About Ground Up….

Ground Up is a not-just-for-profit business that provides job training to womxn overcoming adversity in the Portland area. Through the sale of healthy and delicious nut butters, we empower womxn with the confidence and skills they need to get back on their feet.

“We partner with local nonprofits to employ womxn overcoming adversity who have the motivation to work, but lack opportunity for employment. Through our 6-9 month employment training program, we provide job skills and individualized training to meet womxn where they’re at, regardless of their background and previous job history.”

It all started with the simple idea that if you give a womxn an opportunity, the trickle-down effect to her community would be powerful and dramatic.Ground Up began in 2016 when Julie Sullivan returned from Uganda, where she had been overseeing an employment training program for women overcoming poverty. Back in her hometown of Portland, Oregon, she soon recognized the need for a similar program at home. However, she needed a product...Meanwhile, Carolyn had been perfecting recipes for delicious sugar-free, peanut-free nut butters (which she developed due to dietary constraints). The two met, and soon realized that their passions could be combined to create a business centered around social impact.