ReGen Brands Podcast

On this episode, we have Derrick Jackson who is a Farmer and Co-Founder of Grass Grazed. 

Grass Grazed is supporting regenerative agriculture with a myriad of direct-to-consumer livestock products and just launched its first CPG item, Grazed Snax. Grazed Snax is a meat stick made from 100% pasture-raised pork. 

In this episode, we learn how Derrick and his family went from raising 25 backyard chickens to 4,000 pasture-raised birds in just 11 months, the barriers that small-scale regenerative farmers face in receiving financing for land acquisition, and why the family has decided to invest in building CPG products as a key to their future growth.

Episode Highlights:

👉 Health and accessibility challenges that made Derrick a farmer

😂 The family raising their first 25 backyard birds

😯 Scaling to 4,000 pastured chickens in 11 months

💰 Diversifying into 5 income streams (poultry, eggs, beef, pork, and dairy)

🔥 Providing a 65-family “buying club” with all of their meat and dairy

🎯 Why they launched their first CPG product

😡 How USDA loans discriminate against small, regenerative farmers

💡 Formulating, designing, and launching Grazed Snax

💥 Shifting their whole focus to pasture-raised meat sticks

👏 Why “bringing farmers to the table” is key to a regenerative future

Links:

Grass Grazed

Grazed Snax

Justin Rhodes

Pastured Poultry Profits

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On this episode, we have Zack Gazzaniga who is the Founder of Zack's Mighty.

Zack’s Mighty is supporting regenerative agriculture with its tortilla chip products made with certified regenerative corn.

In this episode, we learn about Zack’s journey in CPG helping to build and scale Sir Kensington’s, why he was compelled to “make chips that don’t break in dip,” and the wild ride building Zack’s Mighty supply chain that included everything from importing an heirloom variety of corn into the US, setting up direct trade supply with farms, investing in proprietary manufacturing processes, and certifying their regenerative claims through A Greener World (AGW).

Episode Highlights:

💪 Creating a chip that won’t break in dip

🥇 Being employee #1 at Sir Kensington’s

😂 Zack’s year-long journey to pick his entrepreneurial pursuit

🤯 The history of “flint corn” and why they use it

🔥 Importing flint corn from Italy for their first growing season

🤝 How regenerative claims can help brands get on shelf at retail

😬 Launching nationally in Whole Foods during COVID 

🌽 Why the best tortilla chips start as tortillas first

🌟 Using A Greener World (AGW) for regenerative certification

👀 Their new “Rolled” chip line and why they aren’t regenerative

Links:

Zack’s Mighty

Sir Kensington's

Flint Corn History

Anson Mills

Stone House Farm

Hudson Carbon

A Greener World (AGW)

Certified Regenerative by A Greener World (AGW)

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On this episode, we have Kyle Koehler who is the Founder and CEO at Wildway.

Wildway is supporting regenerative agriculture with its commitment to transition its entire product portfolio to Regenerative Organic Certified®, beginning with a 4-SKU lineup of Planet Friendly Oats and a 3-SKU lineup of Coconut Chips.

In this episode, we learn about Kyle’s 11-year journey bootstrapping Wildway from the farmers’ market to a nationally distributed and profitable brand, Kyle shares his inspiration for taking the brand fully regenerative organic and the immense challenges that has created, plus he also shares how they’re looking to fund the future of the business with redeemable equity.

Episode Highlights:

👏 Wildway’s commitment to 100% Regenerative Organic Certified®

😂 How Kyle cold-called his way into Whole Foods

👍 Not wanting the brand to be synonymous with diet culture

🤯 Bootstrapping the brand for its entire 11-year journey

👎 Challenges of transitioning products to organic + regenerative

🤝 Why pre-competitive collaborations can scale regen supply

🔥 Using “beyond sustainable” to spur consumer curiosity

😡 The pitfalls of the current CPG financing landscape

💰 Funding their future with redeemable equity

🎯 Kyle’s 3-pronged approach to Wildway’s future strategy

Links:

Wildway

Regenerative Organic Certified®

Whole30

Tradin Organics

Mad Markets

One Step Closer

Redeemable Equity

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On this episode, we have Monique Hypes and Marie Krane who are the Co-Founders of ⁠Tomato Bliss⁠.

Tomato Bliss is on a mission to “save the heirloom tomato from extinction” with their line of heirloom tomato soups that are made with tomatoes grown on their certified Regenified™ farm in Southwest Michigan.

In this episode, we learn why tomato farming became Marie’s chosen form of activism, how she found Monique to help Tomato Bliss become more than just a farmers market brand, and the strategies they’re using to grow both supply and demand for regeneratively grown heirloom tomatoes at the same time.

Episode Highlights:

😍 “Saving Heirloom Tomatoes From Extinction”

👏 Marie’s journey fighting to save heirloom tomato seeds

💡 Why farming and CPG became her best path to seed-saving

🤝 Hiring Monique to take the brand beyond the farmers’ market

🤯 90% of tomato production comes from less than 25 seeds

👍 Intercropping as their secret weapon for pest prevention

🏅 Why their farm is certified Regenified™

🧑‍🍳 How they’re using food service to fuel their growth

⚡ Why stores should merchandise their SKUs in the produce department

📈 The imperative for regen brands to scale supply and demand in tandem

Links:

⁠Tomato Bliss⁠

⁠Green City Market⁠

⁠Good Food Accelerator⁠

⁠The Food Foundry⁠

⁠The Dorito Effect⁠

⁠Regenified™⁠

⁠Notre Dame & Tomato Bliss⁠

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On this episode, we have Cody Hopkins who is the CEO and Founding Farmer at Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative.

Grass Roots is supporting regenerative agriculture with its 7-species lineup of meat products.

In this episode, we learn why Cody was inspired to start the Co-Op after being a small-scale poultry farmer, what makes their business model and corporate structure unique, and how Heifer International and Heifer USA have been important partners along the way.

Episode Highlights:

👏 Why Cody started the Co-Op after being a small poultry farmer

🧑‍🌾 Being vertically integrated and cooperating 50+ farmers

🤔 Learning from Zingerman’s ecosystem of businesses

💰 Partnering with Heifer International & Heifer USA

🔥 Balancing standardization and contextualization

🔪 Having ownership in their processor, Cypress Valley Meats

🥇 Onboarding with Land to Market™ & EOV™

😍 Why philanthropists should fund nutrient density testing

💥 Using guaranteed contracts + “common pay rates” to buy from farmers

🤯 Why regen needs scale, efficiency, and vertical integration

Links:

Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative

Zingerman's Community of Businesses

Value-Added Producer Grants

Heifer International

Heifer USA

Cypress Valley Meat Company

Land to Market™

EOV™

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On this episode, we have Adam Hiner & Maddie Hamann who are the Co-Founders @ PACHA.

PACHA is supporting regenerative agriculture with its lineup of organic and regenerative buckwheat bread products including 3 flavors of bread and 1 SKU of buns.

In this episode, we learn how PACHA found a reliable source of regenerative buckwheat through an innovative farmer partnership and how they’re rolling out their products nationally into Whole Foods as we speak.

Episode Highlights:

🤤 How Adam became obsessed with buckwheat bread

👏 Their national rollout in Whole Foods happening NOW!

🌊 Maddie’s transition from oceanography to entrepreneurship 

🌳 Adam volunteering at a non-profit regenerative farm

📦 Why COVID forced them to focus on DTC early on

🏗️ Building buckwheat supply with John @ Field Theory

👍 The agronomic and commercial benefits of buckwheat

🥇 Working with Social Carbon Initiative (SCI) for certification

🤯 The simple power of slicing bread

💭 Creative marketing that drives trial at retail

Links:

PACHA

Trilogy Sanctuary

Lil Bucks

Field Theory

Soil Carbon Initiative

Cultivate CPG

On this episode, we have Hayley Painter who is one of the Co-Founders @ Painterland Sisters.

Painterland Sisters is supporting regenerative agriculture with its line of organic and regenerative Icelandic skyr yogurt products that are made with organic milk sourced from their family farm and others in the Northern Pennsylvania area.

In this episode, we learn about how Painterland Sisters has grown to a 3-million-dollar annual run rate in just under two years of business, how this sister duo proposed a CPG brand as a way to protect the future of their family farm, plus what the term “regenerative” means to them, their farm, and their brand.

Episode Highlights:

💥 The difference between skyr, greek, and regular yogurt

🐄 Why their cows are “grass-based” versus “grass-fed”

🙏 Why CPG was the best path to safeguard their farm

😂 Hand-labeling the first 60,000 yogurts

👏 Eclipsing $1M in revenue in the first 12 months

👍 Pooling organic milk from their neighbor farms for supply

💪 Why their yogurts are packed with nutrition

🎯 How regenerative starts with adequate farmer livelihoods

😍 Leveraging “The Moo Crew” to boost retail sales

💰 Their WeFunder campaign happening NOW

Links:

Painterland Sisters

Painterland’s WeFunder Campaign

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In this episode, we have Maddy Rotman & Taylor Lanzet, the Co-Founders @ Anytime.

Anytime is supporting regenerative agriculture with two inaugural product lines in the adult beverage category. They first launched a canned cocktail lineup called the Anytime Spritz in May of this year and in just two weeks will bring to market their two inaugural spirit products: Anytime Famrhouse Vodka and Anytime Farmhouse Gin. All of these products are Regenerative Organic Certified® and made with wheat grown on Regenerative Organic Certified® farms.

In this episode, we learn about how COVID-related supply chain crises led them to co-found this booze brand, why they believe scaling regenerative row crop acreage is all about alcohol, and what it is like starting a female and queer-founded CPG company in a hyper-masculine category like alc bev.

Episode Highlights:

🎉 Launching the first Regenerative Organic Certified® booze!

🤤 Their inaugural lineup of 3 farm-to-can cocktails

😯 Why real spirits > malt liquor for RTDs

😂 The COVID supply chain crisis that inspired the brand

🥃 Why regenerative acreage depends on alcohol consumption

🎯 The huge opportunity for clean and organic adult beverages

👌 Focusing on certain retailers to drive product discovery

🤯 Why copper distilling is a gamechanger for flavor

👏 Starting a female and queer-founded brand in a male-dominated industry

🔑 Why retailers are the key to a regenerative revolution

Links:

Anytime

Regenerative Organic Certified®

Fresh Direct

Misfits Market

DIG.

Chipotle

Daily Harvest

TTB

Big Picture Foods

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On this episode, we have Matt Maier who is the Founder, Owner, and Chief Grass Farmer at Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed.

Thousand Hills is supporting regenerative agriculture with its vast array of fresh and value-added 100% grass-fed, grass-finished, and regenerative beef products. 

In this episode, we learn about Matt’s background as a CPG brand manager and marketing consultant and the trip back home to the family farm that inspired him to start a better beef brand. Matt shares the 20-year journey of Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed that has led them to recently become the number one meat brand in the natural channel of retail.

Episode Highlights:

🎉 Celebrating 20 years of Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed!

💥 Matt’s background as a CPG brand manager & marketing consultant

💭 The inspiration to work on regen beef after returning to the farm

🥇 Becoming the number one meat brand in the natural channel

👏 Selling products in all 50 states and sourcing from 50+ family farms

🔥 How value-added product development helps them win

😯 Why their prices will only go up as they scale

🥩 Exciting nutrient density studies coming soon!

🧐 How imported grass-fed beef affects domestic brands

🤯 Working with Lorentz Meats and now 15 total processors

Links:

Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed

SPINS

American Grassfed Association

Land to Market™

Lorentz Meats

On this episode, we have Rachael Petach who is the Founder and CEO at C. Cassis.

C. Cassis, also know as Current Cassis, is supporting regenerative agriculture with its growing lineup of products made from blackcurrants grown in Northeast, regenerative, agroforestry systems. Right now, the product lineup includes two alcoholic beverages: a bottled Liqueur and a ready-to-drink, sparkling, blackcurrant cocktail. 

In this episode, we learn about how Rachael started the brand in her Brooklyn apartment, why blackcurrants were federally illegal for decades and what brought them back, and how C. Cassis is planning to use a combination of CPG, hospitality, and agritourism to get blackcurrant products into the mainstream.

Episode Highlights:

🫄 How Rachael’s pregnancy inspired her brand

💪 The amazing nutritional profile of blackcurrants

🥃 Why she started with alcoholic beverages

😂 Making the first products in her Brooklyn apartment

🤯 Why blackcurrants were illegal and why they’re coming back

💫 Moving to upstate New York to grow the business

🔥 Building an experiential distillery & tasting room

👏 The economic and environmental potential of US agroforestry

💥 Upcycling waste streams to create new products

🚫 Why leading with regen in marketing won’t work

Links:

C. Cassis

Western Reign Creative

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