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Entrepreneur and Coffee Republic founder Sahar Hashemi OBE talks to IFE Manufacturing about how a single tweet during lockdown sparked a nationwide movement. That moment led to the creation of Buy Women Built, a campaign helping shoppers easily identify and support products founded and created by women.

How did Buy Women Built first start? What was the ambition?

It began during lockdown when I was recovering from a foot operation. I came across a tweet that said, “Not everyone can invest in a female founder. Not everyone can mentor one. But everyone can buy from them.” I retweeted it - and that simple moment sparked something huge. I realised there was no easy way to know which products on our shelves were built by women. And if we could change that visibility and if consumers could easily “buy women built” then we could shift the whole system. The ambition was (and still is) to make women-built brands household names, to show young girls what’s possible, and to unlock the economic power of women as builders, innovators and job creators.

Food & drink is a big part of Buy Women Built. What makes a brand stand out to you in this space?

The brands that stand out are the ones born from a deeply personal story - a founder solving a problem they lived themselves. Whether it’s a healthier snack for their kids, a more sustainable choice, or simply something missing from their own kitchen, that authenticity shines through.

You can feel when a brand was made with customer at its heart. It shows in everything. It is the opposite of corporate. It’s human.

Getting shelf space is tough. How has Buy Women Built helped food & drink founders get into shops and cafés?

Our role has been to open doors and to make retailers realise that actually sign posting that so many of the brands they already stock are women built isn’t just a nice thing to do; it’s good business. Consumers love to support women but only if they know which brands are women built.

We’ve worked closely with retailers like Ocado to create the first-ever “Buy Women Built” aisle, featuring over 130 female-founded brands. Six months after launch off the aisle sales of products in the BWB aisle saw a 20% like to like uplift. Once that visibility exists, everything changes. Founders get noticed, sales rise and most importantly momentum builds.

Our kitemark on thousands of products also plays a part. Our recent NielsenIQ report proved what we’ve known instinctively all along — when women-built brands are visible, they sell. The data showed a clear uplift in sales when shoppers could easily identify and support female-founded products, and the purchase intent doubled when a product is marked Buy Women built. It’s hard evidence that visibility drives growth and that consumers are eager to buy with purpose when given the chance.

The Whole Foods window display went viral and inspired many in the sector. How did that come about and why do you think it connected with people?

That window was pure emotion. We filled the Whole Foods shopfront with the faces and products of women founders -no celebrities just real women with courage and who had built something from scratch.

People saw themselves in it. It wasn’t a campaign really it was more a a celebration. It said: these women are the economy, the innovators, the doers. It reminded shoppers that behind every product there’s a human story. She built this!

What do you look for to know if a food or drink brand is ready for retail?

Thats up to the founders really, not us. If they are hungry for retail, if they are ready for it and if their brand has enough traction. 
How do you help founders tell their story in a way that grabs customers, especially in food & drink?

Its all about the why- why they started. Over 90% of our founders start with a personal need; something they needed and couldn’t find in the market. We love telling their stories  “she built this because…” that's so powerful. It’s authentic 100% customer centricity. 

How important is networking and connecting founders to Buy Women Built?

It’s everything. Founding a business can be lonely, especially in food and drink where margins are tight and challenges constant. Our community gives women a space where they can swap contacts, share suppliers, and support each other through the ups and downs.  And women are just so good at networkingbecause they are natural sharers.

What does the future hold for Buy Women Built?

Our goal is to make “Buy Women Built” as familiar as “Fairtrade” or “Vegan.” A trusted mark that helps shoppers make choices with impact.  We’ll keep expanding our retail presence, find every single female founded consumer brand ( as there are so many more ot there still) , building data that proves the commercial power of women-built brands and through the founders inspire the next generation of female founders.