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Long before Nicole Bernard Dawes’ brands filled grocery store aisles nationwide, she began her business journey wheeling baked goods in a little red wagon. The two-time founder discovered her passion for entrepreneurship at age 12, selling $1 cookies to small businesses.
“My first foray into this universe was when I was 12. My best friend and I had a cookie company, and we had customers,” Dawes told Fortune. “I actually sold to local delis in my town, which is kind of wild that was even allowed.”
Over one summer, their cookie operation earned $500—a fortune for a kid, though modest compared to Dawes’ later success with her organic tortilla chip brand Late July, which generates $100 million in annual sales. While her pre-teen business wasn’t a financial blockbuster, it taught her valuable lessons about company costs, product sales, and marketing strategies.
Fortunately, the 12-year-old had a strong mentor: her father, the late Steve Bernard, who founded the $4.87 billion Cape Cod potato chips brand in 1980. Unfazed by her youth, he took her ambitions seriously, teaching her how to structure costs, price products fairly, and above all, bake quality treats. That formative summer set her up for success in revitalizing her father’s snack business and launching two of her own brands.
“My dad was very interested in me learning the business. When I was a little kid, he would sit down and show me a profit and loss statement,” Dawes said. “To this day, I bake good cookies. I’m a great cookie baker.”
From Working at Her Father’s Company to Becoming a Two-Time Founder
Dawes was destined to impact the food and beverage industry. Born to a mother who ran a health-food store and a father who built a billion-dollar chip empire, her childhood revolved around snacking—and improving it.
“I was only a child, guided by what my father saw in Cape Cod potato chips, and the idea of recreating categories,” Dawes explained. “You end up with a kid like me who then spends their entire career trying to recreate all the products that I couldn’t have as a child.”
Her entrepreneurial passion fully blossomed years later. After earning an economics degree from Tulane University, she worked briefly as a management consultant for food and beverage clients. Finding the role joyless, she left to help revive her father’s struggling business. At that time, Bernard had just reacquired Cape Cod chips from Anheuser-Busch, which had divested almost “overnight,” leaving the brand without manufacturers, distributors, or retailers.
“It all timed out,” Dawes said. “There really wasn’t time for worrying about anything but getting this brand back.”
Four years into her work at Cape Cod chips, her father sold the company again to snack food company Lance. Instead of staying on, Dawes chose to forge her own path.
In 2003, while pregnant with her first child, Dawes launched Late July. The organic, non-GMO tortilla chip brand now appears in major grocery chains including Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Walmart. Over a decade, the $100 million kitchen-counter operation grew into a major business, with Campbell’s acquiring a majority stake in 2014 and completing the acquisition in 2018.
Shortly after Late July’s acquisition, Dawes launched Nixie, a zero-sugar, sustainably packaged soda line featuring flavors like cola, root beer, ginger ale, and cream soda. Over eight years, Nixie has carved out a space in a competitive market alongside brands like Olipop and Poppi.
Nixie raised nearly $27 million in funding in 2025, with products available at over 11,000 major grocers such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, Safeway, and Ralph’s, as well as online through Amazon and Instacart. Its cream soda recently won the best new organic beverage at the Organic Night Out Awards Natural Products Expo. Last month, the brand introduced two new flavors: cherry cola and strawberry cream.
Dawes Relies on Female Founders as a Support Network
Despite decades of experience, Dawes doesn’t have all the answers. She leans on a circle of professional confidants to navigate new challenges in the food and beverage industry. She encourages other founders to embrace mentors and peers as vital career resources.
“I just need a sounding board sometimes,” Dawes said. “It’s never too early to start building a really good network of peers, in addition to mentors. But over the years, I think I’ve leaned on my peers more.”
Dawes has about 20 female founders just a text away. With few women launching and leading beverage companies like Nixie, these connections are essential. They share the challenges of running businesses, raising children, and balancing social lives—a bond Dawes calls her “most invaluable resource over the years.” She hopes to bring more women into the fold, even within her own company.
“I want to encourage as many young women to get out there,” Dawes said. “A lot of people who come to work for Nixie hope to one day start their own companies.”
