Pizza with purpose: Spotlight on Darina Garland, Co-CEO of Ooni
Launched on Kickstarter in 2012, Ooni has mushroomed into a global brand and multi-award-winning business. We spoke to its co-founder about the company’s success story and brand purpose
Ooni Pizza Ovens designs, makes and sells portable pizza ovens. Darina Garland is the co-founder with her partner, Kristian Tapaninaho, and the company now has a team of more than 360 people working on design, sales and marketing. It all started when Kristian became frustrated with the results of pizzas cooked in a domestic oven and set about designing a solution.
Darina grew up in Portobello in Edinburgh and is particularly passionate about people. As Chief Experience Officer, Darina not only oversees the entire Ooni Experience – including marketing, customers and Ooni’s Impact Fund charitable activities – but leads the development of a world-class brand and culture. She is driven by her ability to connect with people in a meaningful, human way.
The product range has grown and the company is now the world’s number one pizza oven company. “Innovation is core to our DNA and we’ve gone on to release new awesome pizza ovens and a whole host of accessories and tools to help level up your pizza game,” says Darina.
Beyond sustainability and green issues, Ooni aims to be a company for good. For example, they give 1% of their global annual revenue to social and environmental causes. As Darina explains, “We are privileged to be at the helm of a company and that means we have a responsibility to make the world better. Part of the Ooni DNA is about being environmentally conscious. If you don’t have a planet, you don’t have much else. I don’t even want to use the word ‘sustainability’, because we don’t want to sustain what we’ve got, we want to regenerate and we need change.
“If you’re genuinely building a company with purpose and making good decisions for your community and your team, people will stay; they’ll be genuinely connected and invested and we can build things together.”
Ooni operates in total congruence with its values of ambition, rigour, innovation, kindness, and passion.
