A Lifelong Commitment to Organic — John Foraker Joins Compass Coffee Talk, September 14, 2022, 11:00 am ET
A Lifelong Commitment to Organic — John Foraker Joins Compass Coffee Talk, September 14, 2022,
11:00 am ET
Leading Podcast Compass Coffee Talk Welcomes John Foraker, Co-Founder and CEO of Once Upon a Farm, for a discussion on sustainability, regenerative agriculture and setting the standard for organic consumer products, September 14, 2022, 11:00 am ET.
Wednesday, September 14, 11:00 – 11:30 am ET
Zoom, Admission is Free
John Foraker, Co-Founder and CEO, Once Upon a Farm
Compass Coffee Talk™ continues its live webinar series of business leaders throughout the natural, organic and sustainable products industry by welcoming John Foraker, Co-Founder and CEO of Once Upon a Farm. A renowned supporter of regenerative agriculture with an unmatched dedication to organic consumer products, John continues leading the way in the specialty, natural and organic industry through his work at Once Upon a Farm.
Throughout his 30+ years of experience, John led the well known natural and organic food brand Annie’s, Inc. to an eventual sale to General Mills, where he was influential in their adoption of regenerative agriculture. From there, he co-founded Once Upon a Farm alongside Jennifer Garner, Ari Raz and Cassandra Curtis, where his leadership brought a sharp focus on sustainability and social responsibility to the company, which still continues today.
Throughout his tenure at Once Upon a Farm, the company has expanded its portfolio of products, developed a unique process to secure nutrients and flavors into its product recipes, and helped lead the way in an entirely new category in ‘Fresh Snacking.’ With a passion for developing mission driven brands, John inspires his organization to advocate and support efforts that drive positive social change and food justice for the benefit of families, children and parents.
About John Foraker
John is the Co-Founder and CEO of Once Upon A Farm, a company with the mission of providing yummy and nutritious “farm-to-family” foods to kids of all ages.
Prior to his new start-up, John spent more than 30 years in the natural and organic food industry running businesses with a sharp focus on sustainability and social responsibility. John was the longtime leader of Annie’s, Inc., a leading natural & organic food brand, in the US from 1999 to 2017. As CEO of Annie’s, he took the company public in 2012 under the symbol BNNY before General Mills acquired the business in 2014 for $820 million. For the following three years, John ran the Annie’s operating unit and also advised General Mills’ small business incubator 301, Inc.
He was recognized as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2015 in Northern California. Foraker received a B.S. in agricultural economics from UC Davis and an MBA from UC Berkeley.
About Compass Coffee Talk™
Take a 30-minute virtual coffee break with Compass Coffee Talk™. Hosted by natural industry veterans Bill Capsalis and Steve Hoffman, Coffee Talk features lively interactive conversations with industry leaders and experts designed to help guide entrepreneurs and businesses of any size succeed in the market for natural, organic, regenerative, hemp-derived and other eco-friendly products.
Compass Coffee Talk™ is produced by Compass Natural Marketing, a leading PR, branding and business development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more.
VIEW OUR PAST COMPASS COFFEE TALK EPISODES ON YOUTUBE.
Compass Coffee Talk Episode 25 — Mark Retzloff: A Lifetime of Service to the Planet and Its People
Compass Coffee Talk Episode 25 — Mark Retzloff: A Lifetime of Service to the Planet and Its People
Leading Podcast Compass Coffee Talk Welcomes Mark Retzloff, an Original Founder and Pioneer of the Modern Day Organic Food Industry, June 15, 2022, 11:30am EST.
Wednesday, June 15, 11:30am – 12:00pm EST
Zoom, Admission is Free
Mark Retzloff, CEO, Climate Foods
Compass Coffee Talk™, now in its 25th episode, continues exploring the industry landscape of natural, organic and sustainable products with guest Mark Retzloff. With a wide ranging impact throughout the natural products industry in his five decades of service, Mark continues to push the envelope in the role that food, agriculture and climate change play in our society and environment.
As Co-Founder of Alfalfa’s Market, Mark Retzloff was influential in the inception of natural foods retail in the United States, and helped set the standard for the modern day full service retail environment we know today. From there, Retzloff became Co-Founder of Horizon Organic Dairy, and was instrumental in leading one of the first organic milk brands to nationwide success and becoming a household name. Mark is also a Co-Founder of Greenmont Capital Partners and former Chairman of Organic Food Alliance where he was instrumental in Washington D.C., leading passage of the Organic Food Production Act in 1990. Today, Mark is CEO of Climate Foods, furthering his mission to promote soil health, make delicious regenerative organic food products and absorb tons of carbon out of the atmosphere to minimize the impacts of climate change.
About Mark Retzloff
Mr. Retzloff is a pioneer in the natural organic and sustainable food and agriculture industry with a 51-year career starting and managing a number of successful companies. He is co-founder and former chairman and CEO of Alfalfa’s Markets and also co-founded Aurora Organic Dairy in 2003. He was the University of Michigan’s School for the Environment and Sustainability, (SEAS), Practitioner in Residence for 2014/2015 and 2015/2016, and serves on the Colorado State University School of Agriculture Dean’s Advisory Board. He is past Chairman of the Board of Natural Habitats Group, a Rotterdam, NL and Boulder-based, fully integrated leader in worldwide organic sustainable palm oil production, processing, and distribution. Mark currently mentors, counsels, consults and advises numerous leaders and companies in the Natural, Organic, Local and Sustainable food and agriculture sector. In 2019, Mark co-founded Flock LLC which is a dynamic movement aimed at fast-tracking regenerative agriculture for the preservation of the planet and people.
In 1990, Mr. Retzloff was chairman of the Organic Food Alliance which was instrumental in passing the federal 1990 Organic Food Production Act in Washington D.C, and went on to become the co-founder of Broomfield, CO.-based, Horizon Organic Dairy. He then became Chairman of Rudi’s Organic Bakery, a leading Colorado-based national organic brand, where he helped execute a successful turn-around. He lends his knowledge as a board member and advisor to emerging companies, which have included Blue Horizon Organic Seafood, BlueSun BioDiesel, Boulder Ice Cream, Crocs Footwear, Evol Burritos, Goddess Garden, Haystack Mtn. Goat Cheese, Sambazon Acai, Traditional Medicinals, Tempt Hemp Milk, and Uncle Matt’s Organic Juice. Mr. Retzloff is a founding partner at Greenmont Capital Partners, and founder and former Chairman of The Organic Center and he is a past 11-year board member of RSF Social Finance.
About Compass Coffee Talk™
Take a 30-minute virtual coffee break with Compass Coffee Talk™. Hosted by natural industry veterans Bill Capsalis and Steve Hoffman, Coffee Talk features lively interactive conversations with industry leaders and experts designed to help guide entrepreneurs and businesses of any size succeed in the market for natural, organic, regenerative, hemp-derived and other eco-friendly products.
Compass Coffee Talk™ is produced by Compass Natural Marketing, a leading PR, branding and business development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more.
VIEW OUR PAST COMPASS COFFEE TALK EPISODES ON YOUTUBE.
Compass Coffee Talk Episode 23 - The Rodale Family’s Organic Legacy
The Rodale Family’s Organic Legacy
Compass Coffee Talk welcomes Maria Rodale, trailblazing author, publisher, organic lifestyle advocate and former CEO of Rodale Inc., a global health and wellness media company.
Wednesday, April 20, 11:30 am – Noon EDT
Zoom, Admission is Free
Maria Rodale, Organic Advocate and Former Chair and CEO of Rodale Inc
As the third generation of leadership, Maria Rodale imprinted her own legacy on a family of publishing and organic agriculture pioneers who founded the internationally acclaimed Rodale Press, publisher of such renowned titles as Prevention Magazine, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Organic Gardening and more.
Maria’s grandfather, J.I. Rodale, founder of Rodale Press, was the first to popularize the term “organic” for food grown without the use of toxic, synthetic chemicals; and her father, Robert Rodale, coined the term “regenerative agriculture,” for practices beyond organic that sequester carbon into rebuilding healthy, sustainable soils.
Building on her family’s work, Maria’s career in organic and publishing has expanded awareness of better agricultural, nutrition, wellness and organic lifestyle practices worldwide. Maria is the author of numerous books, including The Organic Manifesto and Scratch, a collection of recipes from her former blog, Maria’s Farm Country Kitchen. Recently retired as Co-chair of the nonprofit Rodale Institute for agriculture research in eastern Pennsylvania, Maria remains an active board member. Located on 300 acres in Kutztown, PA, the Rodale Institute is known worldwide as a leader in organic and regenerative agriculture research.
About Maria Rodale
Maria Rodale is an author and former CEO and Chairman of Rodale Inc, publisher of books such as Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth, Howard Schultz’s Onward, and classics like The South Beach Diet. She also published the magazines Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Prevention and Organic Gardening,among others. She is the author of Organic Manifesto, How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World and Keep Us Safe, and Scratch, Home Cooking for Everyone Made Simple, Fun and Totally Delicious. She has also been involved as a board member and co-chairman of the Rodale Institute, an independent scientific research and education non-profit which studies regenerative organic vs. chemical agriculture. She was Co-Chair from 2007 to 2017 and still sits on the board.
From 2003 to 2011 she was on the board of Bette Midler’s New York Restoration Project. From 2014 to 2017 she served on the Pennsylvania Federal Reserve Advisory council. She served on the board of the Lehigh Valley Health Network.
She has received awards for her lifetime of service and activism, including the National Audubon Rachel Carson Award in 2004, United Nations Population Fund’s Award for the Health and Dignity of Woman Everywhere in 2007, and The Auburn University International Quality of Life Award in 2014. And in 2017 she received an honorary Doctorate Degree from Delaware Valley University. In 1985 she graduated from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA with a dual major in Communications and Art.
About Compass Coffee Talk™
Take a 30-minute virtual coffee break with Compass Coffee Talk™. Hosted by natural industry veterans Bill Capsalis and Steve Hoffman, Coffee Talk features lively interactive conversations with industry leaders and experts designed to help guide entrepreneurs and businesses of any size succeed in the market for natural, organic, regenerative, hemp-derived and other eco-friendly products.
Compass Coffee Talk™ is produced by Compass Natural Marketing, a leading PR, branding and business development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more.
VIEW OUR PAST COMPASS COFFEE TALK EPISODES ON YOUTUBE.
CHi Foods, a 2022 NEXTY Award Finalist, Launches the World’s First Certified Organic and Regenerative, Plant-based Pork Products at Natural Products Expo West
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHi Foods, a 2022 NEXTY Award Finalist, Launches the World’s First Certified Organic and Regenerative, Plant-based Pork Products at Natural Products Expo West
Made from nutrient-dense Sacha Inchi nuts, NEXTY judges said it could become the “other, other white meat!” Visit CHi Foods at Natural Products Expo West, Hot Products Hall, Booth #N1643.
SANTA BARBARA, CA (March 3, 2022) — CHi Foods, a new brand of organic plant-based proteins, will debut its products at the upcoming Natural Products Expo West, the world’s leading natural and organic products trade show, held March 8 – 12, 2022 in Anaheim, CA. The brand will launch four SKUs, including Original, Italian Herb, Chirizo and Maple Breakfast.
Launched earlier this year, CHi Foods company founders state their new CHi Organic Plant-Based Ground Pork is the world’s first line of Certified Organic plant-based pork. The company’s product was selected as a finalist for the 2022 Natural Products Expo West NEXTY Award for ‘Best New Product Supporting A Plant-Based Lifestyle’. The NEXTY awards recognize the most progressive, impactful and trustworthy products in the natural products industry.
CHi Foods is backed by an impressive slate of CPG industry veterans including Ahmed Rahim (Numi Tea), David Bronner (Dr. Bronner’s) and David Karr and Don Miguel (Guayaki). The company has additional funding from Conservation International and Amazonia Impact Ventures.
CHi meat is made from highly nutritious sacha inchi nuts, also known as CHi nuts. Grown in the tropics, sacha inchi nuts contain eight times the omega-3 content as salmon, and four times as much protein as macadamia nuts and zero net carbohydrates. The product, which tastes delicious and has the look, taste and texture of pork, took nearly a decade of research and development to create, say its founders.
Product Attributes:
USDA Certified Organic
Soy & Gluten Free
Top 9 Allergen Free
Keto & Paleo
Powered by regenerative proteins - CHi Nuts & Protein
Ethically Sourced, Certified Organic and Committed to Regenerative Agriculture
CHi Foods offers a line of plant-based meat products made from ethically sourced organic and regenerative ingredients from BIPOC farmers around the world. Co-founders Philip Matthew and Tucker Garrison created the company to bring integrity to plant-based meat and restore trust with consumers in the category. CHi Foods is an LGBTQ Certified diverse owned business.
Garrison, CHi Foods’ CEO/CFO, is an avid regenerative agriculture practitioner (and surfer), who has managed a 40-acre organic avocado ranch and has lived among indigenous communities in Bali, Guatemala and Peru. Philip Matthew, the brand’s CMO, is a technology integrations and marketing design expert, as well as a devoted cyclist.
A decade ago, the pair launched Imlak’esh Organics, a company and national brand that curates plant-based, keto, paleo and immunity-boosting functional snacks through ethical supply chains that benefit diverse small farmers around the world. Leading natural products distributor KeHE Foods recently selected Imlak’esh Organics to participate in the KeHE CAREtrade Program that recognizes and promotes mission-based brands that “advance a higher purpose, giving back to communities worldwide and working to truly make the world a better place.”
Like Imlak’esh products, CHi Foods products are USDA Certified Organic and made with ingredients grown with regenerative agriculture practices. All CHi Foods products are soy and gluten free, free of the top nine allergens, non-GMO, and keto and paleo. The company supports indigenous communities and working with a diverse supply chain, including BIPOC farmers in Thailand, Ecuador and Peru.
Lauded as the “Other, Other White Meat”
CHi Foods is debuting Four SKUS at Natural Products Expo West 2022, including:
Original - Lightly Seasoned
Chirizo
Italian Herb
Maple Breakfast
“Finally, a product that makes us want to see how the sausage is made,” wrote the NEXTY judges. “This food disruptor proves that technology can work in tandem with organic, regenerative supply chains… We see real potential for this product to become the other, other white meat,” they said in recognizing the most progressive, impactful and trustworthy products in the natural products industry.
Natural products industry experts highlighted CHimeat Organic Plant-Based Ground Pork as a hot product to watch during a recent webinar “Navigating Expo: The Hottest Trends and Products.” Plant-based foods, organic, diverse-owned companies and climate-friendly are among the trends SPINS and New Hope Network identified as driving growth in the natural products industry. CHi Foods products check all of these boxes.
Visit CHi Foods at Natural Products Expo West, Hot Products Hall, Booth #N1643.
For wholesale inquiries and to schedule a meeting at Natural Products Expo West, contact Tucker Garrison, CEO and Co-founder, CHi Foods, tucker@chifoods.us, 805.244.1750
About CHi Foods
We are CHi Foods, a revolutionary crew on a journey to transform plant-based meat from soil to shelf. As modern-day “Plant Hunters,” we journey to the rainforest to bring you nutritious, ethically sourced, whole food ingredients. We craft delicious, Certified Organic plant-based meats with bold heritage flavors to delight you and your community! Learn more at www.chifoods.us/
Media Contact
Evan Tompros, Compass Natural, evan@compasnaturalmarketing.com
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Organic Packaged Foods Contain Fewer Ingredients Linked to Negative Health Effects
Photo: Pexels
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s October 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steve Hoffman
Processed, packaged foods labeled as organic have a more healthful profile than their conventional counterparts, says a new analysis of 80,000 food products conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and published in the journal Nutrients.
The study focused on packaged foods, which EWG said accounts for more than 60% of the calories consumed in the U.S. The study analyzed nutrition and ingredient information for 8,240 organic and 72,205 conventional foods sold in the U.S. in 2019 and 2020. It is the most comprehensive study to date of the differences between non-organic, or conventional, packaged foods and those labeled as Certified Organic, said EWG.
According to the EWG study, organic packaged foods have fewer ultra-processed ingredients and additives that may promote overeating. EWG reported that the overall nutritional profile of organic foods is better, too, with less added sugar, saturated fat and sodium. Organic packaged foods contain more potassium, a heart-healthy nutrient found in fruits, vegetables and other unprocessed or minimally processed foods, EWG reported.
Nearly three-quarters of the U.S. packaged food and beverage supply in 2018 was ultra-processed, claimed EWG. This category of food makes up a significant source of calories for people over the age of two, and even higher for kids ages two to 19, EWG noted.
New Organic Bed & Bath Brand Seeks to Democratize Organic Via the QVC Network
Photo: Pexels
Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, October 2019
By Steven Hoffman
“ECOlifestyle” entrepreneur and author Marci Zaroff recently launched a new certified organic, luxury lifestyle brand, Farm to Home, on the popular QVC shopping television network. Consumers are demanding more transparency from the brands they buy and support—including food, beauty, clothing and home textiles, Zaroff said. With $8.8 billion in revenue in 2017, QVC is a powerhouse, reaching 370 million homes in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Austria, Japan, Italy, France, and through a joint venture in China. From fiber to finished product, Farm to Home adheres to the highest level of organic certification from the notable Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). According to the Organic Trade Association, the U.S. organic industry hit a record of $52.5 billion in sales overall in 2018, with organic non-food product sales up 10.6% to $4.6 billion in revenue. Industry data also shows that fiber accounted for 40% of the organic non-food market with sales of $1.8 billion in 2018, up from $1.6 billion in 2017. “We believe everyone should have the opportunity to #dwellorganically, which is why our mission is to democratize organic home goods, offering authenticity, accessibility and affordability," said Zaroff, Founder and CEO of Farm to Home. "I am overjoyed with the QVC partnership, as it provides an easy way for consumers to purchase a responsibly luxurious organic bed and bath collection at great prices. “Organic cotton textiles are not only key to promoting cleaner and healthier living, but are essential in protecting soil health, supporting climate change resilience and improving water retention—all while ensuring farmer and worker welfare," Zaroff added.