What does startup life look like when your boardroom is a barn and your coworkers are three donkeys named Sassy Ass, Sir Assalot, and Total Ass?
In this episode of Founder’s Fridge, host Heidi Knoblauch talks with Hailee Greene, founder and Chief Everything Officer of Green Anchors Processing, which aims to become New York’s first full-scale industrial hemp processing company.
Hailee shares her journey from working in politics—where she learned every campaign is basically a startup—to building two companies, including a Cornell-backed spinout, Pomace Plus, that’s transforming grape pomace (the byproduct of winemaking) into a superfood and antibiotic alternative.
From growing up in a Rockland County deli family to running a 265-acre farm in Boonville, Hailee’s story is about building from the ground up—literally. She talks about her food rituals, rural life, startup lessons, and the now-famous Bacon Blueberry Shallot Jam Burger with Grilled Halloumi that stole the show.
💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:
How Hailee is leading hemp innovation in New York State
The connection between farming, food, and entrepreneurship
What it’s really like to build startups from a rural community
The habits and rituals that keep her balanced
The story (and recipe) behind her twelve-out-of-ten burger