From Red Wagon to Retail Giant: The Billion-Dollar Legacy of Nicole Bernard Dawes

Long before her organic snack and beverage brands graced the shelves of major grocery stores nationwide, Nicole Bernard Dawes, the visionary behind Late July and Nixie, embarked on her entrepreneurial journey with a humble red wagon and a passion for baking. At just 12 years old, Dawes was already a budding businesswoman, selling homemade $1 cookies to local delis – a formative experience that laid the groundwork for a future empire.

A Childhood Forged in Entrepreneurship

The $1 Cookie Empire

“My first foray into this universe was when I was 12. My best friend and I had a cookie company, and we had customers,” Dawes recounted to Fortune. This early venture, though modest in its $500 summer earnings, was a masterclass in business fundamentals. It taught her invaluable lessons about managing costs, effective selling techniques, and the nuances of marketing – skills that would prove instrumental in her later success with Late July, an organic tortilla chip brand that would eventually command $100 million in annual sales.

Lessons from a Snack Titan

Dawes was fortunate to have an extraordinary mentor in her corner: her father, the late Steve Bernard, founder of the iconic $4.87 billion Cape Cod potato chips. Far from dismissing her pre-teen ambitions, he nurtured them, imparting wisdom on everything from structuring product costs and fair pricing to the paramount importance of baking a quality treat. This unique upbringing, steeped in the world of snacks and business acumen, destined Dawes to become a disruptor in the food and beverage industry.

“My dad was very interested [in] me in learning the business. When I was a little kid, he would sit down and, like, show me a [profit and loss statement],” Dawes shared, adding with a touch of pride, “To this day, I bake good cookies. I’m a great cookie baker.”

Reviving a Legacy, Forging a Path

Stepping Up for Cape Cod

After graduating from Tulane University with an economics degree, Dawes briefly ventured into management consulting, a career she quickly abandoned to return to her roots. She joined her father to help revive Cape Cod chips after its abrupt divestment by Anheuser-Busch, which left the brand scrambling for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. “There really wasn’t time for worrying about anything but getting this brand back,” she explained, highlighting her critical role in stabilizing the legendary snack business.

The Birth of Late July

In 2003, while pregnant with her first child, Dawes decided it was time to carve out her own legacy. She launched Late July, an organic, non-GMO tortilla chip brand that rapidly gained traction, eventually gracing the aisles of major retailers like Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Walmart. What began as a kitchen-counter operation blossomed into a massive enterprise, culminating in Campbell’s acquiring a majority stake in 2014 and completing the full acquisition in 2018.

Innovating the Beverage Market with Nixie

A New Frontier: Zero-Sugar Sodas

Not one to rest on her laurels, Dawes swiftly turned her attention to a new challenge: the beverage market. She founded Nixie, a line of zero-sugar, sustainably packaged sodas, shortly after the Late July acquisition. Offering a range of classic flavors from cola and root beer to ginger ale and cream soda, Nixie quickly carved out a niche in a competitive landscape alongside brands like Olipop and Poppi.

Nixie’s Rapid Ascent

Nixie’s growth has been remarkable, securing nearly $27 million in funding in 2025 and expanding its presence to over 11,000 major grocers, including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Safeway, and Ralph’s, as well as online platforms like Amazon and Instacart. The brand’s cream soda recently earned the prestigious ‘Best New Organic Beverage’ award at the Organic Night Out Awards Natural Products Expo, a testament to its quality and innovation. Just last month, Nixie delighted consumers with the release of two new flavors: cherry cola and strawberry cream.

The Power of Peer Mentorship

Despite her decades of experience and monumental success, Dawes remains a firm believer in the power of collaboration and mentorship. She actively leans on a network of professional confidantes to navigate the ever-evolving food and beverage industry, advocating for budding founders to cultivate strong peer networks. “I just need a sounding board sometimes,” Dawes emphasized. “It’s never too early to start building a really good network of peers, including other female founders and industry leaders.” Her journey underscores that even the most seasoned entrepreneurs benefit from shared wisdom and support.

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