Golde’s Trinity Mouzon Wofford Wants To Level The Playing Field For Women Entrepreneurs

Trinity Mouzon Wofford’s interest in health and wellness has always been organic. Growing up in a small town in Upstate New York, Mouzon Wofford was entrenched in what she describes as the “crunchy granola life,” and that the wellness she experienced was simply a casual way of living.

“It was just the norm in my world and there were no labels, no one was vegan or anything like that, but there was always a lot of thoughtfulness around what you were putting into your body and how that related back to your health,” Mouzon Wofford says. “It was just the norm to be drinking cod liver oil every day and eating almond butter instead of peanut butter. That was just what I grew up on.”

As she grew up, Mouzon Wofford could see the concept of wellness growing into big business. Yet even with tons of options — from social media-ready fad workouts to trendy diets — Mouzon Wofford felt there was something missing. While she had initially planned to become a doctor with a focus on holistic health, she instead ended up in marketing which simultaneously led her to launching her own brand in 2017, alongside her fiancé.

“I was seeking out ways to make wellness more accessible and approachable. So while in some ways the actual career path felt like a jump, the mission has always been consistent. I was looking at my experiences as a consumer and in wellness and felt caught in between that crunchy granola stuff that I grew up with and then this next wave of more prestige offerings that didn't entirely resonate with me, and that I certainly couldn't afford,” Mouzon Wofford says. “So the idea was really born from that passion and those experiences, and understanding that we could do something better in the wellness space.”

What started as Mouzon Wofford making and selling a single affordable multipurpose turmeric powder evolved into Golde, a brand dedicated to making wellness easy, accessible, and fun for all. The first turmeric powder served as a launchpad for Golde to tap into different creative recipes, from smoothies and lattes to bread and pancakes. It also led to partnerships with New York-based restaurants and cafes that wanted to incorporate turmeric in their menu offerings.

“So much of that creativity comes from our community but I think the beauty of designing products that are high quality and natural is that people want to integrate them into their lives. They want to have the ability to do something simple like throwing the products into a smoothie or morning coffee, but also want the opportunity to get creative with it and build their own fun self-care routine, and I think that's like the whole joy of it,” says Mouzon Wofford.

Golde’s range of products has expanded to include other superfood tonic blends such as matcha and cacao in addition to face masks and detox kits. In April 2019, after just two years in business, Mouzon Wofford became the youngest Black woman to launch a line of products in Sephora. Other stockists include Madewell, The Wing, Goop, and Urban Outfitters. Mouzon Wofford has even hinted at a major retail launch in 2021 but can’t disclose too much more information on that front just yet. For now, Golde is still a self-funded enterprise, but that doesn’t mean investors haven’t taken notice.

“I'm obsessed with leveling the playing field. That's my mission when it comes to building this business and making sure that wellness is accessible to more people,” says Mouzon Wofford. “But it's also my mission – when thinking about my legacy as an entrepreneur – to ensure that more young people who look like me can build businesses and have the resources to do so. I think creating that sense of transparency and accessibility is critical.”