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On this episode, we have Alison Czeczuga and Zach West from Gaia Herbs. Alison serves as the Director of Social Impact and Sustainability while Zach serves as the Farm Operations Manager.
Gaia Herbs is supporting regenerative agriculture with their 250-acre Regenerative Organic Certified® farm in North Carolina and their more than 200+ SKUs that contain various Regenerative Organic Certified® ingredients.
In this episode, we learn how this natural channel supplement leader has developed, implemented, and expanded their regenerative strategy plus how they’re betting that tying regen to product quality and consumer wellness will be a winning commercial strategy.
We talked farmworker housing, composting programs, herbal extraction, product label claim challenges and so much more in this one. Tons of insights and of course some good laughs along the way.
Episode Highlights:
🤯 Integrating regen into their 200+ SKUs
🚜 Their 250-acre Regenerative Organic Certified® farm
🧪 How Gaia’s herbs & botanicals become supplements
🧑🌾 Their legendary H-2A visa farmworker crew
🏠 Gaia’s new state-of-the-art farmworker housing
♻️ Upcycling their ‘herbal marc’ into compost
🤔 The challenges of producing fully ROC™ SKUs
🤝 Working with other brands on the Sustainable Herbs Program
🧘 Why tying regen to wellness is the winning strategy
🗣️ How they’re approaching messaging and label claims
Links:
Gaia Herbs
Regenerative Organic Certified®
Rodale Institute
H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers
Meet Your Herbs
SXSW
Regenerative Healthcare Conference
B-Corp
Sustainable Herbs Program
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On this episode, we have Dana Ehrlich who is the Founder of Verde Farms.
Verde Farms is supporting regenerative agriculture with its lineup of 100% USDA organic and grass-fed and grass-finished beef products. They have recently begun working with Land to Market to transition their supply to fully regenerative and have begun certifying certain SKUs.
In this episode, Dana shares the health and tourism journey that led him to South American grass-fed beef plus how they’ve grown the brand over time very unconventionally through private label business and branded sales to conventional and mass retailers.
Verde Farms is growing 50% year over year with category-leading velocities and recently took on its first major investment while also transitioning to self-manufacturing.
Tons of fun topics in this one on all things CPG plus Dana shares the behind-the-scenes look at getting their farmers to adopt more regenerative practices. Here’s a hint - the incentives have to do with boosting on-farm profitability.
Episode Highlights:
🔌 Going from semiconductors to CPG
🌍 How health and travel inspired the brand
🏗️ Building supply chain before brand
🤯 Landing their big break with Wegman’s & Costco
🥩 Moving all of their volume over to branded sales
🧑🌾 Transitioning their supply chain to regenerative
🤠 Why quicker time to slaughter weight is key for rancher adoption
🎯 Consumer first > Customer first
😯 Pivoting to self-manufacturing right before COVID
🚀 Partnering with Manna Tree to fuel future growth
Links:
Verde Farms
The End of Craving
Land to Market™
Pasturebird
Manna Tree Partners
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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On this episode, we have Briana Buckles who is the Global Senior Sustainability Manager at Yogi Tea.
Yogi Tea is supporting regenerative agriculture with 9 global projects dedicated to increasing regenerative agriculture adoption in the supply chain for their Yogi Tea and Choice Organics brands.
Yogi has been around for more than 50 years, produces over 70 SKUs, and sources more than 150 ingredients from over 40 different countries. Their products are stocked across thousands of retailers in North America and Europe.
In this episode, Briana shares her 5-year journey trailblazing new regenerative agriculture initiatives at Yogi and how they are increasing regen ag adoption through a three-pronged supply chain visibility, intervention, and expansion approach. Plus, she shares the details on one of their projects in Rwanda with details on how they select farmers to support, partner with local technical assistance providers, and fund the work itself.
Episode Highlights:
💫 The original Yogi recipe
🤯 Sourcing 150+ ingredients from 40+ countries
✍️ Building a Sustainability program from scratch
🌍 Their 9 global regen ag projects to date
🔍 Why it all starts with supply chain transparency
🧑🌾 Their work with tea farmers in Rwanda
💲 How they think about the ROI of regenerative
😧 The challenges of certifying their complex supply chains
⚙️ How Yogi designs, implements, and funds their regen projects
🤩 Why every supply chain link needs to benefit from regen
Links:
Yogi Tea
Yogi Tea’s Annual Sustainability Report
Dr. Bronner’s
Fair Trade Certified
For for Life
FairWild Foundation
Rainforest Alliance
Regenerative Organic Certified
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On this episode, we have Matthieu Kohlmeyer who is the Founder and CEO of La Tourangelle.
La Tourangelle is a French-American family-owned & operated culinary oil maker. They’re currently supporting regenerative agriculture with their Regenerative Organic Certified® Sunflower Oil and their soon-to-be-released regenerative olive oil.
In this episode, Matthieu shares La Tourangelle’s 20-year history as a CPG brand and 150-year history producing artisan oils, he shares what makes their production and packaging unique from other players in the category, and he also details their future plans to support regenerative agriculture.
Matthieu is a wealth of knowledge in all topics oil-related and he was nice enough to weigh in on the current seed oil debates, existing issues with counterfeit oils in the market, and why scaling regen in oil products might look a lot different than other categories.
Episode Highlights:
🗝️ Artisan oil-making dating back to 1867
🇺🇲 How Matthieu brought the brand to the US
🥫 Why tin packaging is better for the oil and the earth
✨ What makes La Tourangelle’s oils unique?
😦 Current fraud issues in culinary oil manufacturing
♻️ The added upcycling complexity in oil supply chains
🧑🌾 Farmer feedback on regenerative & organic
❤️ Why emotion > education for selling food
👀 What’s the truth about seed oils?
👏 Educating kids in their community garden
Links:
La Tourangelle
Regenerative Organic Certified® Sunflower Oil
Regenerative Organic Certified®
The Codex Alimentarius
The Dorito Effect
Regenified™
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On this episode, we have Jared Simon who is the CEO at Manitoba Harvest.
Manitoba Harvest is North America’s leading hemp food brand, and they’re supporting regenerative agriculture with their recently released Regenerative Organic Certified® Hemp Hearts.
In this episode, Jared breaks down how hemp is grown and some of the agronomic differences between conventional, organic, and regenerative organic cultivation. Jared also shares how Manitoba Harvest is developing their commercial strategy around regenerative and what this means for both their branded business and B2B ingredient business.
Jared was super engaging and insightful, and we really enjoyed gleaning his insights on how a legacy, scaled brand like Manitoba Harvest starts prioritizing regen, opportunities he sees in the broader regen movement, and how their work is influencing the larger, publicly traded parent company they sit within.
Episode Highlights:
💥 Their 25-year history pioneering hemp foods
🌱 The differences between hemp and cannabis
💪 Why hemp is a nutrition powerhouse
🔬 Using AI-Powered nutrition research to drive innovation
👉 Investing upstream to add value
💡 How they think about their regen strategy
📈 Scaling ROC™ hemp with B2B & B2C
👀 The future of regenerative marketing claims
🔥 Educating Tilray’s other brands on regen
🎯 Getting to critical mass with retailers and consumers
Links:
Manitoba Harvest
Hemp Oil Canada / Fresh Hemp Foods
Tilray Brands
Brightseed
Regenerative Organic Certified®
Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC™) Hemp Hearts
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On this episode, we have Blaine & Brooks Hitzfield from Seven Sons. Blaine is the CEO while Brooks serves as the COO.
Seven Sons is supporting regenerative agriculture with its direct-to-consumer meat business that sells regeneratively raised beef, bison, pork, and chicken as well as seafood and other snack items.
Seven Sons sources their regeneratively raised meat products from their own 550-acre farm in Roanoke, Indiana, and from other regenerative farmers around the Midwest.
In this episode, we hear how the family farm transitioned from a conventional hog operation to a multi-species pastured livestock operation, plus Blaine and Brooks take us behind the scenes on all things direct-to-consumer e-commerce and how they’ve grown their business to 75,000 orders a year.
This was an absolute masterclass in operating a DTC brand, connecting with consumers authentically, and making regenerative products accessible through convenience.
Episode Highlights:
👏 Growing to 14,000 customers & 75,000 orders a year
😦 Their family journey from conventional pork to regen beef
⁉️ Are there actually seven sons in this business!?
🤯 Scaling to 53 pickup locations then shutting them down
👉 Why education isn’t a winning marketing strategy
😵💫 How to avoid “death by diversity” as a farmer
🍗 The challenges of pastured poultry economics
🎯 Winning with Quality, Authenticity, & Convenience
💲 Their winning DTC playbook (acquisition, retention, assortment)
💡 Being your own customer to improve your business
Links:
Seven Sons
Graze Cart
Pasturebird
Byron Center Meats
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On this episode, Kyle and I are flying solo to bring you some updates and thoughts coming out of Expo West.
For those who don’t know, Expo West is “the annual Super Bowl of CPG” with over 67,000 attendees this year and a gathering of anyone and everyone working on CPG brands supporting regenerative agriculture - from certifiers, to investors, to the brands themselves, and many more.
Kyle and I spend some time covering our personal highlights, favorite new products, plus the state of the union for CPG capital investment and regenerative marketing claims.
Episode Highlights:
🖤 The power of human connection
🤤 Our favorite new items from regen brands
🔊 Regenerative dominates Climate Day content
⭐ Regen brands take home 5 NEXTYs
😍 Big sourcing commitments and funding rounds announced
💯 Today’s major operating hurdles for regenerative brands
💰 Current investment landscape and implications for regen brands
👀 California defining “regenerative agriculture”
👉 The fallacy of positive competition in the regenerative movement
🙏 Using hope, empathy, and vulnerability to create harmony in regen CPG
Links:
ReGen Brands
Expo West
Force of Nature Meats
Big Picture Foods
Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed
Sol Simple
Artisan Tropic
Alec’s Ice Cream
Patagonia Provisions
Climate Day
Regenerative Organic Certified®
Regenified™
A Greener World
Soil & Climate Initiative
The Stockdale Paradox
One Step Closer
TIG Brands
Steward
Lil Bucks
California Defining Regenerative Agriculture
Silk
White Oak Patures
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On this episode, we have Hovik Azadkhanian who is the Founder and CEO of Heirloom Coffee Roasters.
Heirloom Coffee Roasters is supporting regenerative agriculture with its 6-SKU lineup of Regenerative Organic Certified® whole bean coffees.
In this episode, we learn how Hovik is carrying on his family’s legacy as a third-generation coffee roaster, how the brand has grown from one Bay Area retail location to going nationwide with Sprouts in less than a year, and why regenerative agriculture is the key to saving coffee.
One thing is clear from this episode - when people tell Hovik he can’t do something, he is going to do whatever he can to prove them wrong. This spirit underpins Heirloom’s audacious goals which range from selling 100% regenerative organic certified coffee, to pioneering emissions-free electric roasting, and much more.
Episode Highlights:
🙏 Three generations of family coffee roasting
💡 Going from B2B coffee roaster to CPG brand
👉 “The fight to save coffee”
🥇 Why Regenerative Organic Certified® matters
🧑🌾 Creating better futures for coffee farmers
💫 Building “premium” into the brand and packaging
⚡ Using Bellwether’s electric coffee roasters
😮 From 1 store to nationwide in 9 months
🎫 Using KeHe’s “Golden Ticket” to land Sprouts
🔊 “We have to make it feel good and taste good to do good”
Links:
Heirloom Coffee Roasters
The World's First Regenerative Coffee Research Lab
Heirloom & Bellwether’s Electric Coffee Roasters
Sustainable Harvest Relationship Coffee
Regenerative Organic Certified®
Good Food Awards
KeHe Golden Ticket Announcement
Green Spoon Sales
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On this episode, we have Jody and Crystal Manuel and Brei Larmoyeux, who are the Co-Founders of Gruff.
Gruff is supporting regenerative agriculture with its Regenerative Organic Certified® Ancient Grain Grits. Gruff’s grits are made from organic cracked Farro and are table-ready in just 12 minutes.
In this episode, we learn about Jody and Crystal's journey transitioning their farm from conventional to organic plus all the spectacular nuance of how they’re currently weaving annuals, perennials, and animals to create a winning regenerative organic system.
Crystal shares the story of how feeding their many children a nutritious breakfast inspired the creation of Gruff, and we have Brei and Kyle sidebarring on how we can bring these nutritious grits to bodybuilding bros and other performance athletes across the world.
Gruff is a vertically integrated, farmer-led, regenerative brand with a great story and a ton of growth potential - we enjoyed diving into it all with Jody, Crystal, and Brei.
Episode Highlights:
🤤 Ancient Grain Grits made with cracked Farro
💡 Crystal’s health journey that changed their farm forever
👏 A beautiful integration of annuals, perennials, & animals
🥣 The bulk kids’ breakfasts that inspired their hero SKU
🤝 Why crop diversity requires market diversity
🤩 Beefing up on-farm impact reporting with Mad Ag
💪 Growing for Purely Elizabeth & Patagonia Provisions
🎯 Making weeds an indicator instead of an enemy
🔥 The foodservice opportunity for farro grits
💥 1 Mom at a time, 1 family at a time, 1 eater at a time
Links:
Gruff
Timeless Natural Food
Montana Organic Association
Montana Milling
Moz
Pluck Seasonings
Save The Bros
Mad Agricutlure
Purely Elizabeth
Weeds and Why They Grow
The Dorito Effect
EQIP
Nofence
Vence
Culinary Institute of America
School of Lunch
Three Billy Goats Gruff
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On this episode, we have Nick Wiseman who is a Co-Founder and the CEO of Little Sesame.
Little Sesame is supporting regenerative agriculture with its lineup of organic and regeneratively farmed hummus products that includes a flavor lineup of Smooth Classic, Jammy Tomato, Caramelized Onion, Herby Jalapeño, and the newly launched Preserved Lemon.
In this episode, we learn how Nick and his team pivoted Little Sesame from restaurant to retail during COVID, the “freshly-spun” difference that makes their hummus unique, and Little Sesame’s explosive growth strategy and results.
We covered a ton with Nick, and this episode is super rich with insights into everything from direct-trade farm relationships, to driving product velocities at retail, to building self-manufacturing as a competitive advantage.
Episode Highlights:
😍 “Freshly spun” hummus made with regen chickpeas
😯 Pivoting from restaurant to CPG during COVID
🍋 Their new lemon preserve hummus
🔥 The ROI in self-manufacturing
🤝 Partnering with their chickpea farmer, Casey Bailey
🤯 Farmer Casey’s “10-year regen experiment” and 17-crop rotation
🎯 Obsessing over velocities to drive growth
💰 Why brands need diverse capital stacks and new financial models
🥳 Using seasonal SKUs and brand collabs to grow
🚀 Planning 1,000+ demos for 2024
Links:
Little Sesame
The Hummus Club
Timeless Seeds Inc.
Athletic Brewing Article
Glyphosate In Hummus (EWG)
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On this episode, we have Joséphine Bournonville who is a Co-Founder and the COO at Omie.
Omie is supporting regenerative agriculture with its lineup of more than 200 French pantry staples that are sourced from regenerative farmers.
Omie’s agri-engineers work with over 40 manufacturers and 200 farmers to bring this vast assortment to life. Farming operations are audited with a Regenerative Index score then Omie works with the operators to create a roadmap for improvement and further regenerative practice adoption. All of their products are given a Planet Score, with more than 90% of the portfolio scoring an A or B and nothing being offered that isn’t at least a grade C.
In this episode, we learn about Joséphine’s journey from clean-tech investing to agribusiness M&A to a regenerative food startup, and we hear how Omie has scaled from a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform into France’s leading regenerative brand.
Joséphine was an amazing endcap to our first international series! Omie is doing incredible work, and it was inspiring and informative to hear about their efforts and compare them to all the other brands we’ve had on the show.
Episode Highlights:
🇫🇷 France’s leading regen brand with over 200 products!
🚜 Joséphine’s journey from agribusiness to regen CPG
🤯 Working with 46 manufacturers and 260 farmers
🥣 Their new kids' cereal lineup featuring millet
🔥 The power of a strong DTC customer community
💯 Using radical transparency to build trust
📝 Roadmapping improvements with “the regeneration index”
👏 Dedicating 1% of sales to regen practice adoption
🔊 The recent farmer protests in France & Europe
🗯️ Engaging in advocacy + policy to drive change
Links:
Omie
Groupe Roullier
Decathlon
The Regeneration Index
Planet-score®
Farmer Protests
Thierry Marx
2050
Lively Earth
RFSI Europe 2024
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On this episode, we have Jay Albany who is the CEO of Wide Open Agriculture.
Wide Open Agriculture is Australia's leading regenerative food and agriculture company and operates 3 distinct enterprises. Under the name Dirty Clean Food, they operate a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform that sells 300 different regenerative and artisan products directly to wholesale customers and individual consumers. They’ve also launched a line of branded, oat-milk-based CPG products under the Dirty Clean Food name as well.
WOA is focusing its future growth on its third enterprise - producing and supplying Buntine Protein® created by processing Australian sweet lupin. Sweet lupin serves as a rotational crop in regenerative systems of the Western Australian wheat belt but currently does not have a large, profitable market as a human food ingredient.
Wide Open Ag’s business is a beautiful blend of targeting both local and global impact while operating under their “4 returns” mandate which includes financial, natural, social and inspirational returns.
Episode Highlights:
👏 Their mission to regenerate the Western Australian wheat belt
🔮 How Jay met the Founders and joined the team
🥩 Bringing better food to Western Australia
🍔 Landing a burger joint to catalyze their brand
📈 Growing Dirty Clean Food to $12M
🥛 Launching the world’s 1st regenerative oat milk
💰 Sweetening the economics of sweet lupins
💥 Introducing Buntine Protein® - a better plant-based protein
🔥 Why Buntine Protein® is better
👍 Tackling local and global impact at once to scale regen
Links:
Wide Open Agriculture
Dirty Clean Food
Short Order Burger
Oatly
Minor Figures
Buntine Protein®
Curtin University
Wide Open Agriculture acquires Prolupin
Saputo Dairy Australia
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On this episode, we have Rafaela Gontijo Lenz who is the Founder and CEO at NUU.
NUU is supporting regenerative agriculture with its lineup of regenerative, cassava-based foods that includes cheese bread, chees bread pizza, tapioca sticks, and more. These items are sold in over 1,500 retail and foodservice points of sale in Brazil.
In this episode, we learn how Rafaela was inspired to leave her job at Johnson & Johnson to start a cheese bread company supporting smallholder farmers, her regenerative awakening and NUU’s regenerative journey, and their recent 4 million dollar fundraise that is set to power their future vision.
NUU is a certified B Corp, certified carbon neutral, led by an entirely female C-suite, and has been recognized by The United Nations as 1 of 50 global companies to help lead the regenerative food movement.
Episode Highlights:
🇧🇷 Our 2nd international episode with NUU from Brazil!
🤤 Why Rafaela left Johnson & Johnson to start NUU
🧀 Bringing better Brazilian cheese bread to the masses
🤩 Their indigenous, hero ingredient: yuca (cassava)
🧑🌾 Building supply chains to purchase from smallholder farmers
🤝 Engaging investors, NGOs, and the government in their regen journey
💡 Why all their SKUs are “air fryer friendly”
💰 Their recent 4 million dollar fundraise!
❤️ Why we need to re-feminize the food system
🔥 Using event ambassadors to drive discovery and trial
Links:
NUU
NUU Secures $4 Million in Series A Funding
NUU’s Zero Carbon Factory
The history of Pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread)
Kiss The Ground Movie
Jornada Amazônia
Dengo
VEJA
EcoEnterprises Fund
farfarm
Pão de Açúcar
Carrefour
Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation
Alex Atala - Mandioca
The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food
Donos do Mercado
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On this episode, we have Edd Lees who is one of the Co-Founders at Wildfarmed.
Wildfarmed is supporting regenerative agriculture with its lineup of regenerative wheat flours that are used in retailers, restaurants, and bakeries across the United Kingdom and powered by a network of 80 regenerative farmers.
In this episode, we learn how the brand was started when a famous DJ traded in his turntables for a tractor, how they’ve grown the business through a branded B2B2C strategy, and their big plans for their first Wildfarmed CPG product launch in 2024.
Episode Highlights:
🥳 Our 1st international episode with Wildfarmed!
🎤 How a grammy-nominated musician became a regenerative farmer
🔥 “First they laugh at you, then they hate you, then they want to join you”
👏 Scaling their B2B2C strategy from 1 bakery to 400 customers
🤩 Their regenerative standards and network of 80 farmers
😯 How they won a 25-year tenancy on their demonstration farm
🎯 Why their brand is all about being “Full of Life”
⚡ Their 1st branded CPG launch coming in 2024!
🤯 Partnering with a nationwide retailer to sell bread AND grow wheat
💥 Why stale category + high household penetration = opportunity
Links:
Wildfarmed
Andy Cato
Wildfarmed Standards
Henry Dimbleby
National Trust
The Green Revolution
Cairnspring Mills
Steward
RFSI
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On this episode, we have Derrick Jackson who is a Farmer and Co-Founder of Grass Grazed.
Grass Grazed is supporting regenerative agriculture with a myriad of direct-to-consumer livestock products and just launched its first CPG item, Grazed Snax. Grazed Snax is a meat stick made from 100% pasture-raised pork.
In this episode, we learn how Derrick and his family went from raising 25 backyard chickens to 4,000 pasture-raised birds in just 11 months, the barriers that small-scale regenerative farmers face in receiving financing for land acquisition, and why the family has decided to invest in building CPG products as a key to their future growth.
Episode Highlights:
👉 Health and accessibility challenges that made Derrick a farmer
😂 The family raising their first 25 backyard birds
😯 Scaling to 4,000 pastured chickens in 11 months
💰 Diversifying into 5 income streams (poultry, eggs, beef, pork, and dairy)
🔥 Providing a 65-family “buying club” with all of their meat and dairy
🎯 Why they launched their first CPG product
😡 How USDA loans discriminate against small, regenerative farmers
💡 Formulating, designing, and launching Grazed Snax
💥 Shifting their whole focus to pasture-raised meat sticks
👏 Why “bringing farmers to the table” is key to a regenerative future
Links:
Grass Grazed
Grazed Snax
Justin Rhodes
Pastured Poultry Profits
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On this episode, we have Zack Gazzaniga who is the Founder of Zack's Mighty.
Zack’s Mighty is supporting regenerative agriculture with its tortilla chip products made with certified regenerative corn.
In this episode, we learn about Zack’s journey in CPG helping to build and scale Sir Kensington’s, why he was compelled to “make chips that don’t break in dip,” and the wild ride building Zack’s Mighty supply chain that included everything from importing an heirloom variety of corn into the US, setting up direct trade supply with farms, investing in proprietary manufacturing processes, and certifying their regenerative claims through A Greener World (AGW).
Episode Highlights:
💪 Creating a chip that won’t break in dip
🥇 Being employee #1 at Sir Kensington’s
😂 Zack’s year-long journey to pick his entrepreneurial pursuit
🤯 The history of “flint corn” and why they use it
🔥 Importing flint corn from Italy for their first growing season
🤝 How regenerative claims can help brands get on shelf at retail
😬 Launching nationally in Whole Foods during COVID
🌽 Why the best tortilla chips start as tortillas first
🌟 Using A Greener World (AGW) for regenerative certification
👀 Their new “Rolled” chip line and why they aren’t regenerative
Links:
Zack’s Mighty
Sir Kensington's
Flint Corn History
Anson Mills
Stone House Farm
Hudson Carbon
A Greener World (AGW)
Certified Regenerative by A Greener World (AGW)
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On this episode, we have Kyle Koehler who is the Founder and CEO at Wildway.
Wildway is supporting regenerative agriculture with its commitment to transition its entire product portfolio to Regenerative Organic Certified®, beginning with a 4-SKU lineup of Planet Friendly Oats and a 3-SKU lineup of Coconut Chips.
In this episode, we learn about Kyle’s 11-year journey bootstrapping Wildway from the farmers’ market to a nationally distributed and profitable brand, Kyle shares his inspiration for taking the brand fully regenerative organic and the immense challenges that has created, plus he also shares how they’re looking to fund the future of the business with redeemable equity.
Episode Highlights:
👏 Wildway’s commitment to 100% Regenerative Organic Certified®
😂 How Kyle cold-called his way into Whole Foods
👍 Not wanting the brand to be synonymous with diet culture
🤯 Bootstrapping the brand for its entire 11-year journey
👎 Challenges of transitioning products to organic + regenerative
🤝 Why pre-competitive collaborations can scale regen supply
🔥 Using “beyond sustainable” to spur consumer curiosity
😡 The pitfalls of the current CPG financing landscape
💰 Funding their future with redeemable equity
🎯 Kyle’s 3-pronged approach to Wildway’s future strategy
Links:
Wildway
Regenerative Organic Certified®
Whole30
Tradin Organics
Mad Markets
One Step Closer
Redeemable Equity
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On this episode, we have Monique Hypes and Marie Krane who are the Co-Founders of Tomato Bliss.
Tomato Bliss is on a mission to “save the heirloom tomato from extinction” with their line of heirloom tomato soups that are made with tomatoes grown on their certified Regenified™ farm in Southwest Michigan.
In this episode, we learn why tomato farming became Marie’s chosen form of activism, how she found Monique to help Tomato Bliss become more than just a farmers market brand, and the strategies they’re using to grow both supply and demand for regeneratively grown heirloom tomatoes at the same time.
Episode Highlights:
😍 “Saving Heirloom Tomatoes From Extinction”
👏 Marie’s journey fighting to save heirloom tomato seeds
💡 Why farming and CPG became her best path to seed-saving
🤝 Hiring Monique to take the brand beyond the farmers’ market
🤯 90% of tomato production comes from less than 25 seeds
👍 Intercropping as their secret weapon for pest prevention
🏅 Why their farm is certified Regenified™
🧑🍳 How they’re using food service to fuel their growth
⚡ Why stores should merchandise their SKUs in the produce department
📈 The imperative for regen brands to scale supply and demand in tandem
Links:
Tomato Bliss
Green City Market
Good Food Accelerator
The Food Foundry
The Dorito Effect
Regenified™
Notre Dame & Tomato Bliss
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On this episode, we have Cody Hopkins who is the CEO and Founding Farmer at Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative.
Grass Roots is supporting regenerative agriculture with its 7-species lineup of meat products.
In this episode, we learn why Cody was inspired to start the Co-Op after being a small-scale poultry farmer, what makes their business model and corporate structure unique, and how Heifer International and Heifer USA have been important partners along the way.
Episode Highlights:
👏 Why Cody started the Co-Op after being a small poultry farmer
🧑🌾 Being vertically integrated and cooperating 50+ farmers
🤔 Learning from Zingerman’s ecosystem of businesses
💰 Partnering with Heifer International & Heifer USA
🔥 Balancing standardization and contextualization
🔪 Having ownership in their processor, Cypress Valley Meats
🥇 Onboarding with Land to Market™ & EOV™
😍 Why philanthropists should fund nutrient density testing
💥 Using guaranteed contracts + “common pay rates” to buy from farmers
🤯 Why regen needs scale, efficiency, and vertical integration
Links:
Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative
Zingerman's Community of Businesses
Value-Added Producer Grants
Heifer International
Heifer USA
Cypress Valley Meat Company
Land to Market™
EOV™
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On this episode, we have Adam Hiner & Maddie Hamann who are the Co-Founders @ PACHA.
PACHA is supporting regenerative agriculture with its lineup of organic and regenerative buckwheat bread products including 3 flavors of bread and 1 SKU of buns.
In this episode, we learn how PACHA found a reliable source of regenerative buckwheat through an innovative farmer partnership and how they’re rolling out their products nationally into Whole Foods as we speak.
Episode Highlights:
🤤 How Adam became obsessed with buckwheat bread
👏 Their national rollout in Whole Foods happening NOW!
🌊 Maddie’s transition from oceanography to entrepreneurship
🌳 Adam volunteering at a non-profit regenerative farm
📦 Why COVID forced them to focus on DTC early on
🏗️ Building buckwheat supply with John @ Field Theory
👍 The agronomic and commercial benefits of buckwheat
🥇 Working with Social Carbon Initiative (SCI) for certification
🤯 The simple power of slicing bread
💭 Creative marketing that drives trial at retail
Links:
PACHA
Trilogy Sanctuary
Lil Bucks
Field Theory
Soil Carbon Initiative
Cultivate CPG
Follow Kyle and AC on LinkedIn
- Visa fler
