Come Meet Our Members & Explore Building Regenerative Supply Chains Together!
Join us for a power-packed half-day session that explores building regenerative supply chains with our network!
Event co-located with Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum
Members will deepen the relationships they have established online. Non-members get a chance to experience the Grounded Growth network and learn about how we help members add value to their business by embracing regenerative agriculture. Together, we will take another step toward fixing our food system!
8:00-8:15am Introductions
8:15-8:30am Our Value-Adding Partnership Pathways (Sara Harper)
8:30-9:00am […]
Do Not Disturb…The Soil
Buy the Book!
This week, our #RegenerativeMinute video provides a snapshot of why NOT tilling the earth is so important to growing nutrient-rich food. Currently, both conventional and organic farmers rely a great deal on tillage to control weeds. But some farmers have found a way to grow crops while keeping the ground covered and stable — these no-till farmers have been at the forefront of creating regenerative farming — a way of farming that restores natural resources, rather than depleting — or even sustaining them.
There are many other benefits of NoTill of course – we will feature some of those aspects in future episodes. You can only […]
Share the Risk
If we want a different food system — one that is optimal for both people and the planet, we ALL have to share the risk it takes to get there. Consumers have the power💥 to create an incentive for food companies that are fighting hard for their attention— to support farmers who can heal the earth 🌎 for us all! Together, we can help farmers shift toward regenerative agriculture at a scale that can make a real difference.
If we want to share the rewards of an agricultural system that uses less chemicals and stores carbon in the ground, we all have to share the risk that comes with making big changes to a small margin […]
69% of 18-34 Year-Olds Are “Belief Driven Buyers” — Here’s A Better Way to Appeal to Them
By Sara Harper
A newly released survey of consumers finds that well over a majority around the world (including in the U.S.) now consider the social mission of a brand to be a critical attribute that affects their purchasing decisions.
The 2018 Edelman Earned Brand study finds that nearly 2/3 or 64% of global consumers will buy or boycott a brand solely because of its position on a social or political issue. As the study points out, this is a “staggering increase of 13 points from last year.”
Fully 59% of consumers in the U.S. (up 12 points from last year) are now characterized as “Belief-Driven Buyers” by the study author.
And it’s not just one country or one age group […]
Latest Trends in Natural Food Shared at Expo West 2018
By Sara Harper
Last week, I journeyed across country to attend the Natural Products Expo West 2018 food show. So did some 80,000 other people! The event brings together new and emerging food companies sampling their latest creations and retail food buyers and suppliers from across the country. It is a great chance to taste, see and learn the stats behind the latest trends and hot ingredients coming to your grocery store soon.
The show, which lasts almost a full week, contains educational workshops and trend reports as well as a giant trade show floor where some 3,000 food companies offer wall-to-wall samples of the latest […]
Blue Evolution’s Gift from the Sea
Exploring the Stories of Challenger Brands and How They Intersect with American Agriculture
Gift From the Sea. Our minds go right to fish and shellfish, maybe even to Jesus enabling a big catch, but what if the most sustainable gift is a plant?
We are all aware of how healthy eating fish tends to be. Many of us are aware also that some commonly eaten fish are bioaccumulations of toxins as well as healthy compounds such as vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. Doesn’t it make sense to eat some of the healthy things the fish are eating? Isn’t this doubly true if this can be done deliciously? How about triply if the product can reduce the impacts of Carbon Dioxide […]
Banana Wave® Reinvents the Non-Dairy Beverage Space
Exploring the Stories of Challenger Brands and How They Intersect with American Agriculture
By: Sara Harper
“Eating more like our ancestors did.” That is increasingly seen as one of the missing pieces of the health puzzle in our modern developed country by everyone from macrobiotic hippies in California to health scientists in Boston. From the trend of using more whole food ingredients to strict “Paleo-” diets to foraging — this is one of the big themes of nutrition today.
Of course, we don’t live in an Eden where we need merely to pluck a fully ripened fruit from a conveniently growing tree; we could never in our history have been able to afford to be […]
Bella Gluten Free: Baking Made Easy
Exploring the Stories of Challenger Brands and How They Intersect with American Agriculture
A blog series by Sara Harper
Bella Gluten Free is on a mission to bring joy and health back to those that follow a restricted diet. “Bella” means beautiful in Italian, which is both a link to the founder’s heritage and her belief that restoring health and taste is truly a beautiful thing. I got to meet Bella Gluten-Free’s founder, Mary Capone, at this years’ Natural Products Expo West trade show in California. In this post, she shares […]
Sustainability’s Market Return
As a marketing (we prefer the term engagement) company, we are always keeping our eyes out for the latest research that will help our clients to grow. My work focuses on sustainability in the food and agricultural sector – and how we take our farmer and food company clients to the next level of growth by creating captivating messaging and exciting opportunities for consumers to experience a brand – with the farmer’s story and sustainability playing a starring role in that process. So, when I read a story yesterday in Inc. with the title: “New Research Shows that Marketing Sustainability Can Sway Customers Worldwide,” you can imagine my excitement! The study, commissioned by Unilever (makers of Dove soap, […]