Caroline Buck
Caroline Buck is co-founder and CMO of Petaluma, an Oakland-based Certified B Corp making plant-based sustainable dog nutrition. She launched the brand with her husband Garrett Wymore, earned a B.A. in Government & Public Policy from Dartmouth, and was a guest on the How I Built This podcast.
Caroline Buck's Bio
Caroline Buck is co-founder and chief marketing officer of Petaluma, an Oakland-based Certified B Corporation making plant-based, baked dog food. She started the company in 2019 with her husband Garrett Wymore after struggling to find a pet-food option aligned with their vegetarian values.
Buck earned a B.A. in Government and Public Policy from Dartmouth College and spent years in marketing and operations consulting before turning to consumer products full-time. At Petaluma she handles brand, creative, and go-to-market strategy, while Wymore leads operations and product formulation. The pair make Petaluma’s recipes in a bakery rather than an extruded-kibble facility, using whole-food ingredients and veterinary nutritionists to keep the food AAFCO-complete.
Petaluma’s core customer base is vegetarians and ethically minded pet owners who already make food choices around sustainability and animal welfare. The brand is direct-to-consumer first, with a small retail footprint that includes Erewhon stores in Los Angeles and select pet boutiques in the San Francisco Bay Area. Buck has been profiled in Pet Food Processing and featured on several podcasts discussing sustainable pet nutrition and decarbonizing commerce.
Career Timeline
2006 — Graduated Dartmouth College
Earned a B.A. in Government and Public Policy from Dartmouth College.
2008 — Began marketing career
Started career in marketing and operations consulting, working with consumer brands.
2012 — Fractional marketing leader
Began working as a fractional marketing leader, advising multiple companies on brand and go-to-market strategy.
2019 — Co-founded Petaluma
Co-founded plant-based baked dog food company with husband Garrett Wymore, motivated by difficulty finding vegetarian pet food aligned with their values.
2020 — Petaluma launched to market
Launched Petaluma's first baked dog food recipes, formulated with veterinary nutritionists to be AAFCO-complete.
2021 — Petaluma became a Certified B Corporation
Achieved Certified B Corporation status, formalizing commitment to social and environmental performance.
2022 — Expanded retail presence at Petaluma
Grew from direct-to-consumer to include Erewhon stores in Los Angeles and select Bay Area pet boutiques.
2023 — Decarbonizing Commerce podcast
Appeared on the Decarbonizing Commerce podcast discussing sustainable pet nutrition and climate-conscious business.
2025 — Featured in Pet Food Processing
Profiled in Pet Food Processing magazine on sustainable pet nutrition trends and Petaluma's growth.
2026 — Featured on How I Built This episode 839 at How I Built This / NPR
Appeared on NPR's How I Built This podcast to tell the Petaluma founding story with Guy Raz.
