Influential Woman · Food & Beverage
Angela Zeng
Founder and CEO, Karviva (Fulfill Food & Beverages, LLC)
Greater St. Louis, MO 63101
Her Story
About Angela
Angela Zeng, PhD, MBA, is the Founder and CEO of Karviva, a St. Louis-based beverage company creating low-sugar, whole-plant functional drinks that bridge Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern nutritional science. A trained medical scientist in pathology, Angela came to the United States approximately 30 years ago to pursue her PhD after growing up in a family of traditional Chinese herbalists. She later earned an MBA and gained experience across the pharmaceutical, food, and beverage industries. In 2016, she founded Karviva and built the company’s own beverage factory and hydroponic indoor farm in St. Louis, allowing the brand to control its products from seed to bottle.
Under Angela’s leadership, Karviva launched its first drinks at Whole Foods Market in 2017 and has since grown to approximately 2,000 retail locations nationwide, with more than one million bottles sold. The company’s portfolio includes Karviva Unwined, ACE Collagen Juice, Energy Juice, protein and prebiotic smoothies, and Organic Juice Cleanse. Karviva has earned recognition including the 2025 World Beverage Innovation Award for Best Low/No Alcohol Beverage for Karviva Unwined, the 2025 ECRM Buyer’s Choice Award, Progressive Grocer’s 2026 Editors’ Picks, and a 2026 Good Housekeeping Snack Award. Angela has also been recognized with the Missouri Lieutenant Governor’s Women of Achievement Award and as a Titan CEO St. Louis honoree in 2025 and 2026.
Beyond building Karviva, Angela is an author, TEDx speaker, writer, and community leader. Her TEDxForbesParkSalon talk on supporting children’s mental health through nutrition surpassed 600,000 views in its first month, and she is the author of The Balance Cure: The TCM Way to Lasting Weight Loss. She contributes to Life Science Daily News and The Good Men Project and serves on the board of the St. Louis Zoo. Her leadership philosophy centers on clarity, integrity, evidence-based health claims, and stewardship. Looking ahead, Angela is focused on expanding Karviva’s retail presence, launching new products, advancing the company’s collaboration with Saint Louis University, and helping more people understand traditional Chinese healing practices through an evidence-informed approach.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Angela
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to persistence, integrity, and staying true to what I believe in. I learned the business from the ground up, stayed committed when we faced challenges, and relied on both scientific evidence and the traditional wisdom I grew up with. Most importantly, I kept going and earned every opportunity one customer and one placement at a time.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Build something true. Learn the whole business, not just your part, and don’t let the market’s big promises pull you away from the evidence. Stay persistent, maintain your integrity, and keep going even when the path is difficult.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Learn the business from the ground up and be willing to do the hard work. Build something you genuinely believe in, stay true to the evidence, and don’t be discouraged by obstacles or rejection. Persistence, integrity, and clarity will help you build something lasting.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest opportunities is the growing demand for functional nourishment and non-alcoholic beverages that offer meaningful benefits rather than hype. At the same time, the industry faces the challenge of maintaining honest, evidence-based health claims in a crowded wellness market. I see an opportunity for brands to combine traditional botanic
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity, clarity, evidence, and stewardship are the values most important to me. I believe in building something true, being honest about what the evidence supports, and communicating clearly with the people around me. I also believe leadership is stewardship, which means taking care of the people, the product, and the trust that customers place in us.
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