Essential Ingredients Podcast

"We're helping people who've never grown crops before be successful farmers in places that they never thought they could.” —Alexander Olesen

Simplifying farming to provide more access to good food is becoming the new norm. With technology advancing the way it has, people are now able to grow their own food in spaces where they never thought were possible with fewer resources needed than traditional farming methods. 

This was the idea behind Babylon Micro-Farms. It all began when co-founders Alexander Olesen and Graham Smith started working on automating most of the processes associated with indoor farming. Eventually, they came up with the idea to design a low-cost Micro-Farm™ by taking advantage of sustainable hydroponic farming and all its benefits. Their technology not only simplified crop production but made it more executable for everyone as well. 

In this episode, Justine interviews Alexander about how this revolutionary technology is making an impact on agriculture, climate, and people’s lives. Alexander also shares helpful business advice on keeping the momentum going, raising funds, the importance of having mentors, and how co-founders can work together to keep their businesses growing and thriving despite their differences. 

Meet Alexander:

Alexander Olesen is the CEO & Co-Founder of Babylon Micro Farms Inc., a company dedicated to bringing urban farming solutions to cities all over the world. He has become a well-respected Social Entrepreneur, presented at numerous keynotes and TEDx speaker events, and has become a respected Urban Agriculture Expert. He is passionate about building a more sustainable food system and is determined to make urban farming a reality for everyone through their Micro-Farms.

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Episode Highlights:

01:21 What Are Micro-Farms?  

05:44 Different Skillset, Same Passion

08:09 Business Advice

13:18 How Great Co-Founders Make It Work 

"The beauty of upcycling is that it can apply to every stage of the supply chain, from the farm level all the way down to consumers… It's really a mind shift on how we think about food and what is edible and what isn't." —Angie Crone

The global food waste epidemic is no longer a secret. Each year, billions of tons of food are wasted globally, including tons of perfectly edible produce that are lost even before they can reach homes, stores, and eateries. Thankfully, upcycling is now seen as a sustainable way to accelerate innovation and reduce food waste. 

Upcycling is a creative approach to turning food waste and food products that may otherwise go to waste into something useful and profitable. Not only does this save food, but it also reduces environmental impacts. With upcycling, we can rethink how we view what is waste and what's being wasted. 

In this episode, Justine sits with Angie Crone, the Interim CEO of Upcycled Food Association (UFA).

The organization's work is driven by a powerful mission to turn the most authentic economic movement into quantifiable success for upcycled food businesses. To this end, the organization has created the Upcycled Food Standard, a traceable, transparent label for upcycled foods, to identify and certify products that are using upcycled ingredients. 

By joining their network of certified business, members can gain a competitive advantage and be seen as credible and trustworthy. Currently, their membership network is made up of upcycled food businesses from 20 countries around the world - from small artisan businesses to large multinationals companies and academic institutions. 

Listen in as Justine and Angie talk about the role of upcycling in achieving nutritional security, accelerating innovation through upcycling, differentiating waste and food that's being wasted, the benefits of being Upcycle Certified, and much much more!

Meet Angie: 

Angie Crone is the Interim CEO Of Upcycled Food Association. A highly creative and motivated change-maker, she holds the ability to build purpose-driven programs from the ground up and shepherd them through the entire implementation process with success. 

With great insight into the needs of the organization and its end users, Angie is well-versed in designing value-adding programs, building lasting relationships and ensuring everyone is invested in the process. She has also been part of human rights and environmental standards and frameworks, delivering high-value initiatives, and leading cross-functional teams. Her passion and drive, combined with a dynamic and motivating approach, have enabled her to successfully reach goals time and time again.

Her educational background is quite impressive. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University, a Graduate Certificate in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Military University, and a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management from Shepherd University. 

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Episode Highlights:

02:41 The UFA Journey

06:33 Accelerating Innovation Through Upcycling

10:32 Rethinking Food Waste

14:46 The Benefits of Being Upcycle Certified

18:20 Road to 300

"If your story does not demonstrate how you're going to make your listeners' life better, then they're going to stop listening. So one big thing is framing your story in such a way that it not only includes, but it is in service to the people that you're speaking to." —Frances Cole Jones

When it comes to presenting information, stories are often the most effective way to capture and hold the attention of our audience. By understanding the basics of storytelling, we can create memorable and engaging presentations that will leave our audience wanting more.

In this episode, Justine talks with author, speaker, and Presentation Coach, Frances Cole Jones. Frances is a prominent guest speaker, frequently traveling across the U.S. to share her expertise in sales and customer service. 

Listen in as Justine and Frances share how to get started in media training, mistakes that founders should avoid, how to build your story effectively, how breathing can calm you, how to prepare for a presentation, the importance of strategizing, and what to do when someone starts yelling at you.

Meet Frances:    

Frances speaks frequently around the country on topics such as “10 Things You Can Do Today to Wow Tomorrow”, “Feels Like (Virtual) Team Spirit”, “Catch Your Customer’s Attention—Keep Their Trust”, and “The Art of Selling.”

In addition to writing and speaking, Frances is in the midst of a 3.5-year training with the Yoga Well Institute for certification as a yoga therapist. These skills enable her to work with clients to address physical impediments to presenting their best selves: anxiety, insomnia, back/neck/wrist pain, etc.

Frances began her career at St. Martin’s Press, Viking Penguin, and Doubleday as an editor of commercial nonfiction. The experience of helping authors translate their ideas into books that retain their unique voice is part of what makes her valuable to clients. “There’s no point in my writing a perfectly crafted sound bite that you have to strain to remember,” Frances says. “You need to sound like you. You on your best day.”

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Episode Highlights:

00:50 Presentations Make a Difference

05:49 How to Build Your Story 

09:54 The Importance of Breathing

12:04 The Importance of Strategizing

16:03 When Someone Yells at You

"For a good idea, there's a lot of money.” —Simón Sacal

Eating clean foods is one of the most important things we can do for our health. It helps keep our energy levels up, reduce cravings, and maintain our weight. In addition, clean foods are nutrient-dense and packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are essential for maintaining a healthy immune system, and preventing inflammation and chronic diseases. With its many benefits, it’s not surprising that clean eating has become one of today’s hot topics. 

In this episode, Justine sits with Simón Sacal, the CEO of Solely Fruits. Simón strives to give back to society with Solely's work, particularly the ones that have helped create the company— the farmers, who do not have efficient market access for the fruits that are grown on their farms. Thus, he established a long-term partnership with them to help bring delicious and nutritious fruit snacks to the world! 

Solely’s values are evident in its dedication to clean and real ingredients. All of their products are made solely out of Certified Organic produce which is purchased from the farmers they work with. Additionally, Solely has invented an innovative technology that eliminates the need for traditional additives, preservatives, and other artificial chemicals, meaning the nutrient content in their fruits remains intact. Ultimately, this makes their products not only safe to consume but good for everybody and the planet as well.

Listen in as Justine and Simón dive into the conversation on the need for clean foods, how to make a family business work, how culture impacts how we perceive healthier alternatives, how Solely built a framework for sourcing out high-quality ingredients that are well-priced, Simón’s tips to scale your business, and Solely’s product lines you may want to try! 

Meet Simón:

Simón is the co-founder and CEO of Solely, the maker of the fastest-growing line of real fruit snacks. In an effort to help the Mexican government provide accessible fruits to children, Solely shifted their primary focus from rice and potatoes to fruits. Solely prides itself on only using real and clean ingredients as its products are made from Certified organic produce bought from organic farmers they work with. Additionally, Solely's innovative technology allows them to develop stable fruit bars without the artificial chemicals that compromise the fruits' nutrient content.   

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Episode Highlights:

00:57 The Need for Clean Food

08:22 Why Fruits?

13:04 Making Family Business Work

18:33 The Impact of Culture on Food

23:02 Good for You Products

39:06 Solely’s Product Lines

34:03 The Importance of Working with the Right People

37:09 3 Practical Ways to Scale Your Business

"If you can give people the taste and texture of meat and make it out of something other than animals, that's the best route to helping end industrial animal agriculture.” —Michael Fox

One fine day, a vegetarian, a celebrity chef, and a mushroom geek were out for a leisurely walk in the woods. The crunch of the leaves and the sweet, floral scent of that enchanting place lingered in the air. Suddenly, they stopped. There, clustered around the base of a tree, was a patch of mushrooms that shimmered in the sunlight. With excitement, they realized they had stumbled upon something special— an opportunity to transform their eating habits and create a more sustainable and nutritious way of cooking. From that day forth, these three friends worked together to explore and understand the unique flavors, health benefits, and cooking techniques involved in cooking with mushrooms - ultimately finding a way to turn their discovery into a more high-five-awesome way to eat!

With their meaty texture, vibrant flavor, and numerous health benefits, mushrooms can make a fantastic alternative to traditional meats. Not only does it have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting contents, but it is also packed with essential vitamins and minerals. In addition, mushrooms can help reduce the environmental burden by decreasing the amount of animal farming and water usage associated with meat production, whilst also providing a sustainable and animal-friendly food option. All of this makes mushrooms an all-around healthier, tastier, and more sustainable choice for replacing meat in our diets.

In this episode, Justine interviews Michael Fox, one of the co-founders and CEO of Fable Foods, a startup that uses mushrooms as the main ingredient for its alternative meat products. Listen in as Michael shares more of their journey and lessons learned along the way. Justine and Michael also discuss what we can learn about living a regenerative life, what aspects of the food industry make it more challenging than other industries, what factors should we consider before deciding to scale our business, and how to get more accurate consumer insights. 

Meet Michael: 

Michael grew up as a meat-loving Queenslander. As a child, he once penned a song (more like a demanding chant) entitled “Steak of Glory”. He became vegetarian in 2015 for health, environmental and ethical reasons and has since gone fully vegan.

Michael loves to cook healthy food for his family which includes a 4 and a 2-year-old. He wanted to combine his passion for the planet with his healthy home cooking habits to create a whole food plant based meat-alternative. The result is Fable.

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Episode Highlights:

01:00 Once Upon a Time

03:14 The Protagonist: Mushrooms

09:45 The Journey: Making the World a Better Place

14:16 The Challenges: Food Safety

16:22 Moral Lesson

22:06 The Start of a Happy Ever After

"Our mission is to redistribute excess food to people experiencing food insecurity— and make food rescue the universal standard rather than the exception." —Robert Lee

Food insecurity and hunger is a tragic reality. Despite the overwhelming abundance of food, millions of people around the world are still hungry and do not have regular access to enough nutritious food to support a healthy lifestyle. Hunger does not only affect individuals, but also has socio-economic impacts on communities and countries, affecting economic development, education, health, and even security. To address this global problem, we must prioritize creating equitable access to quality food. 

Robert Lee experienced first-hand what it was like to live with food insecurity as an underserved child. This prompted him to create Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC) in 2013, a nonprofit organization that seeks to prevent the waste of food and end hunger. In the following years, RLC's work has helped in drastically reducing how much food is wasted each year and improving food security for thousands of people.

Listen in as Justine and Robert talk about the mission of RLC, how food rescue can solve world hunger, our role in making food rescue a universal standard, the importance of getting educated in entrepreneurship, the importance of processes and boundaries in business building, the best way to start in business, and the next steps for RLC.

Meet Robert:

As someone who experienced food insecurity as a child, Robert Lee was very familiar with the wasted food and hunger issues facing our society. That is what led him to launch Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC), a nonprofit organization that targets both the prevention of wasted food and putting an end to hunger, in New York City in the summer of 2013. He left his full time job at J.P. Morgan in 2014 to run RLC full-time, using seed money he and co-founder Louisa Chen won at a venture competition during their senior year at NYU, as well as corporate donations from his former employer. In the eight years since, RLC has expanded to 8 regions and rescued over 7 million pounds of excess food.

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Episode Highlights:

01:14 Food Rescue— Making It a Universal Standard

05:27 How Much Excess Food is Thrown Away?

08:25 How to Grow Your Company

11:04 The Importance of Learning

14:06 What's Next with RLC? 

17:40 What We Can Do to Help

"Even though it's not an easy idea, it was an idea that had to happen and I felt like I needed to make it happen." —Anne Carlson

As pet owners, we want to ensure that our furry friends are getting the best nutrition possible. Unfortunately, animal proteins used in many pet treats are not only unsustainable and cruel to animals and the environment, but also contain pathogens that can harm our pet's health, especially if they have allergies and gut issues. 

With today's continued efforts to promote general sustainable practices, it is important for us as pet owners to align ourselves with the same philosophies. As conscientious fur parents, we must do our part to find sustainable treats for our pets that are both good for them and the planet.

That's why Jiminy’s created an option for pet owners who want to give their furry friends a treat without compromising on their values. With the leadership of Anne Carlson, Jiminy's is dedicated to making a conscious effort to create cricket protein-based treats which can provide all the nutrition our pet needs while also solving animal cruelty issues. With research and partnership with experts, Anne and her team are unlocking the amazing potential health benefits held by these buggers!

Join in as Justine and Anne talk about the benefits of insect protein to our fur babies, the impact of animals to our planet, how business owners can realize their dream of making an impact on the world, how to sustain company growth, and Jiminy's exciting developments to look out for.

Meet Anne:

Anne has spent her entire career working with consumer brands across many categories, however her passion is the pet category. She worked for fortune 500 companies as well as start ups, including Secant, a business she sold to IRI in 2006.

Anne currently has two rescue pups at home, a Great Dane named Derby and a lab / border collie mix named Tuco. You can describe Anne as a retired marathon runner, new pilates junky, and a film lover.

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Episode Highlights:

00:58 Sustainability in Pets

00:32 Facts About Pet Impact

05:08 The Benefits of Insect Proteins

08:29 The Future of Pet Food

14:50 What's New with Jiminy's

"The work we do has to work for the farmers and food makers, for our team members and colleagues, and how we can build positive momentum for everyone." —Andy Naja-Riese

The Farmers Market offers a variety of benefits to the local community. They provide a convenient and accessible place to buy fresh and local produce which is often healthier and more sustainable than the produce available in the supermarket. 

Purchasing seasonal produce and local products helps to support the local economy and farmers in the area and preserves traditional farming practices. These local vendors also help to offer education to the community about the importance of sustainable farming and help to strengthen the sense of community by providing a gathering place for members of the community. 

Led by Andy Naja-Riese, The Agricultural Institute of Marin/AIM is helping the food system move forward by creating a Center for Food and Agriculture. This initiative aims to foster meaningful connection between the community and their local Farmers Market.

In this episode, we will dive deeper into the center of our food system and answer important questions that affect us and our environment: Is it really possible to feed everyone? What 2 factors determine a program's success? What are the benefits of having a Farmer's Market in a community? How is buying real food at the core of our food system? Is the Farmers Market all organic? How can we support equity with regards to food access? And finally, what can we learn from AIM's environmental processes? Tune in as Justine and Andy answer these questions and more!

Meet Andy:

Andy Naja-Riese brings 15 years’ experience in community food systems and education. He is Chief Executive Officer of the Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM), a Bay Area 501c3 educational non-profit that connects communities and local and regional food systems so the public can access healthy and sustainably-grown food. He brings a unique perspective to non-profit executive management after spending 10 years with the Federal government, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. 

While government assistance and feeding programs are intended to support health and development, there exist many inherent conflicts and political influences that often undermine the very outcomes that government programs are designed to achieve. Andy successfully navigated these bureaucratic systems to effect change so that scientific evidence would drive policy and program decisions. This experience has shaped much of Andy’s thinking about our food systems and charitable food programs. 

In his current role, Andy is a champion for a systems approach to connecting farmers and food producers directly with eaters while supporting education and advocacy. Andy is doing just that when it comes to directing the 8 certified farmers markets, mobile market, and educational programs run by AIM to serve 360+ small and mid-size family farmers, food businesses, and artisans from 40 California counties. Andy also shares his vision for building a new food landmark: the Center for Food and Agriculture, a world-class gathering space that takes us on a journey from healthy soils to healthy foods to healthy communities.

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Episode Highlights:

01:39 Working for Food and Food Justice 

05:54 Is It Possible to Feed Everyone? 

09:46 Why Farmer's Market

14:14 The Foundation of Our Food System

17:33 Promoting Equitable Food System

22:15 AIM & Their Environmental Impact Processes

"Smart nutrition is personalized, precise, and proactive."—Ari Tulla

Technology and innovation have revolutionized modern life. A wide range of cutting-edge gadgets are at our disposal to make life easier and more enjoyable. So why not take advantage of the technological advances and use them to be smarter about our nutrition choices? 

People tend to forget about the negative effects of an unhealthy lifestyle at a young age, thinking that mortality and health are a worry for the future. But it’s never too late to start on the road to wellness and the best place to start is to evaluate and revise our diet. 

Co-founded by Ari Tulla, Elo Health is introducing the concept of smart nutrition to the world. Elo has created a personalized nutrition solution to provide its customers with a unique supplement regimen for their specific needs. They believe that nutrition should be tailored to each individual, and innovating new products and technologies can help empower people to take control of their health. 

Tune in as Justine and Ari discuss more about what smart nutrition means, how to understand our biomarkers, and how to do breakfast the right way to get the most from our food. They also talk about what companies should focus on when creating a product, how to build credibility as a business entity, and how we can gain access to trusted healthcare information. 

Meet Ari: 

Ari Tulla is a San Francisco-based entrepreneur with an impressive list of successes. Ari is currently the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Elo smart nutrition services, a revolutionary service whose mission is to transform how we view food, from the cause of disease to a tool for medicine. 

Ari has a great track record for turning ideas into business, as demonstrated by his past successes. Ari is the Chief Executive Officer of the market leader in doctor data and network management, Quest Analytics, which he brought up to a $40 million-dollar revenue, an increase in $15 million, during a pivotal growth stage. 

Ari is also the co-founder and CEO of BetterDoctor, a popular doctor search engine, which raised $30 million in investments from first-tier investors such as NEA and Uncork Capital, before being acquired by private equity firm Vestar Capital in June 2018. Apart from his entrepreneurial successes, Ari is also the Head of Nokia's game and application studios. Ari is also an angel investor with a portfolio of 45 startups, such as Virta Health, Good Eggs, and Oura. 

Aside from his impressive accomplishments, Ari is also a proud father, husband and outdoorsman.

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Episode Highlights:

01:40 Solving Healthcare Problem

05:30 Food as Medicine

12:38 Understanding Your Biomarkers

16:04 Smart Nutrition

21:00 Better Doctor

23:57 Elo and Health

27:32 Can Kids Take Smart Protein?

“The more small steps you take, the more impact you have on the future because you choose the future you want to live in three times a day every time you eat." —Tyler Dawley

Renewable resources are finite and need to be managed carefully in order to ensure their long-term sustainability. Therefore, we need something that is beyond sustainable— we need something regenerative. 

Holistic resource management is the key to unlocking the many potential benefits of regenerative agriculture— a farming system that uses natural processes to restore disturbed land and improve the environment. It also helps farmers and landowners take control of their land organically while providing food security for generations to come. 

Big Bluff is a family-owned ranch that implements regenerative agriculture techniques. Led by Tyler Dawley, a 4th generation rancher, Big Bluff Ranch is one of the largest producers of pasture-raised chicken on the West Coast. They pride themselves on producing “good chicken” that brings health not only to the land but also to their customers. Their chickens are organic, free-range, and are not treated with antibiotics. 

In this episode, Tyler takes us back to how Big Bluff Ranch started, the challenges they faced, and how they are actively living the vision they had for the ranch since it was bought over 6 decades ago. Justine and Tyler also talk about what holistic resource management is and why it is considered a key component of regenerative agriculture, why it is important to not get tied too much on labels, recreating the farmer-consumer relationship through digital media, and how our food choices define our future. 

Meet Tyler:

Tyler Dawley is the CEO of Big Bluff Ranch, a family-owned regenerative ranch that specializes in pasture poultry. Tyler belongs to the 4th generation of ranchers since his Grampa bought the ranch in 1960. The Dawley family has kept a conscious commitment to sustainability and that is the legacy they want to leave to future family members and to the world. Today, Big Bluff Ranch has grown to be one of the largest producers of pasture-raised chicken on the West Coast. 

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Episode Highlights:

01:34 Holistic Resource Management

08:52 Regenerative Helps Build Sustainable Business

14:26 Learning About the Market Game

18:20 Recreating the Farmer-Consumer Relationship

21:01 Regenerative and Land Stewardship

25:36 We Choose the Future