The Produce Moms Podcast

"We want to make sure the contribution we make is a positive one in the world." Joanna Jaramillo (33:57-34:00)

You've probably seen Wholesum's ripe, organic Poppies or Darlings snacking tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, or bright and crisp bell peppers when shopping for groceries, but did you know Wholesum's produce is 100% fresh, organic, responsibly grown, they use 100% renewable energy on their farms, and the company has a decade under their belt of being fair trade certified? A true, progressive leader in the agriculture industry, Wholesum was one of the first to dedicate their entire farming portfolio to organic food back in the 90's!

Their commitment to making a positive impact on our planet is even more impressive. Wholesome has committed to the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 12, and they publish a report every year to showcase their successes, but also be held accountable by all stakeholders as a way to identify opportunities for improvement. It's not too often you find a company who's so willing to be criticized by all of their stakeholders, whether it's the communities they work in, their employees, their suppliers, customers or consumers. The report captures data across the board of Wholesum's farming operations, such as their energy use, renewable and non-renewable outputs, water recirculation, waste management ,recycling, social impact, gender equality and the impact of fair trade on their farms.

"What moved my soul when I experienced Wholesum was to see how these fair trade premiums were spent, and to see how this one farming operation, this one brand, the cucumbers I buy at Whole Foods, turn into real funds that the workers can vote on where they want their money to be spent." Lori Taylor (3:13-3:38)

In 2018, Wholesum made a commitment to the principles of the United Nations Global Compact, which is when they decided to commit to Goal 5 and 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals. We've talked to several stakeholders in the UN's SDGs in previous episodes, but if you aren't familiar, these are a set of 17 goals developed by the United Nations to get businesses and government agencies to collaborate on solving some of the world's biggest problems. The 17 SDGs are:

1. No poverty
2. Zero hunger
3. Good health and well-being
4. Quality education
5. Gender equality
6. Clean water and sanitation
7. Affordable and clean energy
8. Decent work and economic growth
9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure
10. Reduced inequalities
11. Sustainable cities and communities
12. Responsible consumption and production
13. Climate action
14. Life below water
15. Life on land
16. Peace, justice and strong institutions
17. Partnerships for the goals

Although Wholesum's core values align with each of these goals, and they want to ensure they are measurably making an impact towards all 17, they decided to focus on Goal 5, gender equality, and Goal 12 responsible consumption and production, because they knew they could make a direct impact towards these on their farms. As they continue to report yearly and build a roadmap of progress, they can take on more of the SDGs and incorporate them into their operations.

"Gender equality is a basic human right. We need to make sure that we, as a company, are respecting both men and women. There have been inequities for women in farming in the past, and so we need to shed light on those and be the progressive company we are and move forward to acknowledging these problems and doing something about it." Joanna Jaramillo (23:18-23:53)

There are many ways Wholesum is ensuring gender equality is available across their entire operation. For one, they're focused on providing equal pay, equal opportunities, and no violence or harassment is promoted in the company culture. They're also well aware of the duties many women have in their household when they're off from work, so Wholesum is starting projects to promote work-life balance.

During one of their needs assessments, they found that many women weren't going to the doctor regularly because they didn't want to take time off work or were waiting until they felt sick. Wholesum is now setting up mobile clinics on site so women can have their regular check ups and are educated on the importance of preventative care. They're also building certain pathways for personal development and promoting from within the company for more women to have leadership opportunities. Even Joanna herself started as the Marketing Coordinator in 2018 and is now the Marketing Manager!

"It's a very difficult task to go through each of these 17 goals and determine how to work towards achieving them all at once." Joanna Jaramillo (17:49-18:01)

To make an impact with SDG 12, Wholesum looks at all of their inputs, all the way down to the twine they use on their cucumbers or the labels that go on their tomato packages. Everything is classified as renewable or nonrenewable and by measuring these facts, they're able to identify what they can replace or reduce. One of Joanna's responsibilities is looking into packaging design, which can be a challenging and complex situation. For example, she found a packaging item that was very sustainable, but when they tested on their product, the shelf life majorly reduced, which would lead to more food waste – a packaging paradox.

Wholesum has been actively creating a positive impact and evolving their company for three generations, ever since their first tomato seed was planted in New Mexico. Hopefully other companies and stakeholders are inspired to create their own changes and work towards goals like the SDGs by following Wholesum's lead in progressive impact. You can find Wholesum's Conscientious Company Report and keep up with their amazing progress by visiting their Instagram, LinkedIn or website!

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"Food is so personal, so cultural, and such an integral part of how we live life, how we celebrate… how we do everything!" Lori Taylor (3:00-3:08)

You want your kids to grow up eating healthy, and that means more than just the types of food you're eating. Without a healthy relationship to food, your children can develop all sorts of unhealthy eating patterns that no amount of broccoli can counterbalance. Maryann Jacobsen, registered dietician, world-renowned family and nutrition expert, and four-time author, is dedicated to helping improve everyone's relationship with food and nutrition (that goes for you, too!).

It all started when Maryann became a mom and she started doing research when it was time to introduce solids to her first child and she discovered the different ways you can truly help your child enjoy eating a wide variety of nutritious foods. Like most parents, you've probably experienced the "honeymoon phase" with your child when they were a baby – they'll eat almost anything! But when it comes time for the terrible two's and three's, you can forget it. Your kids start desiring and trying to exercise having more independence, usually by rejecting foods. This is a completely normal part of childhood development, but a tough one for parents.

"It's kind of like one day they're eating everything and the next day they're not even hungry." Maryann Jacobsen (5:58-6:02)

This is part of the healthy relationship with food Maryann is talking about. Dealing with a picky eater? Maryann suggests you focus on exposure. Exposing kids to healthy foods and bringing them in as a normal part of life is key, especially during these picky, independent stages. Expose them to having family style meals and dinner as a meal together, too, so they have a healthy relationship with the connection and culture food brings us. Another one of Maryann's tips is having a "learning plate". This is a great way to plant a seed with a child who might be super resistant to tasting or trying new things. If you have a "learning plate" for them to learn about the food and be exposed to it, without there being any added pressure, you create a safe environment for them to try new things.

"At puberty, girls are all of a sudden gaining weight and body fat in preparation for their periods, and it's a time where they're highly at risk for developing eating disorders or disordered eating. They might be on social media comparing their bodies to other girls' bodies and it's a whole different ball game now," says Maryann.

This is one of the reasons she wrote her book (and coordinating journal) called My Body's Superpower. In the book, it teaches girls to use their "superpowers", like hunger signals, to create healthier habits and lead a happier life overall. As kids become teenagers, they're getting money from allowances and jobs, and they're eating out with their friends more when you aren't around to help guide them in their healthy decision making. The book helps girls develop a healthy relationship with food rather than slipping into common, unhealthy patterns that are seen in teenage girls, like skipping meals and binging later. Even Maryann remembers the days when it was popular to not bring food to your lunchtime at school.

"As a female myself, I truly appreciate the time and effort you have dedicated to supporting girls during that stage of puberty and helping them understand the change in their bodies." Lori Taylor (16:44-16:56)

What are some of Maryann's other top tips? Closing the kitchen down between meals to avoid mindless snacking, yet having healthy snacks easily available, and always letting kids know what meal they're eating next and when. Don't feel overwhelmed when your kids are being picky and know this is a healthy, normal part of their development!

You can start taking steps to helping your kids have a healthy relationship with food by picking up one of Maryann's phenomenal books, The Family Dinner Solution: How to Create a Rotation of Dinner Meals Your Family Will Love, How to Raise a Mindful Eater: 8 Powerful Principles for Transforming Your Child's Relationship with Food, From Picky To Powerful: The Mindset, Strategies and Know-how You Need to Empower Your Picky Eater, Fearless Feeding: How To Raise Healthy Eaters From High Chair to High School, and of course, My Body's Superpower: The Girls' Guide to Growing Up Healthy During Puberty.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"We 100% know and believe here in the produce industry that with proper immigration reform we will be able to increase efficiencies on the farm and therefore drive down the price of food at the grocery store."

Lori Taylor (7:04-7:17)

We're all feeling the pain of rising gas and grocery store prices. Everything is going up thanks to inflation, but one remedy to fix it is through immigration reform. Congress and the presidential administration hasn't passed any immigration reform since the Reagan Administration, which is why John Hollay, Director of Government Relations for the International Fresh Produce Association, has been working on immigration and labor policy for over 15 years.

Recently, Lori had the opportunity to join John and many other individuals representing different parts of the supply chain as a panelist for a press conference to showcase how and why this is the solution to focus on now if Congress wants to help lower our rising prices. A Texas A&M International University study just showed a direct correlation between the lack of immigration reform and the prices of groceries in the store, and quite simply, if farmers had access to the number of workers they need, they could grow more crops, and sell them to retailers and other parts of the supply chain at a lower price. Thankfully, this issue has been a bipartisan effort which helped the House pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act last year. With the Congressional election coming up in November, it's important now more than ever to raise this issue to the top to get Congress to act on immigration law reform.

"They needed 4,000 workers and they had only four Americans apply for the job. All four were hired, and out of the four only one or two showed up, and neither worked the full day. That's what we mean when we say there's a labor crisis on the farm." Lori Taylor (18:27-18:49)

A great example of why immigration reform is necessary comes from one of TPM's active brand partners, a farm based in Yuma, Arizona, where most of our winter vegetables are grown along with a ton of export crops. This farmland has a high production rate and the owner shared with Lori just how difficult it was to get workers. The farm needed 4,000 workers for their harvest crew and in response to their job posting for it, only four applicants showed up. Out of the four American workers hired, only two showed up for work and didn't even stay the full day.

When farmers utilize the H-2A labor program, they must first utilize all of their resources to try and secure a domestic workforce, which as you can see, isn't that easy. It's much easier to secure the H-2A workforce because skilled laborers are able to come here, make a very good wage, go back to their native country and use it to support not just their immediate family, but oftentimes their extended family, giving them a quality of life that wouldn't be possible without a program that put them with American agriculture.

"We have come to expect, here in America, access to all kinds of fruits and vegetables all year round when these are fruits and vegetables that only used to be available during certain times of the year. In order to do that, we need to have the workforce that can deliver those food items and right now our farmers are struggling with that, different parts of the supply chain are struggling with that, so there's an increase in food prices because farmers can't plan ahead," John tells us.

If we want to continue to produce the amount of fruits and vegetables our country demands, we need to empower farmers to have the highest rate of efficiency as possible and that must include an improved labor workforce, access to immigrant workforce, and different types of benefits for those who come here as employees that might want a pathway to citizenship. The other key benefit to hiring immigrant workers is many of them are skilled laborers and able to handle the hard, difficult work a farm demands, unlike many of our domestic workers. The lack of workforce has gotten so bad that many farmers have to plow over their healthy, plentiful crops. The supply we're demanding is being grown! But the supply for the workforce demanded to bring those crops from the field to the store isn't enough.

"Those workers really provide relief to all consumers out there by making sure there is a steady flow of fruits and vegetables." John Hollay (24:03-24:18)

Part of the legislation the IFPA supports has an e-verify program which ensures immigrants that are coming over here to work are doing so legally. Farmers aren't experts in the type of paperwork and documents workers must show, so they aren't able to identify if papers are fraudulent or not, which is what e-verify takes care of. Border security is also a part of this legislation as these workers oftentimes go back to their home country every night (like in the case of Yuma, Arizona), and it's important to note that most of them don't even want a citizenship, either. They just want to do the hard work they're skilled to do, make a good income, and take it back to their homes in their own country.

If you're wondering what you can do to help pass immigration reform and lower our grocery prices, John says, "you need to be calling, you need to be emailing, and you need to be showing up when [members of Congress] show up when they speak in your communities at town halls. The people who show up, the people whose voices are the loudest, frankly are the ones that are heard. I would urge all your listeners to reach out to their members of Congress in any way they can whether it's in person, text, email, tweet… however it is going to be heard."

Take it from someone who's worked as a former congressional staffer! John says that members of congress DO read your emails, texts and messages and it plays a huge role in helping them understand what matters.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"The seeds inside will be a cross of two parent apple trees. Breeders will plant those seeds, grow that tree and just wait to see what the results come out to be. It's very similar to having your kids."

Brett Valicoff (21:26-21:36)

Brett Valicoff, President of Valicoff Fruit, a farm started by his great grandfather over one hundred years ago, certainly knows the complexities that go into growing apples and tree fruits. Ever wonder where some of the unique and new apple varieties are coming from? Hint: it has nothing to do with genetic modification or engineering, instead, a primitive process that's touched by human hands as little as possible.

Valicoff's great grandfather, an immigrant from Bulgaria, started the farm after traveling from Ellis Island to Washington while working on the railroads, settling into the very fertile Yakima Valley. Yakima Valley is quite well known for their hops, world-renowned apples, and wine grapes, and although it's a high desert, most of the water comes from irrigation canals that flow snowfall from the mountain ranges into the deep valleys. This makes the soil extremely fertile and ideal for growing.

Valicoff is a "vertically integrated" company that's positioned themselves well as a stakeholder in the food supply system. By diversifying what they grow as much as possible, Valicoff has the ability to generate a consistent, good return year-after-year and invest it back into the business. If a certain commodity isn't performing well one year, another one of their commodities will, however this makes for deep risk taking in future forecasting what a consumer is going to be interested in buying in the next five to seven years time.

"Vertically integrated means we are farming our own land and growing different commodities. We're diversified with apples, pears, apricots, peaches, nectarines and some cherries. Not only are we growing them, we also own and operate a storage and packing facility, so we bring the food that we grow along with outside growers who trust us to handle their fruit and packaging and get the best return for them that we can." Brett Valicoff (8:53-9:34)

Why five to seven years? Apple and fruit trees have a unique growing process that's nothing like row crops. Tree fruit take about two years of preparation time before they're ready to be planted thanks to something called grafting. After grafting and planting, you have to train the tree for another two to four years before you can start picking, with a maximum yield not happening for up to seven years.

Ever wonder where the new, unique varieties of apples are coming from? Even though it's easy to assume genetic modification has something to do with it, for Valicoff Fruit it's the exact opposite. They use tree grafting, an ancient horticultural practice that adds one plant's tissue to another, helping two plants grow into one.

Each tree is just a "root stock" (established root) and once a root stock is big enough to graft, farmers will Very similar to conceiving and having a child, when farmers graft trees, they will cut off a "scion" of the tree (the part of the stem with buds) and cut off a bud. They'll make a notch in the root of another tree, insert the first bud into the notch, cover it completely so air is kept out, and then nature takes over to create delicious fruit varieties we haven't ever tasted before!

"This looks like such a primitive way to change over an entire orchard or variety of apples, but it works." Lori Taylor (16:35-16:44)

Nothing is more old fashioned or primitive than tree grafting, and when you come across a new apple variety, it was most likely created from this. Even more interesting, farmers will use seeds from tree grafting and often get 50 or 60 different looking and tasting apples from the same combination. They then have to decide which variety will grow the best and have a flavor consumers will love. If you ever have decision fatigue about all the new apple varieties, just do a quick internet search and find out what flavor and texture you can expect. Check out Valicoff Fruit's website at https://www.valicofffarms.com/ to discover the 13 varieties of delicious apples they grow, along with other tree fruit, vegetables, flowers and more!

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"Nobody wakes up wanting to waste food, it's just a matter of having the right information at the right time."

Dana Gunders (19:34-19:41)

When it comes to food waste around the world, the statistics are staggering. We all know it's a problem and almost every country is fighting it. What can we do to effectively decrease our food waste (and the carbon emissions that come with it), decrease food insecurity, and create the food system we desire? ReFED is the leader in data-driven solutions to fight food waste, working across the food system to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030.

Dana Gunders, Executive Director of ReFED says they can only accomplish this with massive participation. It's estimated that over 400 billion dollars worth of food (about 2% of the GDP) is wasted, and if the food waste in America was eradicated alone, it would feed our country's food insecure population three times over! That's why ReFED is working in multiple ways to educate and inform, and assist the individuals and companies who want to put their dollars towards efforts that are going to implement the most change in the quickest manner.

"When folks allocative financial resources for a macro issue like food waste, they need the guidance of an institution like ReFED to make sure that investment is going towards a noble cause." Lori Taylor (10:16-10:30)

The first pillar of work ReFED is focused on is collecting accurate data. No one's collecting data when they're throwing the garbage out, so a lot of estimating is still required. ReFED wants to paint an accurate picture of what's going on so people know where to focus their efforts. One way they do this is through a data platform on their website that's analyzed 42 solutions and their efficiency rate. Their second pillar of work is in the investment space, where they also have a capital tracker that monitors investment on their website. There's been quite a recent explosion of innovative startups and investment directed towards food waste and ReFED wants to catalyze investment through public, philanthropic, and private dollars.

Did you know about 35% of food grown in the United States ends up in the trash? 37% of that food waste is created at the household level, with the number one product of that waste being produce, and the number two being leftovers.

Even though ReFED doesn't work to reach consumers directly, their role in connecting companies, small businesses, stakeholders, researchers, and local governments with one another has a greater impact. For example, there's over 200 companies globally who have made some sort of commitment to helping eradicate food waste, but they need ReFED's help in understanding how to reach that goal. They're also working to encourage federal agencies to create a consumer awareness campaign to spread this information further. Grocery retailers, like Kroger and their Zero Hunger Zero Waste commitment (which has already seen a 19 reduction in waste), have been doing a great job at driving forward sustainability initiatives, like educating consumers on how to use produce once it's wilted or bruised.

"There's a great opportunity to help people use their products better and that helps them use their food budget better." Dana Gunders (16:25-16:37)

Considering the average family of four is spending $2,000 on food they aren't actually eating, implementing changes that help reduce waste should be high on everyone's list! Outside of ReFED, Dana has written her own book called The Waste Free Kitchen Handbook, which you can learn more about on Episode 79, that offers strategies, references, recipes and a directory of produce which shows you how to use food items up in a clever way when you might've just thrown them out. For example, Dana's book has a delicious berry avocado chocolate mousse recipe that uses overripe berries and avocados that are brown!

There's plenty of action for us to take across the entire food supply chain, and starting with Dana's book or learning more on ReFED's website is how you can make a major difference in your kitchen at home. Visit ReFED's website at www.refed.org and listen to Episode 79 to learn more about the actionable strategies you can start implementing today with Dana's book.%

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"To do good is in our DNA."

Johnathan Sutton (16:41-16:43)

Westfalia Fruit is known around the world for their incredible, healthy, fresh avocados. They have the largest avocado-growing footprint in the world, plus grow fruits like mangoes, kiwis, limes, oranges, litchis, clementines, grapes, coconuts, pomegranates, cherries… the list goes on and on! What's most phenomenal about Westfalia other than their extensive range of produce is their commitment to sustainability. The company aims to be 100% carbon-neutral by 2049, which is also their 100th birthday.

Westfalia was founded over 70 years ago by Dr. Hans Merensky, who acquired an almost irreparable estate in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. "Dr. Merensky was a very gifted prospector, an acclaimed and dedicated humanitarian, and a huge part of the good we do today… it's in our fiber and our heritage," Raina Nelson, President and CEO of Westfalia Fruit USA says.

Dr. Merensky was dedicated to improving his Westfalia Estate's resources by conserving water and revitalizing the soil. These regenerative farming practices are the foundation for what Westfalia lies on today, and at the time helped the local economy by providing community relief thanks to growing avocados and using water conservation infrastructure.

"The concept of regenerative farming and regenerative agriculture practices is the foundation upon which Westfalia has been built on." Lori Taylor (6:05-6:15)

Not familiar with the term regenerative farming? Regenerative farming comes from indigenous wisdom and offers a framework to grow food in harmony with nature while restoring the land from depletion, exploitation and harmful farming practices. Those that follow regenerative farming principles understand what the natural resource availability is, aim to eliminate the use of harmful chemicals, work to integrate animals back onto their agricultural land and prioritize soil health. Keeping the soil healthy is what ensures growers produce nutrient dense, great tasting produce while helping heal the Earth.

Westfalia is focused on using as little water as possible, keeping the rest of the plants and animals on the planet in mind who need water which is a finite resource we're quickly running out of. They're also focused on reducing waste by ensuring their byproducts are used to create healthy ones, specifically in the cosmetic industry.

One way Westfalia does this is by creating health products using the skins and the stones (the pit) of their avocados. These stones are ground up and used to replace microplastics that are found far too often in cosmetics. At the end of the day, it costs more money to throw things away, not just for the company but for the rest of the world who has to deal with landfills and the energy expenditure that comes with. Plus, consumers are hungry for cosmetics that have as little plastics in them as possible.

"We can't hide behind the facts of where avocados are grown and where avocados are sold. The distance is huge and the transport routes are challenging from an environmental perspective and a water use perspective." Johnathan Sutton (14:34-14:50)

Westfalia is certainly on track to hit their 2049 target of being carbon neutral! They're looking at how to reduce their carbon footprint within their shipping partners and any other ways to use their resources as efficiently as possible. Recently, Westfalia found that five of their business units were carbon neutral and they are pushing for everything from the fertilizer, the packaging, the supply chain and more to become completely carbon neutral. Plus, in France, all of their products are supplied in cardboard and they've gotten rid of plastic! Add in Westfalia's efforts to use biological pesticides instead of chemical ones and you've got one of the most impactful, sustainable, healthy companies in the produce industry making a massive dent in saving our planet.

Enjoy Westfalia Fruits' amazing avocados at your local grocery retailer and visit www.westfaliafruit.com to learn more about their sustainability efforts!

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"We went from working with one band to working with hundreds of musicians and artists like Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Michael Franti, The Dead and so many others!"

Justin Levy (5:11-5:23)

It all started when Justin Levy had an idea 20 years ago to teach young people how to fight against hunger by hosting a food drive at a concert. He was attending University of Colorado at the time and as a part of his senior thesis he held a food drive at Fillmore Auditorium in March 2002 at a String Cheese Incident concert. In exchange for donating, concert goers received a limited edition poster to commemorate the experience and they ended up bringing in over 4,000 pounds of donations. Now, Conscious Alliance is a movement of artists, musicians, food makers and music lovers on a mission to end hunger in underserved communities nationwide with over 119 festivals and concerts under their belt.

The first drive benefited the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota where 40,000 Oglala Lakota Native Americans live. Pine Ridge Reservation is one of the most economically isolated communities in the country and is about the same size as the state of Connecticut. For 40,000 people it only has one grocery store! Conscious Alliance has since opened a food pantry and started working with all 15 schools on the reservation to make sure kids going to school have plenty of healthy food to eat.

"We started developing relationships with schools knowing that where the kids go every day we can reach a lot of families with the backpack program approach." Justin Levy (14:16-14:39)

Along the way, Conscious Alliance has met plenty of "hungry heroes", many of whom are in the natural food community, like Justin Gould from Justin's Peanut Butter. These brands helped shine a light on the huge amount of food waste going on in the United States, which triggered Conscious Alliance to work out logistically how they can go to different brand's warehouses as they tour with musicians throughout the country and pick up food before it hits the landfill… food that grocery stores won't buy or will throw out because it's, for example, within 90 days of hits shelf life, the brand is getting crowded out or is going through a reprint. Great brands like Applegate, Conagra, Hormel, and many more you know have all partnered with Conscious Alliance.

Think your kids are obsessed about trading cards? Try concert goers and their posters! At every event, an attendee can make a food or monetary donation and receive a limited edition screen printed poster with the band, venue and date on it. It's a special reminder of the opportunity the concert goer had to give back, make a difference, and of course a memory of the amazing time they had.

Conscious Alliance was still able to make an impact during the pandemic when, of course, live music events were on pause. At the beginning of lockdown, one of CA's board members (who happens to own a restaurant) asked Justin if he had a way to distribute meals if the restaurant made them. Justin connected with a kindergarten teacher on the Advisory Board and ended up working with three teachers who were going to their kids' doorsteps and dropping off dinners made from various restaurants in Boulder, Colorado. This way, the teachers could check in on their students and make sure their family's were okay, and everyone was receiving quality nutrition during this scary time.

"One of the first days of the lockdown in March 2020 we had a board member who owns a restaurant and say, 'If we prepare meals, do you have an outlet to give them away?'" Justin Levy (16:01-16:20)

This caught the attention of the World Central Kitchen, a non-profit that sets up mobile kitchens in areas that need them most, like war zones for example. When partnering with WCK, Conscious Alliance went from serving around 160 restaurant meals a week to almost 2000, making for about 2.6 million meals total in 2020.

Now that restrictions are removed and we're "coming back to life", Conscious Alliance is back at it again with concerts, festivals and music events. How can you get involved or find out where they'll be next? Simply visit their website and find a listing of upcoming events or a way to donate virtually. You might see a band or event you've been dying to go to, or some of your favorites like Jack Johnson, The Dead, Umphrey's McGee and many more that you can now see live again!

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"We want to see farms like yours be very successful and profitable because your profit directly relates to our ability to create a more sustainable, healthy planet and continue to access and grow food."

Lori Taylor (16:12-16:37)

Beth Bocock went from saying, "I'll never marry a farmer!" to becoming one of the second owners of Bumbleberry Acres with her husband, working for Naturipe and being the head of Bumbleberry's agritourism. The farm, originally 600 acres and now 44, had been around since 1857 and caught Beth and her husband's eye when they were driving and saw a "for sale'' sign. Immediately after buying, they asked their kids, "what would you want to do if you came here to work? If this was a vacation destination, what would you want to see?"

This helped inspire the Bococks' to add a petting zoo of miniature animals to the farm, opening the door for Bumbleberry to become a wonderful, family-friendly destination. When visitors arrive at Bumbleberry, they're taken care of by the "Bumbleberry Girls" who are specifically trained to interact with customers and treat them like family. The girls know every inch of the farm, from the dirt, to the berries and how they are grown. Beth's focus with the girls (they hire three every year) is to empower them to learn where things on the farm come from, so visitors too can always be learning every step of the way through their experience.

"It was important for us that families do not feel like they're going to a farm and getting nickel-and-dimed to death." Beth Bocock (7:41-7:48)

What's it like spending a day at Bumbleberry Acres? Visitors can enjoy activities like the U-pick for blueberries, a corn maze and wagon ride around fall, delicious food with ingredients straight from the farm, and plenty of blueberry pies during their Blueberry Festival in August. Beth really wants visitors to understand where food really comes from, how we're helping take care of the planet, and the responsibility and respect to her kids that comes with providing these products to consumers.

Did you know more than half of the world's profits from produce items are not getting back to growers? Farmers are dealing with profit crunches the same way we're dealing with a sudden rise in all of our expenses, and to not have the amount of profit they deserve hitting their pockets could damage our entire agricultural supply chain.

Beth also works with Naturipe Farms, who you know from past episodes is a great place full of empowered women! Beth says there are many more women involved at the company and farming in general than there were 20 years ago. She used to go to meetings with her husband and there'd only be a few other women in there, and women speakers were unheard of. But today you'll even see women running a farm after their husband has passed away, completely uninhibited and capable of performing any of the tasks on a farm.

"We pay particular attention to the girls because we want to give them a stepping stone to be empowered women. We look at girls not like they're unemployable by someone else, but that they're not going to get the same education we're going to teach them to be strong women." Beth Bocock (27:03-27:13)

Beth wants Bumbleberry to empower women just as well as Naturipe has. Every girl they interview to work on the farm is looked at for their potential for future leadership, not just their personality and resume. Beth takes note of how they interact with people, how compassionate they are, and it's paid off. Of the 36 girls they've hired, each have gone into a position of leadership in or outside of farming.

Whether it's empowering consumers to understand where their food comes from and how to support farmers, empowering women to accomplish anything they want in agriculture (from the field to CFO), or empowering farmers to make the profits they deserve, Beth Bocock, Blueberry Acres and Naturipe Farms all are doing incredible things to create empowered opportunities for all.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"NatureSweet is the brand people really know and trust."

Lori Taylor (13:22-13:31)

Amit Patel is the Marketing Director at NatureSweet, the company behind those delicious, favorite Cherub, Glory and Cherry tomatoes we all love! Whether you leave them on your counter to snack on all day like Lori, or use their packaging as a colander to wash in, NatureSweet's tomatoes are a convenient, versatile way to add healthy nutrients to your whole family's diet.

NatureSweet is a great testament to consumer trust and brand loyalty, especially during a time where the produce section at grocery retailers is fighting private labeling and during a time when we want to learn more and more about where our food is coming from. Amit has a background working for CPG (consumer packaged goods) companies like Pepsi, Cheetos and Rice-a-Roni. The benefit to those companies is "you can always make another product" if something goes wrong, whereas with produce, you're reliant on weather and harvesting, which doesn't always go as planned. That's why it's so important for NatureSweet to share their purpose of transforming the lives of agriculture workers in North America with customers, and their commitment to providing continuous, guaranteed, high quality, fresh produce.

As a part of their mission, NatureSweet has expanded beyond tomatoes and are moving into being a full, single solution for customers looking for greenhouse grown vegetables. They're expanding into greenhouse grown cucumbers, mini cucumbers, bell peppers, mini sweet peppers, larger tomatoes and more! As Amit says, "we take the same care in delivering quality every single day of the year and having it available all year round for consumers."

"Our purpose is to transform the lives of agriculture workers in North America." Amit Patel (6:55-6:59)

Another way NatureSweet is dedicated to their purpose is by being one of the first brands to participate in the Equitable Food Initiative, which, if you've listened to some of our previous podcasts, you know is an initiative focused on creating transparency in the produce supply chain. EFI certified companies adhere to the best practices in food safety, ensure their farmworkers are treated fairly, listen to workers' issues and create solutions to make processes more efficient, and make sure the supply chain is sustainable.

One of the first things people start to realize when understanding the farming economy and supply chain is that, no matter what kind of delicious product you have, there's a great farming story and heritage behind it. For example, a fourth-generation family farm that's sustained incredible economic and environmental setbacks. There's a big interest in knowing more about our food, the stories behind what we're putting in our bodies, and the people making it all possible.

Speaking of farmworkers, NatureSweet has started a program called Associates Under the Label which helps share the stories of NatureSweet's workers with consumers. Votes are taken internally as to which associate is featured and if you lift up the seal on a NatureSweet tomato package, you'll see a spotlight of information with a QR code that takes you to the featured agricultural worker's full story. This is another great opportunity for you, the consumer, to connect with the brand you love and for farmworkers to get recognized for all their incredible work.

"You want to feel good about picking up a package of produce and not having to worry about looking and making sure everything is perfect and that's one thing NatureSweet offers is quality you can trust." Amit Patel (31:13-31:31)

When it comes to enjoying NatureSweet's delicious, healthy tomatoes, one thing the company is working on helping you with is taking them on the go! You might wish you had a more convenient way to take these healthy snacks with you, whether it's to throw in your bag for lunch, a snack while commuting or even eating at your kids' sports tournaments (which we all know can last forever!). NatureSweet has now made this easy and convenient in washed, ready-to-eat, smaller packages that are – drumroll please – crush-proof! Think of all the unhealthy, "convenient" snacks you can replace now by taking your favorite NatureSweet tomatoes on the go with you.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"The Produce Moms would not be B Corp certified if it weren't for Kerrie."

Lori Taylor (2:57-3:01)

You've heard us share about the exciting process of becoming a B Corp Certified business, but you're probably wondering why this is so important. Kerri McDevitt is a Senior Consultant at Impact Growth Partners, a small consulting firm working with businesses across the world to become B Corp Certified who care about (as Kerri says) the "three P's": people, purpose and profit.

The B Corp Certification is given to businesses meeting high levels of standards that show they are global leaders in inclusivity, equitability and helping create a regenerative economy. Companies must go through a rigorous, long process of providing an application and documents that are analyzed and scrutinized to ensure only companies meeting a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above pass. The B Impact Assessment allows you to create a plan for your business and is broken down into five sections: governance, workers, community, environmental and customers. Companies must also legally change their corporate governance to be accountable to all stakeholders, and be transparent in their performance level on the B Lab's website.

For Lori and The Produce Moms, this was an opportunity to become more structured and strategic in business operations and, as Lori says, "it was a huge graduation for my business to become B Corp certified."

The beautiful part about putting your company through the B Corp certification process is it allows you to embed your values into your business so they'll last generations to come. The Produce Moms worked on getting certified for over 15 months and was under assessment from a specific person at the B Lab. How did TPM stack up? Well, even though the minimum score needed to pass the assessment is 80, we had a total of 117 points!

"The B- Corp journey makes one more mindful of decision making and more conscious as to what you're doing at your company. You are going to think a little bit more through a decision than you might have otherwise when you're looking at the bigger picture and considering all of your stakeholders." Kerri McDevitt (18:12-18:29)

A great example of how TPM operates with a B Corp level standard happened recently when one of the team members took off work for a family member's medical leave. It was a tough call as to what to do for Lori. This team member is unique in her gifts and skill sets with some of our publications and we couldn't ask anyone else for the same level of creative output. At the same time, we had partners waiting for these deliverables and couldn't delay. Lori took into consideration all of our stakeholders, farming partners, internal team members and audience to figure out how to serve everyone. She decided to slightly change the creative deliverables and when our team member came back, Lori looked at what work could be shifted back on her plate so she didn't lose out on pay from the time she was gone.

Businesses get credit under the B Corp Assessment for having an "impact business model". The Produce Moms was recognized for their contributions giving back to 1% for the planet, giving back to organizations that support the Earth, and being involved in the beautification of Indianapolis. TPM was also recognized for being advocates for the produce sector and farmers, and educating the public about healthy eating and nutrition.

The beautiful part about the B Corp community of other certified businesses is how collaborative it is. Everyone seems to be focused on how to help each other out, lift one another out and welcome new businesses, like TPM, through sub-committees and forums. Lori's entrance into the B Corp community has been extremely warm and welcoming thus far!

Wondering why businesses are looking to become B Corp certified, or if there's been an uptick in interest? COVID was certainly a catalyst for many businesses to turn in their B Corp applications. It really gave us all an opportunity to pause, reflect and open our eyes to how major of an impact climate change is making on our world, along with the inequity and injustices we may have been ignoring. A lot of companies started to reflect on how they could do better and help our community be better… like Kerri says, "businesses trying to be the best for the world, not just the best in the world, and the best for everyone."

"This generation is looking for products and services that benefit the world, whether it's looking for secondhand items versus firsthand, slow fashion versus fast fashion… There's a consciousness going on and it is crossing all generations." Kerri McDevitt (27:23-27:41)

All of us are focused now more than ever on creating a positive impact – whether it's in how we treat the environment, how we treat our employees, how we include one another, and becoming B Corp certified is one of the best ways a business can ensure this. The Produce Moms' score is now public on the B Corp directory and you can see other businesses who are certified too. The process to become certified is lengthy, and although that can be a major setback for a company (finding the time), Kerri says you can achieve a "pending B Corp certification" first, which can benchmark your mission and make the process later on easier!

If the B Corp certification should inspire anything in all of us it's to focus on working together for a greater purpose and the common good for us all! It's an honor to become a part of this prestigious community and The Produce Moms will continue to strive to be a force of good, bringing you the education, information and connection you need to help support our farming and agricultural industry workers, supply chain, women, environment and more.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!