Alison Brushaber

Alison Brushaber is the chief product officer and one of the founding partners of Hail Merry, a manufacture of healthy snacks that are gluten-free, vegan and verified Non-GMO. Hail Merry began five years ago in founder Susan O’Brien’s home kitchen. Brushaber led the efforts to commercialize those home recipes and today, Hail Merry snacks are offered nationally in over 3,000 natural and specialty food grocers including Whole Foods, Central Market, Sprouts and also offered through Virgin Airlines and OMNI hotels. Under Brushaber’s leadership, Hail Merry has received a number of culinary accolades, including VegNews Magazine’s 2011 award for “Best New Vegan Product,” The National Restaurant Association’s 2013 FABI Award for Food and Beverage Innovation and the Specialty Food Associations 2014 SOFI award for culinary innovation. Active in the food industry, she is currently a fellow for the Culinary Institute of America and previously served on the board of directors for the Research Chef’s Association. Brushaber believes in giving back and nurturing the careers of others and developed a mentor program for the Women’s Foodservice Forum and served on the board of directors of that same organization. Brushaber earned a B.S. in food science from the University of Minnesota and has completed further studies at the Culinary Institute of America. @hailmerrysnacks