Welcome to our newest editorial initiative, Who What Wear Spotlight, where we'll be using our editorial platform, social following, and ad inventory to turn the spotlight on small businesses that need our support now more than ever. Each week, we'll be highlighting a new fashion or beauty company. If you own a small brand and would like to be considered for the program, please apply here.
It's not every day that you can order expert-approved face masks and powdered superfoods from the same place. But at Golde, it's actually a possibility. Co-founders (and fiancés!) Trinity Mouzon Wofford and Issey Kobori sought to create a brand that could serve as a wellness one-stop shop. A place that would be accessible in terms of cost and appeal to everyone. Because glowing skin and good health is something we all need.
When Mouzon Wofford talks about why she started Golde, she kind of paints a picture of the two extremes she sees encompassing the wellness industry: crunchy hippie granola types on one hand, and exclusive luxury lines on the other. She didn't feel like either really suited her lifestyle, so she and Kobori launched Golde in 2017 to provide easy and natural superfood-based beauty and health products at reasonable price points.
The inspiration for Golde wasn't just about breaking up the exclusivity the founders saw in the wellness sector, though. Growing up, Mouzon Wofford watched her mom treat her own rheumatoid arthritis with holistic medicine, which led to good results but made her go broke at the same time. Knowing the powers of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods like turmeric and matcha, they wanted to make them palatable for people who don't usually feel as though the wellness industry is open to them. Part of that process was building a fun brand that demystified these ingredients. The website makes it easy to understand why these ingredients are good (fermented cacao is mood-boosting; papaya is a natural exfoliant! turmeric enhances the immune system!) and send the message that you didn't just have to finish a yoga class to enjoy a turmeric latte.
Turmeric, cacao, papaya, matcha, mango, and marshmallow root are just a few of the superfoods Mouzon Wofford and Kobori use. And for all of Golde's products, all you have to do is simply add water and you get everything you need: purifying and brightening face masks and immunity-boosting beverages.
The superfood powders aren't just great for everyday turmeric or matcha lattes—Golde's website is stocked with fun and easy recipes like matcha-strawberry popsicles, golden chia pudding, and cacao chunk cookies. You can even get a charming look into the partners' relationship in a matcha latte tutorial on the brand's Instagram.
Tell us about yourself and your business.
My name is Trinity Mouzon Wofford, and I'm the co-founder of Golde, a Brooklyn-born health and beauty brand powered by superfoods. We make everything from superfood latte blends to face masks made with real mango and papaya. I teamed up with my high-school sweetheart (now fiancé!) to launch Golde in 2017. We self-funded our business for over three years and are now a small but mighty team of six!
And if you had to sum up your business in five words or less?
Superfood wellness for all!
What inspired you to start your business?
Golde was really inspired by my own experiences as a consumer in the wellness space. I was feeling really caught between the sort of "crunchy granola" stuff I'd grown up with in upstate New York and this new wave of prestigious offerings that felt pretty out of reach. We believed that wellness should be fun, easy, and accessible, and that's still the mission behind the brand today.
How have social-distancing and stay-at-home orders affected your business? How have your priorities shifted?
With quarantine, we actually saw a pretty major increase in demand for our products. More folks were looking to build their at-home self-care routines—whether that's an iced Pure Matcha latte or masking with Papaya Bright, our all-natural exfoliator. We've always been extremely community-driven, and now we're especially leaning into digital opportunities for connection. We held a matcha-loaf baking class on Zoom earlier that was such a blast.
What are two to three of your favorite brands you like to support and why?
I love to support indie brands where the founders are deeply embedded in the business, from operations to design. It's a challenging path, but it's so rewarding. Some of my favorites are Supernal (the best face oil ever), Chidoriya (an incredible Japanese-inspired skincare line), and Mondo Mondo (makers of my favorite perfume, Cowboy).
What has been your proudest moment as a business owner?
I have an automated "thank you" email that goes out to every single customer who places an order on the site, and they can respond to it and have a dialogue with me if they want to. Reading the words of encouragement and gratitude every day is continually my proudest moment as a founder. At the end of the day, you do it for your customers and your community.
Shop Trinity Mouzon Wofford's Favorite Products
"This was our first-ever product, and we lovingly refer to it as 'OG' on the team. This yummy blend of turmeric, coconut, and ginger is great for boosting glowing skin, immunity, and gut health. I love it with hot water and a squeeze of lemon in the morning."
"Basically a superfood hot cocoa! I love this blend in my morning coffee—it creates the yummiest mocha situation. Bonus points that cacao is a natural stress reliever and mood booster."
"This blend is an instant matcha latte with benefits. You're getting all the glow-getter goodness of turmeric with the energizing effects of matcha. I also love to add this blend to my morning oatmeal—it's so delicious!"
"This sampler is one of our top sellers! If you're new to the superfood latte game or you're looking for something travel-friendly, these little sachets are ideal. You get four of each flavor in the box."
"This is the green mask you keep seeing all over Instagram. We launched our face masks last year after I started experimenting with putting superfoods on my skin and found they cleared up my acne! Clean Greens is essentially a green smoothie for your skin: Chlorella and spirulina help to detox and nourish, while mango and marshmallow root hydrate and soften your skin. Just mix the mask with a few drops of water, and it will activate into a cooling gel. Get ready to glow!"
"This exfoliator has been a game changer for brightening my skin and clearing up stubborn acne scars. It's got real papaya enzymes that help to resurface your skin and is packed with vitamin C thanks to superfruits like lucuma and sea buckthorn berries. The best part? It smells halfway between a Fruit Roll-Up and a tropical vacation—in the best way possible."
"We get so much love for this tote—it keeps selling out! It's the perfect lightweight cotton carryall with the cutest papaya design."
Up next, these two celebrity stylists want to simplify how you get dressed.
-
12 Chic Independent Designers to Support Now and AlwaysBoth at home and abroad.
-
Isabela Merced Is Pushing Herself to New LimitsThe Turtles All the Way Down actor is about to be everywhere.
-
Coco Jones Wore a Full Face of Drugstore Makeup to the Grammys—All $17 or LessWe're buying all seven products.
-
Miley Cyrus's Golden Glow at the Grammys Was Thanks to These 15 Exact ProductsIncluding a $13 moisturizer…
-
And Now, All the Breathtaking Beauty Looks Spotted on the Emmys Red CarpetBRB, taking screenshots.
-
The Exact 2 Chanel Nail Polishes Behind Margot Robbie's "Barbie Doll Hands"New manicure inspo, unlocked.
-
I'm a Maximalism-Loving Beauty Editor—24 Products That Instantly Boost My MoodAnd make doing my makeup so much more fun.
-
Ashley Madekwe Takes Us Behind the Scenes of Her Dr. Death Premiere LookA gorgeous Oscar de la Renta number this way.
