David Israel

David Israel is an American entrepreneur and criminal justice reform advocate best known as the founder and CEO of Good Planet Foods, a plant-based cheese company. After being incarcerated for approximately four years in a Washington State correctional facility, Israel rebuilt his career, launched multiple successful businesses, and has since employed over 200 formerly incarcerated individuals across his enterprises. He delivered the keynote address at the inaugural 2024 White Collar Conference.

Background

Prior to his incarceration, Israel was a successful entrepreneur who founded Pawn X-Change in 1993, which he grew into a 44-store regional chain generating over $48 million in annual revenue before selling it to Cash America International for approximately $70 million. Following what Israel has described as "criminal actions taken by others in his company," he endured a seven-year legal battle before choosing to serve time so that he and his family "could find closure."

Incarceration and Transformation

Israel served approximately four years in a Washington State correctional facility. He has spoken extensively about how the experience fundamentally changed his outlook on the criminal justice system and the reentry process.

During his incarceration, Israel observed the intelligence and entrepreneurial potential of many of his fellow inmates, whom he described as "victims of their environment" who lacked legitimate opportunities. This observation would later drive his commitment to hiring formerly incarcerated individuals in his businesses.

It was also during his time in prison that Israel conceived the idea for what would become POP! Gourmet Foods, after watching fellow inmates concoct a popcorn snack. He wrote his initial business plan behind bars.

Post-Incarceration Career

POP! Gourmet Foods

After his release, Israel launched POP! Gourmet Foods in December 2011, a gourmet popcorn company that achieved explosive growth of 350-400% year-over-year. The company expanded to 160 employees and 7,000-8,000 retail locations, securing partnerships with Costco, Walmart, Kroger, Safeway, and Starbucks. Oprah Winfrey featured the White Truffle popcorn as one of her "Favorite Things." By 2016, POP! Gourmet operated in 35 countries before Israel sold a majority stake to private equity.

Good Planet Foods

In late 2017, Israel founded Good Planet Foods, a plant-based cheese company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. The company has raised over $17 million in funding, distributes to more than 1,200 retail locations including Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Wegmans, and introduced the world's first olive oil-based non-dairy cheese in September 2023. In August 2025, Good Planet formed a joint venture (GPV Foods, LLC) with Schuman Cheese, expanding its presence to nearly 5,000 stores.

Advocacy and Employment of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

Israel is one of the most prominent business leaders actively championing the employment of formerly incarcerated people. Across POP! Gourmet, Good Planet Foods, and his other ventures, he has hired over 200 individuals with criminal records, providing them with stable employment and career advancement opportunities.

He has spoken about this commitment on numerous platforms, including:

Felony Inc. Podcast (Episode 68: "Hire an Ex-Felon; They're Smart, They're Loyal")
Switch4Good Podcast ("From Prison Rags to Plant Based Riches")
GuideForce Executive Spotlight
Unincarcerated Productions
Prison Scholars

Israel's philosophy centers on recognizing the loyalty, work ethic, and entrepreneurial mindset that many formerly incarcerated individuals bring to the workplace.

White Collar Support Group

Israel has been an active participant in the White Collar Support Group, founded by Jeff Grant. He appeared on Episode 29 of the White Collar Week with Jeff Grant podcast alongside Spencer Oberg in an episode titled "The Entrepreneurs," discussing his journey from incarceration to building multi-million-dollar businesses.

He was also featured on Brent Cassity's Nightmare Success podcast, which was promoted through the White Collar Support Group's media channels.

2024 White Collar Conference Keynote

On October 19, 2024, Israel delivered the keynote address at the inaugural White Collar Conference, a virtual event organized by the White Collar Support Group under the theme "Starting Over: Out of Isolation and Into Community."

Israel's keynote took the form of a fireside chat with Brent Cassity, host of the Nightmare Success podcast. The discussion covered resilience, entrepreneurship, and life after incarceration, drawing on Israel's personal experience of rebuilding from prison to leading a nationally distributed food company.

The conference also featured presentations from Bill Baroni, Erika Cheung, Seth Williams, Naia Wilson, Portia Louder, Father Joseph Ciccone, and Jeff Wertkin. Drew Chapin of The Discoverability Company also presented on "Online Reputation for the Justice-Impacted Community."

Media Appearances

The Kara Goldin Show -- "David Israel: Founder of GOOD PLANeT Foods"
Up Next in Commerce (Mission.org) -- multi-part series
Authority Magazine -- "5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A Founder"
ForceBrands Newsroom -- "How GOOD PLANeT Foods' Founder David Israel Is Leading By Example"

External Links