After Sarela Herrada, WG’25, co-founded SIMPLi, a regenerative organic food business, with her husband Matt Cohen in 2020, she faced a pivotal decision. Should she learn to scale the business through hands-on experience, or should she pursue an MBA to fill the knowledge gaps that came with entrepreneurship? Ultimately, she chose the latter and joined Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives in Philadelphia in 2023.

“I reached a point where the business was expanding rapidly, and I needed to evolve with it at the same pace,” says Sarela. “I realized an MBA would expose me to all aspects of business, particularly areas like finance where I lacked experience. With 20 employees, taking two years off wasn’t an option, so Wharton’s EMBA program was the perfect fit.”
Giving birth to their first child right before starting the program, Sarela says it took some creative juggling to balance running the company, school, and being a new parent – and then giving birth to her second child later in the program.
She quickly found community with her classmates.
“The first week of school was humbling,” she recalls. “I met Navy SEALs, Olympians, PhDs, people who speak seven languages—it was intimidating. But soon, I realized we had so much in common. We were all there to learn from each other, and I knew I had found my people.”
As a new mom, Sarela wasn’t alone. She discovered a strong support network across the EMBA cohorts, particularly among the 10 other women who had children in the program.
“We all supported one another, sharing parenting tips and advice,” she says. “Everyone is juggling something—whether it’s running a business or working on incredible projects. It was refreshing to be in a community where everyone understood the challenges, because they were experiencing their own versions of the same struggles.”
A Passion for Regenerative Organic Agriculture
Sarela’s career in the food industry began long before she co-founded SIMPLi. After college, she worked as a supply chain consultant before transitioning into food manufacturing, where she built international supply chains. Following a six-month backpacking trip through South America, she joined the startup Cava, where she led the food and beverage team and gained valuable experience.
In 2020, Sarela and her husband launched SIMPLi, a company that goes a step beyond traditional organic farming.
“We wanted to create a model that not only provided healthy, sustainable products but also supported the health of ecosystems and the workers involved,” she explains.
Learning From Wharton’s World-Class Faculty and Peers

Credit: Matt Cohen
Working on SIMPLi, Sarela began noticing knowledge gaps that she wanted to fill. In particular, she wanted to feel more comfortable in finance during talks with potential investors.
At Wharton, Sarela took classes to fill in those gaps and learn the frameworks needed to successfully scale a business. For example, in Prof. Zeke Hernandez’s (Max and Bernice Garchik Family Presidential Associate Professor) class on Global Strategy, she learned new ways to understand cultural differences. With offices in Philadelphia and Lima, Peru, and farmers based around the world, the ability to understand cultural differences and how to adjust communication and leadership style has been invaluable.
In Prof. Patti Williams’ (Ira A. Lipman Associate Professor of Marketing, Vice Dean, Wharton Executive Education) class on Strategic Brand Marketing, Sarela discovered how to build brands that speak to specific audiences.
“We learned that your most loyal customers aren’t always your biggest revenue drivers,” she says. “Understanding how to engage with various customer segments was an important lesson.”
And in Prof. Gad Allon’s (Jeffrey A. Keswin Professor, Director of the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology) class on Scaling Operations, she gained a scaling framework that she uses every day in her business.
In addition to classes, Sarela says the faculty are always available to provide advice and feedback. When she was working on packaging for SIMPLi, she turned to Marketing Prof. Barbara Kahn (Patty and Jay H. Baker Professor), whose constructive feedback influenced much of the company’s branding and helped propel it into the next stages.
Sarela also benefited from her classmates’ diverse perspectives. “Running a business can sometimes feel isolating because you’re so focused on your own company,” she says. “Wharton exposed me to peers in different industries with different expertise. Having a support system like that has been invaluable.”
The Road Ahead

Credit: SIMPLi
Reflecting on her Wharton experience, Sarela says, “Wharton has broadened my perspective, strengthened my knowledge, and challenged me to think differently. I could have continued learning about entrepreneurship on the job, but Wharton taught me to think beyond the day-to-day operations. I now feel confident in all aspects of my business and I’m excited for the future.”
Today, SIMPLi partners with more than 3,000 small farmers worldwide and its products are sold at over 3,000 retail locations and 3,000 restaurants nationwide, including several quick-service restaurants such as Sweetgreen, Chopt, and Just Salad.
Click here to learn more about Sarela and SIMPLi.
By Meghan Laska
Posted: April 1, 2025