Gimme Seaweed, the Marin County snack brand behind those seaweed-based treats, just named Chris Lansing as its new chief executive officer. She brings a pretty deep résumé, with stops at Health-Ade Kombucha, Nature’s Bakery, and senior gigs at Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Hershey’s, and Peet’s Coffee.
Co-founders Annie Chun and Stephen Broad will stay involved. Lansing, though, will handle the day-to-day operations and lead the company’s push for growth as it tries to expand from its Marin roots into California’s Central Valley and, honestly, wherever else makes sense.
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This move stands out in a region packed with food entrepreneurs, from Fairfax to San Rafael. It’s a deliberate scale-up for a brand that’s built a pretty loyal following across Marin’s towns—think Mill Valley, Sausalito, Larkspur, and beyond.
The Bay Area’s seaweed moment meets a new growth phase
Gimme Seaweed has always mixed Marin’s love for authenticity with some real national ambition. Now, the brand’s looking to accelerate its reach but still hang on to its identity.
In downtown San Rafael and Mill Valley, shoppers expect clean ingredients and a bold, sustainable story. Lansing has protected those kinds of values at her past companies, and people seem to notice.
Board director Brad Barnhorn even called out her knack for guiding brands to successful exits. That’s got to be a good sign for Gimme’s future.
For Marin shoppers—whether they’re at a sidewalk café in Sausalito or farmers markets in Novato—Lansing’s “growth with purpose” approach just feels right.
Lansing’s leadership footprint and what it means for Gimme Seaweed
Lansing’s career mixes big-company experience with the quick moves you need for specialty brands. At Health-Ade Kombucha and Nature’s Bakery, she expanded distribution, sharpened product lines, and kept the brand’s spirit alive, even as things sped up.
She’s got background at giants like Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Hershey’s, and Peet’s Coffee. That means she can blend Marin’s startup energy with the structure of a bigger business.
The board highlighted her skill at growing market presence while keeping core values intact. That’s a pretty good fit for the Bay Area’s obsession with wellness-forward snacks.
For local investors and business watchers from San Anselmo to Corte Madera, Lansing’s focus on connecting with Gen Z and Gen Alpha couldn’t be better timed. She’s called seaweed an exciting, sustainable food that’s catching on with younger folks who want clarity, transparency, and environmental care.
That story fits right in with Marin’s environmental vibe and the farm-to-table culture in places like Fairfax and Point Reyes Station.
- Brand integrity and scaling — Lansing aims to keep Gimme Seaweed’s authentic flavor and clean-label promise alive while expanding from Marin’s coast into a broader national market, including the Central Valley’s manufacturing scene.
- Strategic growth — Her history shows she can manage capital-efficient growth, which matters as the company looks beyond Marin for new facilities and customers.
- Gen Z/Gen Alpha focus — She’s prioritizing products and messaging that click with younger consumers, especially those digitally connected crowds in San Francisco, Oakland, and the East Bay.
- Local impact — This leadership shift comes as Gimme Seaweed plans expansions that could bring more local jobs and maybe new supplier partnerships in San Rafael and Larkspur.
Expansion plans anchor a new chapter for Gimme Seaweed
The company just announced a major expansion. They’re setting up a new manufacturing facility in Madera, right in California’s Central Valley. That’s a big shift—production won’t just hug Marin’s shoreline anymore.
GO‑Biz (the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development) also shared that Gimme plans to grow its headquarters and add more jobs. Marin’s city leaders in Sausalito and Tiburon are definitely watching, since this could give the local economy a boost.
Lansing’s arrival as CEO seems to fit right into this momentum. The brand wants to reach more consumers but still keep the quality Marin shoppers expect in the cozy cafés and markets of San Anselmo and Fairfax.
A Marin‑rooted company reaches outward—what this means for local communities
For folks in Marin and local business partners, Lansing’s appointment means more than just a new CEO. It’s a clear move to connect the coast with the Central Valley, maybe even sending more Marin-made snacks to shelves across the country.
Here’s what could be coming soon:
- Job creation at the new Madera facility and at the expanded headquarters. That’ll probably have ripple effects for Marin County contractors and service providers in San Rafael, Corte Madera, and Novato.
- Enhanced visibility for Marin’s food-tech scene. This could put a spotlight on sustainable snacks—everything from seaweed bites to other plant-forward treats that people in Mill Valley and Tiburon already love.
- Community partnerships with local nonprofits and schools in Marin’s towns. That lines up with the values a lot of residents associate with a company that started right on the Bay Area coastline.
Here is the source article for this story: Marin snack company names 1st external CEO
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