# Hudson Gaines-Ross

> Hudson Gaines-Ross, now publicly known as Hudson Davis-Ross, is the co-founder and CEO of Plant People. A Brown graduate with earlier roles at Gilt Groupe and ALOHA, he also co-founded RISE Brewing Co. and founded CROSBY. His public accounts of building Plant People emphasize hands-on fulfillment, product focus, packaging, distribution and operational discipline.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Plant People
- **Organizations:** Plant People, RISE Brewing Co., CROSBY, ALOHA, Gilt Groupe
- **From:** New York, United States
- **Education:** Brown University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Plant People and RISE Brewing Co.; founded CROSBY., Built Plant People into a national retail brand., Plant People secured a significant minority investment from Manna Tree in November 2025, with Unilever Ventures participating.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2013** — Worked at Gilt Groupe; credits first boss Crystal Caligiuri with foundational management and supply-chain lessons.
- **2013** — Brown alumni newsletter records his move from Gilt Groupe to help launch ALOHA; served as a founding team member and COO.
- **—** — Co-founded RISE Brewing Co. and founded branding and business strategy firm CROSBY.
- **2018** — Co-founded Plant People with Gabe Kennedy; used his apartment for fulfillment.
- **2024** — Appeared on Stairway to CEO in May and discussed his consumer-brand career; identified Austin as his home.
- **2025** — Plant People expanded into 820 Target stores in October and announced a Series A with Manna Tree and Unilever Ventures in November.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Plant People and RISE Brewing Co.; founded CROSBY.
- Built Plant People into a national retail brand.
- Plant People secured a significant minority investment from Manna Tree in November 2025, with Unilever Ventures participating.
- Reported 106% total sales growth for Plant People in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published a Labor Day reflection on the people behind consumer-product supply chains, training and quality.
- **2026-04** — Appeared on Commerce is Chaos and In the Sauce to discuss Plant People’s turnaround, channel strategy and operations.
- **2026-01** — Discussed national expansion following Manna Tree’s investment in an interview published January 6.
- **2025-11** — Manna Tree announced its minority investment in Plant People on November 12.

## Links

- Website: https://www.plantpeople.co/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hudsongr/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/hudson-gaines-ross
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11