ReGen Brands Podcast
The ReGen Brands Podcast is a place for brands, retailers, investors, and other food system stakeholders to learn about consumer brands supporting regenerative agriculture and how they’re changing the world. The ReGen Brands Podcast is hosted by Kyle Krull & Anthony Corsaro.
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Episodes
Friday Jul 28, 2023
Friday Jul 28, 2023
On this episode, we have Ashley Walsh who is the Founder and President of Pocono Organics.
Pocono Organics is supporting regenerative agriculture with their 380-acre Regenerative Organic Certified® farm producing fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, microgreens, and a myriad of hemp-based CPG products.
In this episode, we learn about Ashley’s health journey with gastroparesis that inspired the farm, their farm’s journey into the myriad of enterprises they are running on-site, and their growing CBD-infused CPG lineup that they are currently scaling.
Episode Highlights:
🤤 Enjoying a CBD-infused “marsh-mellow”
👎 Ashley’s health journey with gastroparesis
💫 Rodale Institute’s instrumental role in their work
🧑🌾 Practices on their 380-acre Regenerative Organic Certified® farm
🧑🔬 Research trials on-farm with Rodale + Jefferson University
🙏 The amazing medicinal power of hemp & CBD
🤯 Why Nano-Particle CBD??
🔥 Why vertical integration is so important for their product quality + innovation
👀 New CBD products coming soon!
🤩 Selling regen products to NASCAR fans at Pocono Raceway
Links:
Pocono Organics
Rodale Institute
Regenerative Organic Certified®
Nano-Particle CBD
Pocono Raceway
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Friday Jul 21, 2023
Friday Jul 21, 2023
On this episode, we have Andres & Juan, the Co-Founders of Chiki Chiki Boom Boom.
Chiki Chiki Boom Boom is supporting regenerative agriculture with their line of enhanced water beverages packed with regenerative and organic botanicals.
They market the product to consumers as “Reggaeton In A Bottle” and a tool to “Regenerate Your Body.”
In this episode, we learn about Chiki’s regenerative organic farm in the “Valley of Longevity” in Ecudaor, Andres schools us on how the brand architecture was built to encompass Reggaeton, authentic Latin flavors and culture, plus lofty sustainability goals. And, we dive deep into their current farming operation and commercial traction of the brand.
Episode Highlights:
💃 Meet: “Reggaeton In A Bottle”
😂 How Juan & Andres met in LA
🙏 Inspiration from the “Valley of Longevity”
💰 The huge opportunity to serve the Latin consumer
😍 Their 40-acre regenerative organic farm in Ecuador
🏅 The rigor of USDA Organic certification
🤳 Why TikTok is so important
🤤 The competitive advantage of “regenerative flavor”
🤩 How they support indigenous + female farmers
💥 Why retailers are the “gatekeepers” to a regenerative future
Links:
Chiki Chiki Boom Boom
Chiki’s ReGen Info
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Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
On this episode, we have Holly & John Arbuckle who are the Co-Founders of Singing Pastures.
Singing Pastures is supporting regenerative agriculture with their regenerative, pastured-pork snack sticks and soon-to-launch salami products.
In this episode, Holly & John share why creating a CPG brand was their path toward an adequate farming livelihood, we learn all about their unique pork program which is “wildly regenerative”, and we discuss what the regenerative community has to do in the future to be successful.
Episode Highlights:
🐖 Creating the first nationally available pastured pork stick
💫 The importance of courage, commitment, and creativity
😂 How they cold-called their way into Thrive Market
🙏 Bootstrapping and “betting the farm” on the brand
🤤 Their new Salami SKUs coming soon
🐷 Rotationally grazing pigs + using humane nose rings
♻️ Upcycling local food waste to help feed their pigs
🤔 Why they lead with “pasture-raised” vs “regenerative”
👉 The problems with regenerative being tied to organic
😡 Why corporate capture of government prevents scaling regen
Links:
Singing Pastures
Pig Tales
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Friday Jun 30, 2023
Friday Jun 30, 2023
On this episode, we have Craig Camp who is the General Manager at Troon Vineyard.
Troon Vineyard is a Regenerative Organic Certified and Demeter Biodynamic Certified vineyard and wine brand. It is one of only 4 farms in the world to hold the distinction of being Regenerative Organic Certified® at the Gold level.
In this episode, we learn about Craig’s lifetime love affair with wine and how he landed at Troon. He details the vineyard’s journey from a conventionally-farmed, lifeless plot of land to an abundant and biodiverse ecosystem. Plus, we learn about the nuances of bringing wine to market and its potential to be a leading category in the regenerative transition.
Episode Highlights:
🦋 The abundant biodiversity in the vineyard
🥇 Being 1 of 4 farms that is Regenerative Organic Certified® Gold
💰 Why “there’s no mission without margin”
🤯 Their regenerative transformation since 2016
🍷 The Euro trip that inspired Craig’s career in wine
💫 Using natural yeast and tripling their YAN
☝️ Why no-till is the most important practice to scale regen
🚚 How selling adult beverages is different than other CPG
☑️ Why we have to plant things where they want to grow
⚡ Wine’s unique ability to lead the regen transition
Links:
Troon Vineyard
Regenerative Organic Certified®
Demeter Biodynamic Certified
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Friday Jun 23, 2023
Friday Jun 23, 2023
On this episode, we have Michael Ham who is the Co-Founder and President at Wild Orchard.
Wild Orchard is the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified® tea brand and boasts 27 SKUs of tea products.
In this episode, we learn about the incredibly unique growing conditions for Wild Orchard’s teas on Jeju Island in South Korea. Michael gives us a deep dive education on the wild differences between Wild Orchard’s products and the conventional tea industry. Plus, we talk about opportunities to bring regenerative brands to market through leading “tastemaker” channels like MICHELIN Star restaurants and other high-end food service operations.
Episode Highlights:
🤯 Their 1,000-acre regenerative farm in Jeju Island, South Korea
🆒 Michael’s background in nature photography & air quality
🏆 Winning global tea awards and becoming Regenerative Organic Certified®
😯 How all types of tea actually come from the same perennial tree
🔬 Plans to lab test all products for nutrient density, antioxidants, etc.
🧑🍳 Selling to MICHELIN Star restaurants and other high-end foodservice accounts
🪿 Heavy rainfall, volcanic soil, wild geese and other unique aspects of their farm
😵💫 Wild Orchard Regenerative Teas versus conventional teas
🥳 Recent retail wins (Jimbo’s + MOM’s) and plans for the future
⚡ What regen can learn from the clear energy movement
Links:
Wild Orchard
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Friday Jun 16, 2023
Friday Jun 16, 2023
On this episode, we have Susan Buckwalter who is one of the Co-Founders of Recoup.
Recoup is an all-natural, ginger-powered hydration beverage with regenerative organic maple water as its lead ingredient. Recoup is also the first beverage brand to be Regenerative Organic Certified® across its entire product portfolio.
In this episode, we learn about Susan’s Co-Founder Siwat and the homemade health remedies that inspired Recoup’s creation. Susan spends time teaching us about the hydration and wellness power combo of maple water and ginger. Plus, we take a deep dive into all things branding, marketing, and merchandising for not only Recoup’s product but for regenerative brands at large.
Episode Highlights:
👌 100+ studies on the medical benefits of ginger
🤯 Siwat’s health journey that inspired Recoup
🤝 Susan leaving big CPG to partner with Siwat
🧘 Targeting the wellness-focused female consumer
💧 Using regenerative organic maple tree water
🤳 Leveraging TikTok for organic reach
🤸 Fitness studios as a key sales channel
✍️ What Regen can learn from Organic + Non-GMO
👀 Future products coming soon
🎯 The unifying messaging needed to scale regenerative
Links:
Recoup
Recoup Becomes Regenerative Organic Certified
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Friday Jun 09, 2023
Friday Jun 09, 2023
On this episode, we have Brita & Bryce Lundberg of Lundberg Family Farms who are a father daughter duo representing the third and fourth generations of their family business.
Lundberg Family Farms is supporting regenerative agriculture with their organic and regenerative organic rice and quinoa products that now includes 107 total SKUs.
In this episode, we learn about how the Lundbergs got their start farming rice in California, how market opportunities through brands have guided their pursuit of organic and regenerative organic farming, and the big goals they have to certify all of their rice Regenerative Organic Certified® by 2027.
Episode Highlights:
🤤 Our favorite Lundberg products
🤯 How the business has scaled to 107 SKUs
🫡 The visionary regen influence of founder Albert Lundberg
🆒 Why rice is a great crop for their region + soil type
😍 The market that spurred their adoption of organic
😯 How they manage water, grass weeds, and aquatic weeds
🦆 How they’ve rescued over 30,000 duck eggs
🤩 Their “Ducking Good Rice” marketing campaign
🏅 Reaching 8,000 acres of Regenerative Organic Certified® rice
🎯 Why brands = markets = practice change (in that order)
Links:
Lundberg Family Farms
Lundberg ROC Announcement
“Ducking Good Rice”
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Friday Jun 02, 2023
Friday Jun 02, 2023
On this episode, we have Jon Sepp who is one of the Co-Founders of Roam Free Ranch.
Roam Free Ranch is supporting regenerative agriculture with their ready-to-eat bison snacks and meals.
In this episode, we learn about Jon’s journey expanding the operation from 240 acres to over 10,000 and how he has managed his herd regeneratively along the way. Jon tells us why the company has focused on building a brand and selling ready-to-eat products versus just selling bison meat.
Episode Highlights:
🦬 Why Jon fell in love with bison
🤠 When he met Brittany and went all-in on ranching
😯 Growing their operations from 240 acres to 10,000+
🔥 Bringing bison mainstream through ready-to-eat products
⭐ Their regenerative practices + systems
🤔 Why Jon believes only animal foods are truly regenerative
🧑🌾 How raising bison is so different than cattle
💯 Why truth & taste are your biggest marketing assets
💥 Building on-farm experiences to drive consumer connection
Links:
Roam Free Ranch
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Friday May 26, 2023
Friday May 26, 2023
On this episode, we have Pat Schnettler who is one of the Co-Founders of 12 Tides.
12 Tides is supporting regenerative aquaculture with its kelp chips made from regenerative and organic kelp farmed in Maine & Alaska.
In this episode, we learn about Pat’s deep family roots in conservation and his personal journey that inspired the creation of 12 Tides, and Pat educates us on how the company has already sold over 1 million bags of kelp chips.
Episode Highlights:
🌊 Pat’s deep family ties in conservation + journey in seafood
💰 Why we need brands to drive demand for kelp farming
🤔 Why they started with kelp chips
🧺 Developing their first products through farmers markets
➕ Why kelp farming is the only net-positive aquaculture
🤩 Helping reverse the loss of natural kelp habitat
🙅 Why they don’t use a co-manufacturer
⭐ Designing products around sustaining consumer trends
🦸 How to build a set of superfans at every store
🔥 The imperative for regen brands to cross-promote
Links:
12 Tides
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Friday May 19, 2023
Friday May 19, 2023
On this episode, we have Nicole Dooling and Michael Frey who are the 2nd generation operators of Mariah Vineyards and the Creators of Dirt Wine.
Mariah Vineyards is supporting regenerative agriculture as the first Land-To-Market Verified regenerative vineyard. This couple is working with their family to sell wine under the Mariah Vineyards brand while also developing a new concept in Dirt Wine that will be in the market soon.
In this episode, we learn about the history of this family-run, mountain-top vineyard, we take a deep dive into their transition to regenerative agriculture, plus Nicole and Michael spend time educating us on current under-discussed issues in the wine industry like shallow sustainability certifications, the use of over 70 additives in wine, and more.
Episode Highlights:
🍇 Their unique vineyard and AVA (American Viticultural Area)
⛰️ Nicoles’ parents building a mountain-top vineyard from scratch
🍷 Launching the Mariah brand with Brown-Forman
🤔 Why wine is valued by where it’s grown versus how it's grown
☑️ How to know if your wine is sourced from only one vineyard
🤯 The 70+ additives that can be in your wine
❤️ How their relationship changed the direction of the vineyard
🔥 Being inspired at The Regenerative Earth Summit
🥇 Being the world’s 1st Land To Market Verified Vineyard
🪱 Dry-farming, permanent cover, no-till, and animal integration
Links:
Mariah Vineyards
Dirt Wine
American Viticulture Area (AVA)
Brown-Forman
Regenerative Earth Summit
The Dorito Effect
Land To Market
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