industry loved by so many including SI Swimsuit models Brooks Nader, Alix Earle and Olivia Culpo as well as Kim Kardashian, Post Malone, Becky G and more.

The beginning was a ton of trial and error when it came to sourcing the best ingredients as well as understanding the business. When making their first dark chocolate almond, they tried every variety of California almond grown to discover the sweetest, most delicious nut and sampled way too much chocolate. Val equates their experience to “the iconic I Love Lucy episode at the chocolate factory, both hilarious and embarrassing.”

They also had to evolve beyond mother and daughter which was a learning curve in that first year. “In order to work together, we had to evolve beyond a mother/daughter dynamic to become business partners and that meant a shift in the parental/child hierarchy,” Val tells SI Swimsuit. “Not only has SkinnyDipped brought me and Breezy closer, but it has also knitted our whole family together. We are all tangled up together in the best way.”

SkinnyDipped

Over a decade later, the Griffiths are in a groove and didn’t just create a product, they pioneered an entire category. They also believe that great food is an act of love, a philosophy that shapes the brand’s approach to snacking and giving back. Available in over 26,000 retail stores nationwide, including Target and Amazon, SkinnyDipped is not just impacting the health of their customers, but through their mission-driven company, they are committed to making a difference beyond those that buy their products. They donate to Forest Whitaker's Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative.

Keep reading to learn more about how they don’t let their business affect their mother-daughter relationship (there are plans for a family compound!), and why their philanthropic component will always be a leading force for their business.

Working with loved ones can sometimes be challenging, when starting SkinnyDipped was there any hesitation to start this business together? 

Val: “Breezy was always destined to be our CEO — she’s bold, dynamic, tenacious and a quick study. Her mantra is there’s always a way. She’s the accelerator. In contrast, I’m a quiet, creative force that loves to dream ideas and conjure up products. I’m the compass bearer. At the end of the day, Breezy’s the boss. It was bumpy for both of us the first year; there were tears and egos had to be tamed. We each had to accept who we were and what we brought to the business, but our love and respect for one another saw us through that rocky start and gave way to total trust in one another. We balance each other out and the ‘healthy tension’ between us is our secret weapon.”

Breezy, what is a piece of advice that you take through life from your mom?

Breezy: “My mom is my hero and my inspiration. Not just in business but more importantly in life. She has taught me that how we do things is just as important as what we do. If you lead with empathy and kindness, ultimately, you will be proud of what you have built and accomplished. It’s one of her philosophies on life, and I’m proud to say it’s one of mine now too. Because of my mom I am most proud of HOW we have built our business together.” 

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Val, what is something you've learned from your daughter?

Val: “I’ve learned resilience from my daughter. Breezy is like a good pizza dough — punch her down, and she’ll rise again. She is living proof that if you believe with your whole heart, if you refuse to be defeated, if you think way outside the box, and if you ask your friends and the universe for a little help, there will be a way forward. She tackles tough stuff with intense focus, creative thinking and enthusiasm. She believes in herself, in us and her team. She’s a female founder and powerful CEO in a world where women-led companies attracted an abysmal 1% of venture funding in 2024. That’s resilience, and I’m her proud mama.” 

Is there a rule you both have to not talk business after a certain hour to keep the mother-daughter aspect alive?

Breezy: “When we launched the business, we promised ourselves that our relationship, along with our relationships with our loved ones, our health and the health of our loved ones would come before the business. Businesses are insatiable and will suck your soul if you’re not careful, but we’ve kept our promise. We shut it down at the end of the day and shield our weekend time from the noisy demands of the business. The reason we started SkinnyDipped was so we could spend more time together, and all these years later we still cherish our time together.” 

A big pillar of SkinnyDipped is lifting mothers and children up. Why was it important to you to give back in such a big way? 

Val: “When I was in my early twenties I backpacked through Africa. One night my partner and I took a local bus from Nairobi to Mombasa. It was a long way, and we traveled through the night. The seats were simple wooden benches. Across the aisle sat a mother with her three children. She held an infant in her arms; a toddler and young child sat on either side of her. Her dress was thin, worn cotton, and her sandals were made of plastic. As we bounced along the rough unpaved roads, she breastfed her infant and spoke quietly to the children or sang softly as she helped them pass the time. Eventually the children fell asleep, one leaning against her, the other head in her lap. She sat serenely, back unsupported, on the hard bench with her three slumbering children until we arrived in Mombasa. I had never witnessed such beauty, resilience and love. She is the mother I have carried in my heart ever since.

The mothers I met in Africa loved their babies every bit as much as I have loved my two daughters. I know because I lived among them. Their lives center around nurturing and nourishing and protecting their children just as mine has done. Sudan, where we traveled for many months, is an especially hard place to be a woman. Two years ago, the conflict there ignited a crisis now labeled the worst humanitarian emergency in the world for women and girls. Today, the toll on their lives, livelihoods and dignity has intensified beyond measure. This is why we’re so passionate about our partnership with the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiativ to lift up and support women through entrepreneurial training and mentorship in South Sudan. Because when a woman becomes economically self-sufficient her children, her family and her whole community benefit.”

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When life and work gets stressful, how do you stay kind to yourself?

Val: “A little down time is the key to being kind to myself, so I save Fridays for me. I wake up a little later than normal, sip coffee in bed while catching up on news, hop on the Peloton and meet with my therapist. In the afternoon I go for a long walk, attempt to do something creative and catch up with friends. Then out to dinner with my best guy who’s been by my side for 40 years.”

Breezy: “My mom and I handle stress differently; I think I would take her advice over mine! My tolerance for stress has grown over the years, but when things get really crazy I schedule a weekend away with my family in a surf town in northern British Columbia. It’s a place filled with wild, rugged beauty, and I find that being by the sea calms my soul and I’m able to recenter myself. When you’re on the journey of building a business, the work is never really complete, but I try to recognize at least one win each day that should be celebrated. This always helps to keep me going.” 

What’s next for SkinnyDipped?

Breezy: “We have a huge launch coming up in a few weeks. We are unveiling Coconut Bites on May 22, a flavor our consumers have been asking about for years. We are known for our strong innovation, so keep an eye out because early next year we’re excited to start to showing up in new parts of the store with fun, nostalgic flavors that have an innovative twist.”