Valerie Griffith
Valerie Griffith co-founded SkinnyDipped in 2016 from her dining room table with her daughter Breezy and two best friends. The Seattle-based snack company makes better-for-you dark chocolate covered almonds.
Valerie Griffith's Bio
Valerie Griffith is the founder of SkinnyDipped, a Seattle-based snack brand making dark chocolate covered almonds with less sugar. She co-founded the company in 2014 with her daughter Breezy Griffith and two close friends from Seattle.
Before SkinnyDipped, Valerie worked as a freelance TV producer in Seattle. The catalyst came in 2012, when a close family friend, Josh Dickerson, died of a rare sarcoma. Valerie had stepped back from work to support his family through that grief, and the experience clarified what mattered most.
They started in their Seattle home kitchen. They spent $25,000 in savings. SkinnyDipped launched in 2016. In 2017, an in-person pitch to Target won a chain-wide launch in 1,800 stores. By 2019 SkinnyDipped was on the Inc. 5000 list with 6,000% revenue growth, and by 2024 was in over 25,000 stores with more than $100 million in annual revenue.
But the company was losing money for years -- Valerie had no finance background and nobody pressed on profitability. By late 2022 funding dried up. Three days before the Target holiday launch, 40,000 pounds of almonds went rancid. Breezy turned her flight back from Denver. That November, Valerie hit rock bottom in a New York hotel room.
In 2023, Breezy raised a $15 million round from investors including David Grutman. The company restructured and cut costs. By 2024 SkinnyDipped was profitable for the first time. Today, Valerie heads innovation and the company runs the SkinnyDipped Female Founder Fund.
Career Timeline
2012 — Friend Josh Dickerson dies of sarcoma; Valerie steps back from work
A close family friend died of a rare sarcoma at age 18. Valerie stepped back from her TV production career to support his family through the illness, and the experience clarified her priorities.
2014 — Co-founded SkinnyDipped with Breezy Griffith and two friends
Valerie co-founded SkinnyDipped alongside her daughter Breezy Griffith and two close friends from Seattle, setting up operations from her home dining room.
2016 — SkinnyDipped officially launched
After years of recipe development and $25,000 in personal savings invested, SkinnyDipped launched its first products to the public.
2017 — Target chain-wide launch (1,800 stores) after in-person pitch at SkinnyDipped
An in-person pitch to a Target buyer secured a chain-wide launch in 1,800 stores with a peanut butter almond exclusive.
2019 — Number 32 on the Inc. 5000 list (6,000% revenue growth)
SkinnyDipped ranked number 32 on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies with 6,000% revenue growth.
2022 — Financial crisis: 40,000 lbs of almonds rancid, funding dries up at SkinnyDipped
Three days before the Target holiday launch, 40,000 pounds of almonds went rancid. Funding dried up and by November Valerie hit rock bottom in a New York hotel room.
2023 — Breezy raises $15M from celebrity investors including David Grutman at SkinnyDipped
Breezy raised a $15 million round from 65 individual celebrity investors including restaurateur David Grutman, providing a lifeline for the struggling business.
2024 — SkinnyDipped profitable for the first time; Valerie heads innovation
After restructuring costs and supply chain, SkinnyDipped was profitable for the first time. Valerie transitioned to Head of Innovation. The company also launched the SkinnyDipped Female Founder Fund.
