Mielle Organics is a hair and skin care company that was established in 2014 and currently has received orders in 87 countries.
Founder, Monique Rodriguez, obtained a $100 million investment from Berkshire Partners, a private equity firm, in 2021.
Rodriguez desires to inspire Black entrepreneurs to dream, believe, and to work hard despite road blocks in order to receive funding for their.
Mielle has been housed on shelves at Walgreens, which is remarkable to Rodriguez due to Walgreens and Mielle have both been born in Chicago, IL.
Rodriguez dives into her reasoning for choosing Walgreens over CVS and Rite-Aid.
“Walgreens’ mission is to thread diversity into everything it does. When shelves are a reflection of the local community, it benefits everyone, providing customers with access to a wider selection of products and services while expanding Walgreen’s network of diverse suppliers. Walgreens’ new video series “Shelf Life” features diverse small business founders—like myself—who are open and reflective about their journey, sharing their lives from the inside out. The series showcases how founders pushed their way forward in the midst of challenges as they commit to lifting others as they climb.”
Rodriguez gives three focal points for any diverse business desiring to strategically position themselves for success.
-Focus on building a great brand
– Create a community to create demand
– Don’t be afraid to start small
The foundation of Mielle is centered around creating, developing and refining stellar products and serving consumers. By Mielle products being positioned in Walgreens, she drives traffic into the major retailer while providing a wider group of consumers with products that meet their demands and desires.
