ReGen Brands Podcast

#48 - Will Burke @ Sol Simple - Connecting 1,200 Smallholder Farmers To A Better Market

On this episode, we have Will Burke who is the Founder and CEO at Sol Simple.
Sol Simple is supporting regenerative agriculture with its Regenerative Organic Certified® dried tropical fruit products and broader ecosystem of enterprises working with 1,200 smallholder farmers in Nicaragua.
In this episode, we learn about Will’s journey from educator to entrepreneur and why he had to build multiple businesses and tons of infrastructure to support the commercialization activities of his farmer partners.
Episode Highlights:
🎒 Will’s transition from educator to entrepreneur
🥭 How his wife inspired their focus on tropical fruit
🤩 Connecting 1,200 smallholder farmers to a better market
☀️ Investing in solar drying tech for higher quality & lower emissions
🔥 Why they needed to build a consumer-facing brand
👏 Creating an agronomic consulting and farmer financing company
💫 Building a processing facility and a B2B ingredient company
🌴 Helping farmers diversify through regenerative agroforestry systems
🍌 Becoming the 1st Regenerative Organic Certified® fruit supply chain
💰 Building better incentives for regen through economics and policy
Links:
Sol Simple
Sol Organica
Burke Agro
Regenerative Organic Certified®
Follow Kyle and AC on LinkedIn 

#47 - Jason Freeman @ Farmer Direct Organic - Building Regen Organic Grain Rotations

On this episode, we have Jason Freeman who is the CEO of Farmer Direct Organic.
Farmer Direct Organic is supporting regenerative agriculture with its oats, beans, lentils, and pea products that are all certified organic with a growing selection transitioning to Regenerative Organic Certified®.
In this episode, we learn about the brand's journey from being the sales arm of a three-farmer Canadian Co-Op to a nationally distributed brand working with more than 60 organic farmers in Canada, the US, and Mexico. Jason gives a peak behind the curtain on organic grain production and how their brand is partnering with farms to transition acreage to Regenerative Organic Certified®.
Episode Highlights:
🧑‍🌾 Starting out as a 3-farmer Canadian Co-Op
📈 Becoming a national brand sourcing from 60+ farmers in 3 countries
🏛️ How working on hemp policy reform led him to sell organic food
🚀 Building a business off of demand from Whole Foods’ bulk bins
😯 Why the Great Recession inspired their pivot to retail
😂 Jason saying no to Whole Foods and what changed his mind
💥 Exiting the brand as an employee, acquiring it, and then selling it
😡 The massive problems with organic fraud
💰 Supporting farmers transitioning to Regenerative Organic Certified®
😍 Their current ROC® SKUs and what is coming next
Links:
Farmer Direct Organic
Biofach
Agricultural Justice Project
Whole Foods Market
Regenerative Organic Certified®
Follow Kyle and AC on LinkedIn

#46 - Christian Ebersol & Nick Wallace @ 99 Counties - Regenerating Iowa One County At A Time

On this episode, we have Christian Ebersol & Nick Wallace of 99 Counties. Christian serves as a Co-Founder and CEO while Nick is also a Co-Founder and the Chief Farmer.
99 Counties is supporting regenerative agriculture with its direct-to-consumer, e-commerce business that partners with small family farms in Iowa and sells a myriad of regeneratively raised meat products to people in all of the lower 48 states.
In this episode, we talk about Nick’s personal journey that led to the creation of Wallace Farms, his vision to regenerate the 99 counties of Iowa and how crossing paths with Christian led him to turn his direct-to-consumer farm business into a brand aggregating from farmers across the entire state of Iowa and servicing customers across the nation.
99 Counties is truly on the front lines as Iowa is ground zero for degenerative agriculture that is driving countless human and planetary health issues.
Among the 50 states Iowa ranks:
Dead last in soil erosion rates
2nd to last in ecosystem impacts
4th to last in conservation practices
5th highest rate of water nutrient run-off
7th highest incidence of cancer 
And the 11th highest obesity rate
Episode Highlights:
🤯 Iowa’s massive problems linked to food & agriculture
📈 How Nick started Wallace Farms and grew it to $1M+
🤔 The growth plateau that caused Nick to think bigger
🙏 Nick’s inspiration for 99 Counties from the Acres Eco-Ag Conference
🛻 How Christian met Nick and became his Co-Founder
✉️ Using direct mail “love letters” in their marketing strategy
🥩 Solving for whole carcass utilization through product development
📦 Differences between a DTC-focused and retail-focused brand
🇺🇸 Going national to do more good in Iowa
🔥 Why it’s time for all of us to “pick a side”
Links:
99 Counties
Acres USA
Ragbrai
Land To Market
Follow Kyle and AC on LinkedIn

#45 - Kyle Krull & Anthony Corsaro - The Biggest Problems Facing ReGen Brands & What We’re Building To Help Solve Them

On this episode, we have your two favorite podcast hosts: Kyle Krull and Anthony Corsaro.
It has been 29 episodes since we jammed out together without a guest and it definitely felt like the perfect time to do it again. It was not planned but it was perfectly timed.
Similar to Episode 16, we spend a great deal of time breaking down all the things we’ve learned from all 44 episodes, 42 blogs, and more than 1,000 conversations we’ve had collectively with and about regenerative brands.
Quite simply, we talk about the biggest problems facing regenerative brands and what we’re trying to help build to fix them.
We go in-depth into the what, the why, and the how on The ReGen Brands media platform, The Regenerative Coalition Trade Association, and Outlaw Ventures' early-stage regenerative CPG fund.
Episode Highlights:
🤯 The biggest differences between regen brands and conventional CPG
👏 How regen brands go beyond the co-packer
👍 How regen brands include the farm in product development
🎯 How regen brands are creating new or better market outlets for farmers
🥳 Kyle leading a regen panel at SproutsCon
😡 The massive costs during manufacturing & “the journey to the shelf”
👉 Why and how regenerative isn’t promoted like other product claims
➡️ Why and how we think we need to solve that huge problem
👎 The lack of investment tools and support for regen brands
💯 Why an early-stage VC fund is the best way to start creating that
Links:
Regenerative Coalition
Outlaw Ventures
ReGen Brands
The Almond Project
Follow Kyle and AC on LinkedIn 

#44 - Christoph Langwallner @ WhatIF Foods - 'Regenerative Intersection' With The Bambara Groundnut

On this episode, we have Chris Langwallner who is the Co-Founder and CEO of WhatIF Foods.
WhatIF Foods is supporting regenerative agriculture with their BamNut Milks & BamNut Noodles all made with the bambara groundnut as the key ingredient.
In this episode, we learn about Chris’ grandfather and upbringing in Austria that inspired him to “leave the world better than he found it,” the incredible regenerative ecosystem being built around the Bambara groundnut stretching across multiple continents, and what it means to truly be a “planet-based” brand.
Episode Highlights:
😍 What are BamNut Noodles and BamNut Milk?
🙏 How Chris’ Austrian town and grandfather inspired him
🌏 Chris’ career in food across the globe
😡 Our huge combined problem of land degradation & deforestation
🤩 The game-changing Bambara Groundnut 
🇺🇸 Why they chose the US as their 1st commercial market
🧪 The massive R&D lift to commercialize new crops at scale
🤝 Their amazing work with farmers in Africa
🤯 Upcycling Bambara waste to create biochar and renewable energy
🔑 Gen Z spending and voting power is the key to a regenerative future
Links:
WhatIF Foods
Follow Kyle and AC on LinkedIn 

#43 - Ash Glover-Ganapathiraju @ Ojaswe - South Asian-Inspired, Regenerative Chickpea Pancakes

On this episode, we have Ash Glover-Ganapathiraju who is the Founder and CEO at Ojaswe.
Ojaswe is supporting regenerative agriculture with their lineup of pantry staple items like pancake and muffin mix made with regeneratively grown chickpeas.
In this episode, we learn about how Ojaswe’s product mix is truly farmer-first and regeneratively inspired, Ash shares how being a queer, BIPOC, and immigrant founder has shaped her journey, her brand, and her products, plus we dive deep into the most urgent issue facing the immediate and long-term future of regenerative brands.
Episode Highlights:
🥞 Ojaswe’s pantry staples made with regen chickpeas
🤯 Moving from India to Arkansas
☕ Working in big CPG and turning down sustainability roles
👏 Empowering everyday eaters through regen CPG
💯 Why food is emotional and there is no “one right answer”
🔥 How smaller brands are paving the way in regenerative
🎯 Building products based on the needs of farmers
🙏 Ash’s experience as a queer, BIPOC, & immigrant founder
👉 The biggest (certification) problem facing all regen brands
🤠 How brand collaboration and retailer support get regen to scale
Links:
Ojaswe
Terra.do
Axo Foods
Axten Farms
Diaspora Co.
Casad Family Farms
Follow Kyle and AC on LinkedIn

#42 - Courtney Boyd Myers @ AKUA - Spongebob's Favorite Regenerative Kelp Burger

On this episode, we have Courtney Boyd Myers who is the Founder & CEO of AKUA.
AKUA is supporting regenerative agriculture with their lineup of frozen, plant-based meat alternatives like burgers, crab cakes, and ground meat that are all made with regeneratively farmed kelp.
In this episode, we learn how the brand pivoted from shelf-stable kelp jerky into frozen household mainstays, their exciting new partnership with Nickelodeon & Spongebob, plus Courtney shares her operating and fundraising journey as a mother and female founder.
Episode Highlights:
😡 How changing her Dad’s diet inspired her
🤝 Partnering with GreenWave to support regen kelp
🤔 Why they started with kelp “jerky”
🥇 Pivoting through the “Kelp Beta Burger Club”
👀 The “Innovation Limits” of CPG
👍 Flavor > Nutrition > Sustainability
🤩 Their EPIC Spongebob partnership
💯 Courtney’s experience as a mom and female founder
💰 Their Republic fundraise happening NOW
👏 How to bring down regen COGS & SRPs
Links:
AKUA
GreenWave
Invest In AKUA
Follow Kyle and AC on LinkedIn

#41 - Ashley Walsh @ Pocono Organics - The World's First Regenerative Organic Certified® Hemp

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
Follow Kyle and AC on LinkedIn 

#40 - Andres Izquieta & Juan Jaramillo @ Chiki Chiki Boom Boom - Regen "Reggaeton In A Bottle"

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
Follow Kyle and AC on LinkedIn

#39 - Holly & John Arbuckle @ Singing Pastures - Wildly Regenerative Pork Snacks

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
Follow Kyle and AC on LinkedIn