Bölümler
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On this episode, we have John Strohfus who is the Founder and CEO of Field Theory and Minnesota Hemp Farms Incorporated.
John is supporting regenerative agriculture as a row crop farmer managing 1,000 acres in Minnesota, by working as a broker and supply chain builder with multiple brands, and by selling CPG products in the Field Theory brand that contain regeneratively grown ingredients.
In this episode, John educates us on what really matters to farmers, gives his take on conventional regenerative versus regenerative organic, and breaks down what it takes to find, aggregate, and broker regenerative ingredients for other brands.
This was a super fascinating conversation and a great one to start of the new year. John’s three-pronged perspective as a farmer, broker, and brand builder really unlocked some amazing insights. We were pumped to have him join us and hope you learn as much as we did.
Episode Highlights:
🔥 Perspective from a farmer, broker, and brand builder
🌱 Bringing hemp back to Minnesota in 2016
🚜 What’s holding farmers back from going regen?
🎯 Why we need more demand for “conventional regenerative”
👏 The lasting impact of Simple Mills’ direct trade sunflower program
🏆 What John likes about the Soil & Climate Initiative verification
⚙️ Building new direct trade regenerative supply chains
😯 Why linking regen practices to nutrient density might not work
🤔 Is CPG harder than farming?
🚀 How private label demand could help boost regen adoption
Links:
Field Theory
Minnesota Hemp Farms Incorporated
NETZRO
Simple Mills
Ardent Mills
Bay State Milling
PACHA
Regenerative Organic Certified
Soil & Climate Initiative
Regenified
Roots Potato Chips
MN Soil Health Coalition
Seven Sundays
Bob’s Red Mill
Nutrient Density Alliance
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In this episode, we’re bringing you into the new year with a first-of-its-kind format covering current events, new consumer research, and industry news.
Kyle and I spend time talking about Trump winning the presidency and what that means for regenerative brands and the regenerative movement. How will tariffs affect cost of goods? Will mass deportations affect labor and cost of goods? Is MAHA for real and what impact will it have? Will the new administration fulfill their promises on inflation and the economy resulting in higher velocities of premium regen products and more investment into their businesses?
We chat about the cultural implications from the election and how we think that will affect where regen goes over the next 4 years. How will all this anti-establishment energy affect change? What does the rejection of woke ideology mean for brands marketing the sustainability benefits of regenerative products?
We cover Regenified’s recently released consumer report that highlights high interest in regenerative agriculture and growth opportunities for brands and retailers. What can we learn from the findings of this 850-person study? Regenified’s key findings highlighted rising consumer awareness and interest, the criticality of certifications, consumers prioritizing health and nutrient density, and consumer willingness to pay a premium for regenerative products. We unpack it all and share our perspectives.
We share some big news from brands like Painterland Sisters, Long Table, Recoup, Little Sesame, and Diestel Family Ranch covering new products and retailer partnerships, big industry pitch slam wins, and new nutrient density analysis.
Lastly, Kyle and I share some of the regenerative products we’re gifting to friends and family this holiday season. We’re pumped to bring you this new format and excited to do more episodes like it in 2025, so let us know what you think and want to hear us chat about next!
Episode Highlights:
🇺🇸 What does Trump 2.0 mean for regenerative brands?
↗️ Will tariffs drive up COGS significantly?
👀 Is MAHA for real? What are we expecting?
💰 Will brand investment increase like it did in the first term?
😡 What Trump's win tells us about current consumer sentiment
💭 How anti-woke energy might affect marketing sustainability
📊 Key findings from Regenified’s new consumer research
👉 Why regenerative awareness is still so low
🚀 BIG recent wins from regenerative brands
🎁 Our regenerative gifts for the holidays
Links:
Food & ag organizations respond to Trump victory
What a Trump Presidency Means for US Agriculture by Connie Bowen
MAHA
Food Fix
Undaunted Courage
California Food & Agriculture officials wrestle with regenerative agriculture definition
Regenified's 2024 Consumer Report
Recoup Takes Title as New Beverage Showdown 28 Winner
Long Table wins big at SKU Fall Showcase
Painterland Sisters debuts new Passion Fruit flavor
Painterland Sisters is now available in all 1,300+ Publix Super Markets
Little Sesame Launches First-To-Markets Kids Hummus Cups
Nutritional Analysis of Diestel Regenerative Turkeys
Dadascope Communications
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Eksik bölüm mü var?
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On this episode, we are talking about all things related to our recently released State of Regenerative CPG Report.
Many of you have already checked out the report or at least heard us talk about it briefly on Episode 81 where we unpacked the launch of our new ecosystem.
The report synthesizes ReGen Brands' proprietary learnings from almost three years of studying regenerative CPG, including 80 podcast episodes interviewing brand founders, executives, and other key ecosystem stakeholders.
It is designed to help you understand the ways regenerative brands are winning today along with the key challenges they face on the road to additional progress. This report is a super easy read but it's definitely dense, so we wanted to unpack ALL of it for you on this episode.
So go download your copy and follow along or just listen in as we dive deep into our comprehensive state of the industry.
Episode Highlights:
💭 Why we wrote the report
💡 What we learned along the way
🚀 Unpacking how regen brands are winning today
🛑 Breaking down key challenges and calls to action
🏗️ What we’re building to help solve problems
Links:
State of Regenerative CPG Report
Ramping Your Brand
NOSH Live
Newtopia Now
The Gap and The Gain
Carol Sanford
TIG Brands
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On this episode, we have Camilla Marcus who is the Founder & CEO at west~bourne.
West~bourne is supporting regenerative agriculture with their chef-driven snacks and pantry staples - all impeccably sourced, utilizing regenerative, sustainable, and organic ingredients. The brand’s ethos is 'eat well. do better. gather often.'
In this episode, Camilla shares her journey from chef to brand Founder, the philosophy behind west~bourne’s unique model, the challenges and triumphs of leading with sustainability in the CPG space, and how Camilla is driving impact far beyond the plate.
We talk about west~bourne’s new Regenerative Holiday Box, Camilla’s new cookbook, My Regenerative Kitchen, and celebrate their big recent win with The Fresh Market.
Episode Highlights:
❤️ Food is our common love language
🍽️ How restaurants influence popular culture
🚀 Making regenerative cool through food
🤝 Partnering with Glossier for their first CPG product
👩🍳 Building a chef-curated brand and product portfolio
🎯 Why climate solutions that aren’t health solutions aren’t solutions
🗞️ Trade media’s role in advancing the regen conversation
🔥 Their Regenerative Holiday Bundle & My Regenerative Kitchen cookbook
👏 Taking their avocado oil national with The Fresh Market
💥 Why radical collaboration is our rocket fuel
Links:
west~bourne
My Regenerative Kitchen Cookbook
Union Square Hospitality Group
The Third Plate
Glossier
Oishii
The Business of Fashion
Stella McCartney
Pangai
Baldor Specialty Foods
Canyon Coffee
Mad Agriculture
Lil Bucks
Lundberg Family Farms
Alexandre Family Farm
Alec’s Ice Cream
Patagonia Provisions
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On this episode, we have Ryan Pintado-Vertner who is the Founder and CEO at Smoketown.
Smoketown is a boutique brand consultancy that helps visionaries, mission-driven brands and nonprofits maximize their growth and positive impact without one compromising the other. They use empathy to help solve complex marketing challenges for their clients who are creating more justice, generosity, equity, and regeneration in the world.
Smoketown is supporting regenerative agriculture with their recently released white paper: Unlocking Demand for Regenerative - A Crowdsourced Blueprint for Accelerating Consumer Demand for Regenerative Agriculture
It will come as no surprise to anyone who has listened to this show before to hear that we are convicted in our belief that we need to figure out how to improve our ability to increase consumer awareness and demand for regenerative products. Well, Ryan shares that conviction with us and this white paper was his attempt to explore that concept and share his findings with the community.
And boy did he deliver. The white paper is full of really insightful takeaways and recommended actions to take, and Ryan is here with us today to break it all down. You’ll also learn about his background as an activist and big-CPG brand builder, his previous work at Sometown with mission-driven brands, and his regen awakening that led to him producing this blueprint for driving change.
Join us as we break down how the regenerative community can 1) Increase Consumer Empathy, 2) Refine the Messaging Frame, 3) Double Down on Loyalty and Share of Wallet, and 4) Boldly Collaborate for Big Awareness.
Episode Highlights:
🙏 How his spiritual practice sparked a regen awakening
❤️ Why collaboration has to be a superpower
🎯 Making marketing decisions based on consumer empathy
❌ The limits of sustainability-themed messaging
📈 Why self-interest always outsells altruism
💣 The BIG need for more consumer research
🤝 How cross-promotion can help brands boost regen ROI
🧪 What we can apply from the proliferation of probiotics
🛒 Why retailers have to help drive high-level awareness
💪 How linking regen to nutrition is the biggest unlock
Links:
Smoketown
Unlocking Demand for Regenerative - White Paper
Trailhead Capital
Julia Collins
State of Regenerative CPG Report
Kiss The Ground
Lundberg Family Farms
SIMPLi
Applegate
Regenified Consumer Research
Purdue Consumer Food Insights
Edacious
Bionutrient Food Association
Nutrient Density Alliance
Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)
RFSI Europe
Omie
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On this episode, we have Eric Gutknecht who is the President and CEO at Charcutnuvo.
Charcutnuvo is supporting regenerative agriculture with their Regenerative Organic Certified® beef sausages and they are working to transition their entire product portfolio of beef, chicken, and pork sausage products to ROC™.
In this episode, Eric gives us the real scoop on “how the sausage is made.” We cover his family’s five-generation history in sausage making, his sausage-making training in Europe, and what processes the brand implores that set them apart from the competition.
Eric also gives us the lowdown on the regenerative organic beef they’re sourcing, how adding the ROC™ certification to their products has boosted velocities, plus what it’s going to take to see more regenerative sausage at your favorite retailer.
Episode Highlights:
🌭 Five generations of sausage-making
↗️ Going from natural to organic to regenerative organic
🏆 What it takes to make better sausage
🍖 Maximizing carcass value and utilization
🦘 Sourcing ROC™ beef from Australia
🤑 Their 25% sales increase post-certification
💪 How Natural Grocers supports regen brands
🔥 New regen products coming in 2025
🥳 Securing ‘menu mentions’ to increase regen awareness
🎯 Why regen potential is equal to retailer commitment
Links:
Charcutnuvo
Regenerative Organic Certified®
Natural Grocers
Hewitt Foods
National Restaurant Association
True Food Kitchen
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On this episode, we have Heidi Diestel who is a fourth fourth-generation turkey farmer and executive at Diestel Family Ranch.
Diestel Family Ranch has been raising turkeys since 1949, and they’re supporting regenerative agriculture with their Non-GMO, regeneratively raised turkeys that are certified Regenified™.
In this episode, Heidi schools us on their family’s journey raising turkeys and how their practices and products have evolved over the years, she gives us an in-depth look at how they raise their regenerative birds and source regenerative feed, plus she breaks down how they think about product innovation and what is coming in the future from Diestel.
Listen folks, that calendar says November, so it is time to start thinking about that Thanksgiving turkey. We went in-depth for a big-time Turkey 101 with Heidi today, and we were fascinated by everything we learned. We hope you enjoy this one as much as we did, and more importantly, we hope you’re serving a regenerative turkey at your holiday meal here in a few weeks.
Episode Highlights:
🦃 Four generations of turkey farming
🔪 Going from butcher shops to natural retailers
😂 Kyle’s obsession with Diestel turkey
3️⃣ The turkey farming trifecta: breed, feed, and time
⁉️ What’s a regenerative turkey?
✌️ Why regen turkey takes both fowl AND feed
🌽 Sourcing 650 tons of Regenified corn
↗️ Diversifying the product portfolio in the last decade
🍗 Creating products for the Thanksgivings of the future
🔥 A three-pronged playbook for regen poultry to scale
Links:
Diestel Family Ranch
Regenified™
Diestel Becomes First Certified Regenified™ Turkey Brand
Global Animal Partnership
Smoketown Report: Unlocking Demand for Regenerative
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On this episode, we have Kyle Sullivan & Jesse Smith from Figure Ate Foods and the White Buffalo Land Trust. Kyle serves as the Director of Marketing and Communications while Jesse serves as the Director of Land Stewardship.
Figure Ate is supporting regenerative agriculture with their persimmon vinegar and beef biltong products, and the Figure Ate brand is a part of the larger White Buffalo Land Trust non-profit that is stewarding the 1,000-acre Jalama Canyon Ranch and serves as a global hub for regenerative land stewardship, ecological monitoring, research, education, training, and enterprise development.
In this episode, we learn about why developing demand-building enterprises supporting ecological stewardship is a major key to regenerative success, Kyle and Jesse share the journey of launching the brand, formulating the initial products, and selling across multiple sales channels, plus we learn about some new projects and products they have in the works.
Episode Highlights:
🌎 Creating a global hub for regenerative agriculture
⁉️ Why does a non-profit have a food brand?
👉 Building enterprises that support ecological stewardship
🤯 The ecological complexity at the Jalama Canyon Ranch
🍶 Why persimmon vinegar was product #1
🔥 Developing domestic Elderberry supply + new products
😡 Dealing with legal and regulatory challenges in marketing
💪 Leading with nutrition claims on packaging
👀 New biltong flavors coming soon
💫 The quorum of energies that will scale regenerative
Links:
Figure Ate
White Buffalo Land Trust
Richard’s Regenerative
Sandhi Wines
Ventura Spirits
Value-Added Producer Grants
Good Food Awards
Land To Market™
White Oak Pastures
Thousand Hills
Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities
State of Regenerative CPG Report
Good Energy by Casey Means
Outstanding In The Field
Bionutrient Food Association
Nutrient Density Alliance
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On this episode, we have Benina Montes who is the Founder and Co-Owner of Burroughs Family Farms.
Burroughs Family Farms is supporting regenerative agriculture with their regenerative organic farm producing almonds, olives, and walnuts while raising pastured sheep and poultry. Their brand predominantly sells almond-based products like various nut butters and their new almond concentrate, along with whole-snacking almonds offered in various formats and flavors.
In this episode, we learn about the Burroughs family's long history in farming and with food brands, Benina details their regenerative journey and how they became the first almond farm in the world to be Regenerative Organic Certified®, and we learn about why they launched their own brand and how it has grown over the last few years.
Benina and her family are proving firsthand on their more than 1,000 acres that almond farming can be both regenerative and productive - leading to big wins in water infiltration, farm profitability, crop nutrient density, and more. They even host an Annual Regenerative Almond Field Day to share their efforts with other farmers, brands, retailers, researchers, and more.
Episode Highlights:
🧑🌾 The Burroughs family’s history with farming and brands
🫙 Why they created their own brand
😡 How the entire almond industry incentivizes bare ground
🌳 Why farming in California is so different
🏗️ How new harvesting equipment enables regen practices
🔥 Their Annual Regenerative Tree Nut Field Day
🐑 The challenge of building off-take for both crops and livestock
🏆 Their NEXTY-winning Almond Milk Concentrate
🥈 Why they have two regenerative certifications
🛒 How retailers and distributors can support regen
Links:
Burroughs Family Farms
2024 NEXTY Award Winners
4th Annual Regenerative Tree Nut Field Day
Ecdysis
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
Undaunted Courage
Rick Clark
State of Regenerative CPG Report
Regenerative Organic Certified®
Regenified™
Naturland
CDFA Defining Regenerative Agriculture
Alice Waters Institute
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On this episode, we are celebrating some very big news.
This week, we launched a new unprecedented, multifaceted support ecosystem for CPG brands supporting regenerative agriculture including two new non-profit organizations and one future for-profit organization.
The three entities are called: ReGen Brands Institute, ReGen Brands Coalition, and ReGen Brands Capital.
We’ve shared bits and pieces of our work on all of this over the past year, but we have not really given our audience a full update since August of 2023. And there’s a reason for that, as we’ve been quite hard at work building this new ecosystem.Please check out the updated website, read our inaugural State of Regenerative CPG report, and view the press release to get a nice, concise, articulate download of what we’re doing.
In this episode, we wanted to give you a peek behind the curtain on what went into shaping this vision, building the inaugural entities, hitting some key milestones, and where we go from here. Long story short, if you want to know what the future of our work looks like, then this is a must listen. We’re so proud to take this massive step forward and we couldn't have done it without your support. We hope you’re as energized by this milestone as we are.
Episode Highlights:
🎉 The new ReGen Brands ecosystem
🤯 How we got here
↗️ Where we’re headed
❓ Why this new approach
🏫 Introducing, ReGen Brands Institute
📚 Our new research and education programming
🤝 Introducing, ReGen Brands Coalition
🔥 Our new trade association for regen brands
💰 Introducing, ReGen Brands Capital
🙏 Values-aligned capital for regen brands
Links:
ReGen Brands
New Ecosystem Announcement
State of Regenerative CPG Report
ReGen Brands Institute
ReGen Brands Coalition
ReGen Brands Capital
ReGen Brands Weekly Newsletter
JellyShot
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On this episode, we have Samuel Taylor who is the Founder and CEO of Long Table.
Long Table is supporting regenerative agriculture with their pancake and waffle mixes made with regeneratively grown heirloom grains.
In this episode, we learn how Samuel went from actor to CPG Founder due to the combination of a pancake obsession and an acrobatic love interest. He details how the brand went from the farmers market to appearing on Shark Tank, and he shares why regenerative, stone-milled, heirloom grains are a game-changer in terms of flavor, nutrition, and environmental impact.
Lots of great stories in this one folks! Samuel didn’t land a deal on Shark Tank, but he scooped up the next best thing: “the best pancakes I’ve ever had” compliment from all the sharks and a million-dollar sales bump. A little over a year later, he’s looking to build out this brand both online and in retail while being a key purchaser supporting the regenerative grain shed of the upper Midwest.
Episode Highlights:
🥞 Next-gen pancakes from regeneratively-grown, heirloom grains
🎪 The acrobatic love interest that inspired the brand
🍿 Inventing popcorn flour pancakes
🦈 Going on Shark Tank with David Schwimmer
🤯 Doing $1M in sales the 6 weeks after Shark Tank
🌾 Building supply chains with the Artisan Grain Collaborative
🤤 Why stone-milled, heirloom grains are better
📈 Capital-efficient, omnichannel growth
🏅 Working towards Regenified™ certification
💰 Why regen brands need more investment
Links:
Long Table
Artisan Grain Collaborative
Long Table On Shark Tank
Seedhouse Design
Janie’s Mill
Meadowlark Organics
Regenified™
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On this episode, we have Ben Mand who is the CEO at Guayakí.
Guayakí is supporting regenerative agriculture with their various yerba mate-based products that are farmed in regenerative organic systems.
Yerba mate is a tree of the holly family that is native to the Atlantic Forest of South America, and the consumption of yerba mate is related to the unique relationship between Indigenous Peoples and their forest environments developed over millennia.
On this episode, we learn how Ben has satisfied his appetite for impact across a wide array of brands, and he shares more about Guayakí’s Market Drive Regeneration™ approach - detailing what that means for their farming partners, their business, and their consumers.
Episode Highlights:
🍃 Creating the yerba mate category
🧉 The traditional gourd circle practice of sharing mate
📈 Going from incremental to exponential impact in CPG
❤️ Guayakí’s Market Driven Regeneration™
🙏 Partnering with Indigenous communities
🤝 Farmer price premiums and infrastructure investment
👉 Making responsible business the new norm
🔥 Nailing the brilliant basics to tell the regen story
🔮 Future-proofing their product portfolio
🎯 How retailers should support regen brands
Links:
Guayakí
Yerba Mate 101
Market Driven Regeneration™
Harmless Harvest
#73 - Allie O'Brien @ Harmless Harvest
Regenerative Organic Certified®
World Bank
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On this episode, we have James Arthur Smith who is the Founder and CEO of Seatopia.
Seatopia is supporting regenerative aquaculture with its direct-to-consumer business building consumer demand for innovative aquaculture practices in hopes of scaling a truly regenerative seafood supply chain to feed the planet and restore our oceans.
In this episode, James breaks down the massive problems with current commodity seafood systems, how Seatopia is pioneering aquaculture 3.0, and why integrated multi-trophic aquaculture in the ocean is the same thing as regenerative agriculture on the land.
If you’re ready to take a deep dive (pun intended) into marine ecosystems and planet-positive commercial-scale food production then this episode is for you.
Episode Highlights:
🌊 James’ lifelong love affair with the ocean
🐠 Why wild caught isn’t necessarily better
👉 The parallels between agriculture and aquaculture
🐟 How Seatopia is championing aquaculture 3.0
🎣 Why we can’t feed the world with just wild-caught seafood
🔥 Sourcing from integrated multi-trophic seafood farms
🙅 Why regenerative doesn’t drive dollars
🔬 Using testing and transparency to boost product claims
😯 Fish isn’t actually supposed to smell ‘fishy’
📈 Leveraging R&D for more whole-fish utilization
Links:
Seatopia
California Coastal Commission
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
AltaSea
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On this episode, we have Jacob Muise who is a Co-Founder and the CEO of Maui Nui Venison.
Maui Nui Venison is supporting regenerative agriculture with its lineup of venison products made from wild-harvesting the invasive Axis deer population on the island of Maui.
Maui Nui Venison is the most nutrient-rich, and protein-dense red meat on the planet. Their stress-free, wild-harvesting methods ethically and responsibly manage the invasive Axis deer population of Maui in an effort to restore ecological balance to the island.
In this episode, we learn how Jake went from surfing the frosty waters off of Nova Scotia to the warm waters of Hawaii, the ecological imperative for managing the Axis deer population in Hawaii, and how Jake turned his obsession for Axis deer into the powerhouse brand that Maui Nui is today.
Now look, this is a little ‘outside of the box’ application of the term regenerative agriculture, and that may not fly for some of you purists out there. But guess what, we don’t really care. Because Maui Nui’s outcomes in terms of ecological benefit, human nutrition, and community benefit are unquestionably regenerative. And this is the first of two episodes in a row where we feature a brand with a nuanced take on regen somewhat outside of the norm.
And the word on the street is there are multiple top-secret reveals buried deep in this episode, so I think you’ll want to listen until the very end.
Episode Highlights:
🛶 How Axis Deer came to Hawaii
🏄 Jake’s journey from Nova Scotia to Maui
🦌 Why Axis Deer populations increase so rapidly
🍖 Turning a removal project into a meat business
🤯 Their unique, stress-free, night-time harvesting process
⚙️ Building USDA-approved processing for Axis Deer
😮 Ecological and economic imperatives for eating Axis Deer
🎯 Accidentally creating the ‘perfect meat triangle’
🔥 Why taste and quality Always. Comes. First.
💥 Their upcoming broth collab with Kettle & Fire
Links:
Maui Nui Venison
Hawaiʻiʻs Axis Deer - From invasive species to food source
Peter Attia
Tim Ferriss
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On this episode, we have Jessica Rubino and Douglas Brown from New Hope Network. Jessica serves as the Vice President of Content and Douglas serves as a Senior Retail Reporter & Analyst.
New Hope Network’s purpose is to cultivate a prosperous high-integrity CPG and retail ecosystem that creates health, joy, and justice for all people while regenerating the planet. New Hope Network is at the forefront of the natural, organic, and conscious products industry. With solutions for the complete supply chain, including manufacturers, retailers, distributors, service providers, ingredient suppliers, media, and investors, New Hope Network offers a robust portfolio of content, events, data, research, and consultative services.
Most of you listening probably know New Hope best for their seminal, annual event, Natural Products Expo West, which Kyle and I broke down on Episode 66.
In this episode, we are talking all things Newtopia Now, which is New Hope’s newest event designed for buyers to discover their next best-selling conscious products through facilitated connections, deepened relationships, and actionable and inspiring content.
The unique floorplan at Newtopia Now is built around 4 neighborhoods, with one being ‘Regenerate’ showcasing brands building more regenerative supply chains and overall business models.
We get a special sneak peek preview into the event overall, what retailers and regenerative brands can expect when attending Newtopia Now, and I ask both Jessica and Douglas for their thoughts on the hottest topics in the world of regenerative CPG. Because I know y’all are tired of just hearing Kyle and I talk about them…
This was a super fun episode, and I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at Newtopia Now in August.
Episode Highlights:
💫 Introducing, Newtopia Now!
🤝 New experiences for brands & buyers
🚶 Strolling the neighborhoods and shopping the market
🍝 Creating new and deeper connections at curated dine arounds
💭 Translating customer feedback into product development
⚡ The exciting early potential of the regen movement
🤔 How almost all regen claims are 3rd-party validated
🔮 What will regen CPG claims look like in the future?
💪 Is nutrient density the silver bullet for regen demand?
🎯 Embracing empathy, interconnectedness, and deeper connection
Links:
New Hope Network
Newtopia Now
The Natural List
Natural Products Expo West
Marketing regenerative: How three ROC brands sell agriculture
Black Cat Organic Farm
The Wolf’s Tailor
Colorado Grain Chain
Pastaficio
Moxie Bread Co
Mad Agriculture
Nutrient Density Alliance
Patagonia Provisions
SIMPLi
Alec’s Ice Cream
GoodSAM Foods
Lundberg Family Farms
Ancient Nutrition
Dr. Bronner’s
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On this episode, we have Ladd Wahlen who is a fourth-generation potato farmer and Co-Owner of Roots Potato Chips.
Roots Potato Chips is supporting regenerative agriculture with its lineup of single-origin, regeneratively farmed potato chip products.
In this episode, we learn how a college research project catapulted Ladd into his regenerative journey, how radically different his farming operation is from his conventional potato peers, and what its been like to go from farmer to also potato chip manufacturer and CPG brand operator.
Ladd’s farm is proving that you can build a regenerative model for commercial-scale potato production with the farm boasting 10 times the diversity of conventional farms, a 75% reduction in tillage versus conventional farms, and ground cover 90% of the year versus an average 33% of the year for conventional farms.
The Nature Conservancy has made the Wahlen’s farm a demonstration site to help other Idaho potato growers adopt regenerative practices and Ladd and his family hope that the Roots brand can become a commercial engine that incentivizes those same farmers to adopt these practices and while being paid for their efforts.
Episode Highlights:
🥔 Single-origin and regeneratively-farmed potato chips
🤩 Fourth-generation farmer + first-generation CPG founder
✍️ How a college research paper sparked Ladd’s regen curiosity
😯 The stark contrast between their farm and conventional farms
🥇 Being a demo farm for The Nature Conservancy
🚜 The impossibility of eliminating tillage in potato production
🤯 Starting the brand with 25 initial SKUs
👎 Why don’t retail buyers care more about regen?
🤝 Working with Soil & Climate Health Initiative Verification
🔥 Using the brand as a tool to convert potato farmers to regen
Links:
Roots Potato Chips
Idaho farm offers model of regenerative potato farming
The Nature Conservancy
Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI)
The End of Craving
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On this episode, we have Johnny Hunter who is a third-generation farmer and the President of Castor River Habitat & Farm.
Castor River Habitat & Farm is supporting regenerative agriculture with its lineup of rice products grown on their own farm and produced in their on-farm milling facility.
In this episode, we learn about the Hunter family’s deep agricultural roots, how Johnny was forced to go regen after ‘hitting rock bottom’ in 2012, and how the brand has grown since its inception in 2018.
Johnny is a masterful storyteller and this episode had a little bit of everything: thoughts on why we need to keep regenerative farmer-focused and rooted in reality, stories of collaborative commercialization with some of their retail and foodservice partners, plus what is ahead for Castor River including achieving Regenified certification and expanding sourcing beyond their home farm.
Episode Highlights:
🧑🌾 The Hunter family’s agricultural legacy
🤯 Committing to farming at 10 years old
💥The rock bottom year that sparked a regen transition
🎰 Why farming is like gambling and the house always wins
👏 Starting a brand to capture de-commoditized value
😂 Breaking into retail selling door-to-door at Hy-Vee
🤝 Their unique partnership with Just Salad
🦆 Why are they a habitat and a farm?
🔍 Onboarding with Regenified™
🍚 Sourcing from other farms to fuel future growth
Links:
Castor River Habitat & Farm
Ray Archuleta
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
Hy-Vee
Just Salad
Regenified™
Gabe Brown
Missouri Delta Soil Health Alliance
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On this episode, we have Allie O’Brien who is the Vice President of Marketing at Harmless Harvest.
Harmless Harvest is supporting regenerative agriculture with its Regenerative Organic Certified® coconut supply chain which is now making its way into label claims across their product portfolio.
In this episode, we learn about Harmless’ unique supply chain in Thailand sourcing the nam hom coconut, their work implementing regenerative practices on the ground through their ReCAP program, how their regenerative organic sourcing is coming to life in product marketing today and in the future, plus the support their receiving from their parent company, Danone.
Get your notepads out folks because Allie was dropping knowledge on this episode. It was super interesting and informative to have our first VP of Marketing on the show and Allie went in-depth on all things related to creating meaningful marketing strategies for regenerative claims whether we’re talking certifications, packaging design, claims hierarchy, pricing architecture, in-store promotion, channel-specific execution and so much more.
Episode Highlights:
🩷 What makes their coconut water pink + unique?
🥥 Why they only use nom ham coconuts
🌴 Canal-based, smallholder coconut farms in Thailand
😮 Why there’s no organic premium for their partner farmers
🤝 Creating the ReCAP program to increase regen ag adoption
💰 How Danone is supporting their regen work
🥤 Bringing regenerative claims to their bottles
🎯 Why regen is about retention and not purchase
👍 How retailers and certifiers can boost consumer education
🤩 “It’s the right thing to do AND better for business”
Links:
Harmless Harvest
Harmless Harvest’s Regenerative Agriculture
Harmless Harvest's 2023 Impact Report
Harmless Harvest’s ReCAP Program
Danone
Danone Ecosystem Fund
Regenerative Organic Certified®B-Corp
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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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