Edible-Alpha® Podcast

For Tera’s final Edible-Alpha® Live! famous founder interview, she spoke with Paul Willis, director and founding hog farmer of Niman Ranch. An ardent animal welfare advocate, he helped transform the pork industry by scaling up the humanely raised, free-range model.

A longtime Iowa hog farmer, Paul proudly raised pigs on pasture, but by the 1990s, CAFOs were threatening to put little guys like him out of business. The message, he told Tera, was to “get bigger or get out.” Paul refused to do either and began exploring his options. Knowing most Iowans at the time wouldn’t pay a premium for his pork—or purchase more than just the chops—he spent years looking for a viable market.

Eventually, he met Bill Niman, who was successfully marketing humanely raised beef in and around San Francisco, a much more progressive food scene. Paul sent Bill a pork chop, Bill loved the taste and Paul’s values, and a partnership was born. Paul formed Niman Ranch Pork Company and began sending hogs to the West Coast for processing and sale. Under a hybrid LLC–co-op model, the company grew its network of farmers to meet increasing demand, guaranteeing them a premium for their animals plus stock in the company.

Also, from the get-go, Paul wanted a way to distinguish his humane methods from those of CAFOs. There wasn’t an official recognized standard back then, so he helped create the Certified Humane standard, now a trusted, widely known seal.

The money held as farmers’ stock provided working capital for the company to continue scaling. That, plus a forgivable loan from the Iowa Department of Economic Development, furthered its growth, and landing Whole Foods Market and later Chipotle as customers helped turn Niman Ranch into a sought-after national brand. As more consumers nationwide have woken up the value of humanely raised, free-range pork, demand has only intensified.

A few years back, family-owned Perdue Farms bought out Niman Ranch along with its specialty processor. Because Perdue was rich in resources, the co-op was disbanded and farmers paid back every penny. Paul stayed on as director to ensure Niman Ranch’s values and commitments to farmers were upheld under new corporate ownership. “The integrity of everything we do is 100% intact,” Paul said. “It’s even better today because we have some money.” In fact, his influence has even prompted Perdue to improve its animal welfare practices.

Paul is proud that today Niman Ranch has 700 farmers and ranchers in its network. Although he could certainly call it quits after all he’s accomplished, he’s not ready just yet—which, Tera noted, is our gain, because the food world needs Paul Willis. His passion and innovation have helped hundreds of small farmers and ranchers stay in business while offering consumers nationwide more sustainable—and better tasting—protein choices.

Tune in to Tera’s full interview with Paul, as well her chats with other famous founders from Edible-Alpha® Live!

Tera’s second Edible-Alpha® Live! famous founder interview featured David Miller, co-founder and CEO of Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT. Founded in 2007, this innovative finance company provides secure land access to organic and regenerative farmers through long-term leases and mortgages.

To kick off the conversation, David delved into the genesis of the company. After a 30-year career in banking and real estate financial management, he had purchased a family farm he wanted to transition to organic, doing his part to change the “dead-soil monoculture” of the Midwest and benefit the environment and human health. Simultaneously, he and longtime friend Dr. Steven Rivard had been discussing the dearth of solid investment opportunities and came up with an idea: What if they could connect mission-driven investors with organic farmers, who struggle with land security and whose needs often go unmet by traditional financing?

Many people thought they were crazy for asking investors to sink money into a long-term proposition with no option to exit. But as David explained, that structure was necessary to secure sustainable leases and garner farmers’ trust. Soon, enough investors had seen the value in supporting small to midsize organic farms to get Iroquois Valley off the ground. This was impact investing long before that term was used.

David described how the company has evolved over 14 years to meet the financial needs of farmers. Iroquois Valley became a Certified B Corporation and, three years ago, a Public Benefit Corporation, which allows everyday people, not just accredited investors, to invest. The company also added a redemption mechanism for investors and mortgages and operating lines of credit for farmers.

Iroquois Valley increasingly collaborates with other credit providers, nonprofits and other entities to broaden impact. Lately, they’ve begun planting trees on farms, helping to build investment cases for silvopasture, permaculture and other regenerative agriculture practices that don’t easily attract conventional financing. The company also recently purchased its own farm, Rock Creek Farm south of Chicago, for research, collaboration and demonstration.

Although Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT has already done a ton to foster the next generation of organic and regenerative farmers, David and company are nowhere near finished. They are continually buying more conventional farmland to convert and working to scale up these sustainable systems for the good of people and the planet.

Tune in to Tera’s full interview with David, as well her chats with other famous founders from Edible-Alpha® Live!

Gary Zimmer is the founder of Madison, Wisconsin-based Midwestern BioAg and is considered the father of “biological farming”—essentially the first iteration of regenerative agriculture—which focuses on balancing soil biology, chemistry and structure to produce greater, higher-quality yields.

Joe Tomandl is the Executive Director for the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA). This first-of-its-kind program launched in 2011 and trains aspiring dairy farmers on managed grazing.

Mark and Judy Thomas are the co-founders of Garfield Produce Co., an indoor vertical farm and wholesale food operation in Chicago. The “failed retirees” started this for-profit business/social enterprise in 2014 to provide job opportunities for people with employment barriers.

Sean Lenihan is the founder of The Honest Bison, a direct-to-consumer purveyor of 100% grass-fed bison and other meats. Committed to total transparency, The Honest Bison gives consumers easy access to premium, nutritious, ethically and sustainably raised nutritious animal proteins as an alternative to conventionally raised, grain-fed red meats.

Mike Costello and Amy Dawson are the owners of Lost Creek Farm in Lost Creek, West Virginia. The duo does everything in tandem, from restoring the long-vacated family farmstead to sharing the rich cultural heritage of their Appalachian-inspired farm-to-table cuisine.

Briana Warner is CEO of Atlantic Sea Farms, the nation’s first commercial seaweed farm, based in Saco, Maine. Since Briana took the reins in 2018, the company has developed a dynamic mission-based brand around promoting kelp consumption, diversifying the coastal economy and mitigating climate change.

Marie Raboin is the co-founder with husband Matt of Brix Cider in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. Four years after launching a wholesale cider business and a year and a half after opening a taproom and farm-to-table restaurant, Marie explains how her company pivoted strategies in response to COVID-19.

Leslie Cooperband and Wes Jarrell, Ph.D., are the co-founders of Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery in Champaign, Illinois. The Animal Welfare Approved farm and farmstead is home to an organic fruit orchard and more than 100 milking goats that graze and browse on a diverse landscape.