Sweet Vegan: Scaling a Premium Consumer Brand
A six-year journey helping build one of New York City's highest-rated premium vegan chocolate brand through brand strategy, e-commerce, performance marketing, and consumer growth.
Sweet Vegan Chocolates (2020-present)
Sweet Vegan is a premium, handcrafted chocolate company based in New York City, specializing in vegan and allergen-friendly chocolates. During my time with the company, I worked across nearly every aspect of marketing and growth, helping transform ideas into campaigns, launches, customer experiences, and measurable business results.
The Company
My Role
As the company's digital marketing manager, my role extended well beyond traditional marketing. I worked at the intersection of brand strategy, e-commerce, paid media, CRM, partnerships, product launches, customer experience, and business operations—helping connect marketing decisions to broader business goals.
The Challenge
Growing a premium chocolate brand in a highly competitive market with limited resources required every marketing decision to work harder. The challenge wasn't simply generating awareness—it was building a recognizable brand, improving online conversion, maximizing seasonal demand, and creating sustainable growth across multiple channels.
My approach
Working closely with leadership, I helped strengthen Sweet Vegan's brand by contributing to its positioning, messaging, and customer experience. Every campaign, product launch, and customer touchpoint was an opportunity to better communicate who we are, what we stand for, and why our products matter. My role was to help turn customer insights into marketing strategies that supported long-term brand growth.
Brand & Consumer Strategy
From seasonal campaigns to new product launches, I collaborated with the team to bring ideas to market through integrated marketing strategies. My work included campaign planning, creative direction, influencer outreach, partnerships, digital marketing, and event support—always with the goal of creating meaningful customer experiences while supporting business objectives.
Campaigns & Product Launches
Karen Dortbucuk, Andrea Young CEO of Sweet Vegan
As Sweet Vegan's e-commerce business continued to grow, I supported and directed initiatives across Shopify, paid media, SEO, merchandising, and website optimization. By continuously analyzing performance and identifying opportunities to improve the customer journey, I helped contribute to stronger conversion, customer acquisition, and online growth.
Growth & E-Commerce
One of the greatest advantages of working in a growing business is the opportunity to contribute beyond a traditional job description. I regularly collaborated across marketing, operations, product development, partnerships, AI initiatives, and business planning, gaining a broader understanding of how every part of an organization works together to create sustainable growth.
Business Leadership & Operations
The Results
Strengthened Sweet Vegan's positioning as a premium, allergen-free handcrafted chocolate brand.
Increased brand credibility through consistent messaging, strategic campaigns, and customer experience.
Earned 600+ five-star Google reviews and industry recognition, including international product awards.
Brand Growth
Operational Growth
More structured and scalable marketing workflows supported a growing business.
Cross-functional collaboration became a core part of product launches and business initiatives.
AI-powered tools and automation were introduced to improve efficiency and decision-making.
Business Growth
E-commerce conversion rate increased from 1% to 2%.Established a stronger digital commerce presenceExpanded into new marketing channels, partnerships, and customer acquisition opportunities.Built a more scalable marketing function capable of supporting long-term business growth.
Key Takeaway
My time at Sweet Vegan taught me that marketing is most effective when it isn't treated as a separate function. The strongest results come from understanding the customer, collaborating across the business, and building strategies that balance creativity with commercial thinking. That mindset continues to shape how I approach every new opportunity.