Ep. 79: Shannon Algiere – farmer liaison manager, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture  – ft. co-host Jennifer Hashley, founder of New Market Farming project ||

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On episode 79 we welcome Shannon Algiere – farmer liaison manager at Stone Barns Center. Shannon has taught at Nature Centers, volunteered as a ranger for the Costa Rica National Park Service, managed a biodynamic greenhouse operation and helped develop a 60-member market farm in Connecticut.  Shannon first came to the Stone Barns Center in 2003 with her husband, Jack, and has played many roles on the farm, most recently flower and herb manager. Shannon now employs her extensive farming and mentorship experience to facilitate educational engagement, assisting in the design of a dynamic and impactful farm connection for visitors, aspiring farmers and students.

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Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture was developed by David Rockefeller and dedicated to the memory of his wife, Peggy Rockefeller. The Stone Barns Center’s mission is to demonstrate, teach and promote sustainable, community-based food production. Open to visitors of all ages but with an emphasis on K-12 education, the Center offers a unique experience: a chance to learn about farming firsthand on a real working farm within a 30-minute drive of New York City. Livestock, chickens, vegetables, gardens, greenhouses a learning facility and cultural center demonstrate to the public the advantages of local, community-based farming and environmentally sensitive agricultural practices.  The Center is also home to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a four star restaurant that offers guests a taste of the farm and of the Hudson Valley.

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TuneIn to our 40 minute conversation to hear about the future of farming, its workforce, our connection with food and how we can all be a part moving forward.

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@StoneBarns

 



co-host:

Jennifer Hashley

  • Founder of Tufts New Entry Sustainable farming project 
  • Owner of Pete & Jen’s backyard birds
  • Evangelist | Activist| Innovator
  • Eisenhower Fellow 2016

@JHashley

Ep. 78: Paul Rice – founder, President & CEO of Fair Trade, USA. – ft. co-host Jennifer Hashley, founder of New Market Farming project  ||

What about the folks producing our food? Tune in to episode 78 to hear from Paul Rice, founder, President & CEO of Fair Trade USA, the social enterprise and leading certifier of Fair Trade products in North America.


On a mission to impact social and environmental good, Fair Trade USA celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018. Since its launch, Fair Trade USA and its partners have generated almost $500 million in additional income for farmers and workers in more than 70 countries worldwide, allowing them to keep their kids in school, care for the land and steadily improve their livelihoods. Fair Trade USA sets standards that farms, fisheries and factories must be audited against in order to be called Fair Trade Certified. With a beginning in coffee, the organization now certifies over thirty commodities. A timely conversation as the global coffee market price is at a ten year low, Paul shares what Fair Trade is continuing to do to improve farmer livelihoods and enact long term sustainable development. He’ll talk about what Fair Trade for all means to him and the organization and the power of collective bargaining. The Fair Trade USA seafood program just celebrated it’s 5th anniversary and he will share how it came to be and the importance of contributing to the seafood sustainability space. Lastly will check in on the vision for the future and how Fair Trade aligns with the conscious consumer of today.

BIO: He launched the award-winning nonprofit organization in 1998 after spending 11 years organizing farmers in the highlands of Nicaragua. There he founded and led the country’s first Fair Trade coffee export cooperative, which introduced him to the transformative power of market-based approaches to sustainable development. Paul Rice then returned to the United States to obtain his MBA from Berkeley Haas with the dream of bringing Fair Trade to consumers, businesses and farmers worldwide.

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PAUL RICE –  ep. 78:  FAIR TRADE FOR ALL
People called him crazy in the beginning, but Paul had a bold vision for Fair Trade: from his years in Nicaragua, he knew that farmers and workers could learn to navigate the global market and empower themselves on a journey out of poverty. He believed that business could become a major force for social and environmental change, creating “shared value” and sustainability with profitability. He envisioned a consumer awakening and recognition that everyday purchases can impact the world for the better. In short, Paul believed deeply that the Fair Trade movement would have a major impact on the world and also help propel a much larger, lasting shift toward Conscious Capitalism.
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Twenty years later, Fair Trade has grown into a widely-known and increasingly mainstream consumer trend that is rapidly approaching an inflection point. In 2016, consumer recognition of the Fair Trade Certified label reached 67% and U.S. retail sales of Fair Trade products grew to an estimated $6 billion.  Paul and his team have enlisted the support of over 1,300 companies, including market leaders like Green Mountain, Starbucks, Nespresso, General Mills, PepsiCo, Whole Foods, Costco, Target and Walmart. Fair Trade USA now certifies coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, coconut, fresh fruits and vegetables. Most recently, through groundbreaking partnerships with Patagonia, West Elm and Gap Inc., Fair Trade has begun certifying apparel and home furnishings to improve working conditions and incomes for factory workers.
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Paul’s rich, first-hand experience over the last 30 years in the areas of sustainable agriculture, grassroots economic development, global supply chain transparency and consumer activation is unique in the certification world. He is now a leading advocate of “impact sourcing” as a core strategy for both poverty alleviation and sustainable business.
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Paul has been honored for his pioneering work by Ashoka, the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Fast Company Magazine’s Social Capitalist of the Year award (four-time winner), Ethisphere’s 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics, Entrepreneur magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year (2012 Finalist) and the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. The Texas-native holds an Economics and Political Science degree from Yale University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, where he is now an Executive Fellow. Paul has spoken at the World Economic Forum, Clinton Global Initiative, Skoll World Forum, TEDx and universities & conferences around the world.

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summary by:
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Mel Bandler
Retail Partnerships
@ FairTrade USA

 

@FairTradeCert

 



co-host:

Jennifer Hashley

  • Founder of Tufts New Entry Sustainable farming project 
  • Owner of Pete & Jen’s backyard birds
  • Evangelist | Activist| Innovator
  • Eisenhower Fellow 2016

@JHashley

Ep. 77: John Roulac, founder & Chief Hemp Officer at RE Botanicals.  Roulac is founder & former CEO of superfood and hemp industry leader – Nutiva  ||

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On episode 77 we welcome John Roulac – founder & Chief Hemp officers at RE Botanicals.  For the production of Fiber and CBD, the potential reach and Hemp’s total production footprint is vast.  So, is this the perfect opportunity to prove out the many values of regenerative agriculture for diverse stakeholders in broader markets?  John Roulac thinks so, and we sit down for a few to learn more about it.

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John Roulac started natural and superfoods brand Nutiva in 1999 because of his deeply held belief that it is his purpose to challenge the industrial food model and create a better food system to nourish people, communities, and our planet. Through his leadership, Nutiva has become one of the fastest-growing superfoods company in the world. Nutiva has been named one of Inc. Magazine’s fastest-growing private companies in America for seven years in a row – with sales topping $100mm in 2015.
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As you’ll hear in our 45 conversation the vast majority of USA grown hemp uses harsh chemical fertilizers, rotated with industrial GMO corn and soy and contributes to climate change and ocean die off. As John tells us – RE Botanicals is commitment to the highest quality, and insures you that the product you consume is pure and organic. They source differentiated products in a new world of Hemp production.  For your future CBD needs – might want to look under the hood a bit and determine for yourself why Sourcing Matters.

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TuneIn to hear what’s going on with the future production of hemp, and regenerative agriculture in the United States.

JohnRoulac

 

 



Ep. 76: Luke Holden, CEO & Founder of Luke’s Lobster ||

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On episode 76 of Sourcing Matters we welcome CEO & founder of Luke’s Lobster – Luke Holden.  Luke’s Lobster first opened its doors in the East Village of New York City in 2009. The company brings traceable, sustainable seafood to guests across the country.  They work directly with fishermen to hand pick the best seafood, and serve that straight from the source, prepared pure and simple, without the filler. They’ve systematically chosen partners who uphold our commitment to sourcing superior, sustainable ingredients and strive to support other small businesses, many of which are based in Maine or local to the cities where they maintain their Lobsters shacks.
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BIO: Luke Holden grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine – a third-generation lobsterman who started learning the trade at age 13. After attending Georgetown University and beginning an investment banking career on Wall Street, Luke was remiss to find that every lobster roll available in New York was overpriced, drowning in mayo, and diluted with celery. He craved a real Maine-style roll and simply couldn’t find one.
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In the 10 years since launching, Holden and his partners have worked to vertically integrate the business to insure the highest quality products with guaranteed integrity and provenance. Growing up in the industry has afforded Holden a high level of clout with with the lobsterman, harvesters and fishermen in Tenants Harbor Maine who source his product.  We learn that the experience and support that Luke’s father offered from running Maine’s largest lobster processing facility gave their team at Luke’s Lobsters the insight and knowhow to launch a processing facility in Saco.  This infrastructure  has since expedited growth to now service 30 domestic, and 11 international Shacks,  as well as their wholesale account Whole Foods.
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In our 40 minute discussion we learn more about what this thought-leader is doing to protect his fishery in the warming waters of the Gulf of Maine.  We chat about full carcass utilization of the lobster, and about the economic viability of the fishery and its future crop. We discuss product differentiation, and diversifying the offerings of both their producers/ harvesters, and of his growing $30mm business.

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TuneIn to hear about the future of the iconic Maine lobster.

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LukesLobster