With the world population expected to grow to 9 billion by 2050, echoes of land scarcity, food crises, overfishing, and climate change forecast the inevitable—the need to explore and incorporate alternative, healthy, and sustainable protein sources. These are some of the thoughts that loomed in our founder’s subconscious mind as she began experimenting with protein bar recipes in 2013.
Our founder began filling her freezer with homemade protein bars due to her lack of satisfaction with commercially available products. When her homemade protein bar baking session landed the night before her godson’s backyard birthday party potluck, she decided to experiment by adding cricket flour to her go-to healthy dessert recipe. The go-to fudge brownie dessert had previously gained popularity among family and friends at social events due to its delicious taste and thoughtful ingredients—which took into consideration common food allergies and dietary preferences.
The addition of the cricket flour launched a years-long journey of business and concept development amongst our founder and 6 fellow UCLA business school classmates. Upon graduation in 2022, our founder formally launched Dune Snacks.
Born and raised in a small rural town in scenic Northeastern Oregon, our founder’s upbringing was characterized by an immeasurable amount of time spent exploring the expansive forest surrounding her childhood home and a plethora of outdoor extracurricular activities. Early on, she displayed a keen interest in baking and a curiosity about unique ingredients, exemplified by her choice to spend her 6th-grade career day at the local bakery. As an adult, these interests continued to evolve. From competing in triathlons, to crafting an extensive array of desserts for friends and family events, to a freezer loaded with homemade protein bars—among which included the early prototypes for what would eventually evolve into Dune Snacks.
Madeline has spent her career at the intersection of science and business. Prior to founding Dune Snacks, she held entrepreneurial, business development, and consulting roles in the biotech space. She holds a Bachelor’s in Organismal Biology, a Master’s in Biotechnology Enterprise & Entrepreneurship from Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.
