Supermodel’s baking mix company gets new lead
Christine Diane Teigen first made a name as a model but became a cultural phenomenon as a Twitter (now X) personality and culinary enthusiast.
She made her professional modelling debut in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2010, blossoming into the world’s third highest-paid model earning approximately $12m in 2018. Married to singer/songwriter John Legend - the pair recently welcomed their fourth child Wren - Teigen has also branched her talents into writing New York Times best-selling cookbooks and turning her accessible-meets-aspirational image into a brand.
Founded in 2019 to bring fun, function and flavour into the kitchen, Cravings by Chrissy Teigen is an online recipe platform and e-commerce site that sells kitchenware, tabletop and lifestyle collections. In 2022, Cravings launched a line of easy-to-use baking mixes and bundles, such as Chrissy’s banana bread, buttermilk mochi pancake and waffles and various cookie options.
With an eye toward continued innovation, the brand plans to grow its current product line, as well as explore new categories.
“As a lot of people know, food and recipes are really my passion. It’s why I wrote my cookbooks and why I started Cravings - I want to make it easy, delicious and fun for people to cook at home,” Teigen told Forbes at the opening of a pop-up bakery in Los Angeles in March.
“So in terms of what’s next, we’re thinking about other products that can make cooking delicious homecooked meals even easier while still being affordable and not sacrificing flavour. I can’t share specifics yet, but we’re planning to have Cravings all over your pantry from sauces and condiments to snacks and more.”
‘Has the smarts and experience’
This is where the appointment of O’Connor will come to the fore.
The CPG veteran has a strong track record for shepherding brands into new phases of growth, most recently serving as executive VP of Sales and Marketing for Good Foods. Under her leadership, the family-owned Wisconsin producer of dips and guacamole increased profitability, developed a more streamlined product portfolio and further built out its organisation to support double-digit revenue growth.
“When I met Danyel, we had an instant connection. Her fun and approachable vibe are the perfect match for Cravings, and she has the smarts and experience that we need to take our brand to the next level,” said Teigen.
“I can’t imagine a better partner to have by my side on this journey.”
Added O’Connor, “Joining the Cravings family feels like a win-win; I get to support a wildly talented team in continuing their momentum, while driving further growth for a brand that strongly resonates with me as a foodie and busy mom. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together.”
