The Produce Moms Podcast

Lori Taylor sits down with Allison Kuhn. Allison is the director of retail nutrition solutions at Kroger, and she also has many accolades including the Top Woman in Grocery Rising Star Award. She has also been recognized by Produce for Better Health Foundation as Dietician of the Year and a host of other distinguished recognitions and awards.

"I want to empower women through education, leadership development, and community engagement"

In episode 5, Lori sits down with Produce Industry Legend, Margaret D'Arrigo-Martin. Margaret has been an advocate, inspiration, and example for women her entire career. She has made a positive difference in the community, the nonprofit sector, and the agriculture industry, both locally and globally.

"What you're putting in your body makes a huge impact on your ability to think, function, and feel your best"

Margaret spent 22 years as executive vice president of sales and marketing at D'Arrigo Bros. She has more recently spent the last several years as vice president of community development at Taylor Farms. She served as Director of the industry's leading trade organization-- Produce Marketing Association. She was named Woman of the Year by Ag Against Hunger. Her leadership in the non-profit sector includes President of the Grower Shipper Association Foundation, Vice President for Hartnell College Foundation and president of the Salinas City Elementary Educational Foundation.

"My journey didn't come easy. I had to push and climb, but I never gave up"

Margaret serves on the board of directors Children's Council of Monterey County, Literacy Campaign for Monterey County, Thrive Foundation, Salinas City Center Improvement District, and Steinbeck Innovation Foundation. She is co-founder of IMPOWER, a primarilyy woman-focused group whose purpose is to get others involved in making our community a better place. She also currently serves as Secretary of Salinas Valley Memorial Health Care System.

These accomplishments are testimony to the passion Margaret feels for her community and industry. She has a vision for what is possible and has proven that it is also achievable.

Some Topics we talk about in this episode:

• Introduction // Margaret D'Arrigo-Martin - 0:45
• Margaret's Background and Experience in Produce - 2:45
• How Fresh Produce Can Help You Reach Your Full Potential - 7:30
• Margaret's Role in the Produce Industry - 9:43
• The Importance of Having Mentors - 14:01
• What is the One Thing Moms need to know about Fresh Produce - 18:35
• Advice from Margaret - 19:20
• Wrap-up - 21:40

For more information about Margaret D'Arrigo-Martin and the work she is doing to empower women and make waves in the produce industry, visit https://www.margaret-inc.com/ and https://www.impowerwomen.org/ to connect with her and her team.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week! https://www.facebook.com/groups/316715662104709/
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you're at in life and business! Find out more at www.theproducemom.com

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!

Lori sits down with Produce Industry Legend, Margaret D’Arrigo-Martin. Margaret has been an advocate, inspiration, and example for women her entire career. She has made a positive difference in the community, the nonprofit sector, and the agriculture industry, both locally and globally.

The Produce Moms Podcast EP 4

From 7th Grade Volleyball to the Entrepreneurial Journey that is The Produce Moms, with Kristin Ahaus

"The Produce Department should be a Guilt-Free Zone"

In Episode 4, Lori sits down with The Produce Moms Director of Content and Communications, and life-long friend, Kristin Ahaus. Kristin was Lori's first hire at TPM and has been recognized by Produce Business Magazine as one of the Top 40 Under 40 within the produce industry. While complete opposites, Lori and Kristin compliment each other so well and make everything at TPM possible.

"We've impacted over a billion annual school meals"

The Produce Moms has made a huge impact in the lives of students all over the country, as they continue to bring new ideas, fun, and a fresh way to introduce produce. Lori, Kristin, and the whole TPM team are constantly creating new ways to connect with schools, as well as families, to help change the way America eats.

"We're such a huge sounding board and advocate for the produce industry as a whole"

Sign up for our email list and follow TPM on Social Media to stay up to date with everything we're doing!

Some Topics we talk about in this episode:

• Introduction // Kristin Ahaus - 0:45
• The Story of The Produce Moms - 2:45
• Reaching Schools with Fresh Produce - 7:30
• Biggest Takeaway for Moms of TPM - 12:02
• Where We See TPM in 5 Years - 13:40
• Role Models in the Produce Industry - 20:01
• Wrap-up - 23:40

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week! https://www.facebook.com/groups/316715662104709/
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you're at in life and business! Find out more at www.theproducemom.com

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!

Lori sits down with The Produce Moms Director of Content and Communications, and life-long friend, Kristin Ahaus. Kristin was Lori’s first hire at TPM and has been recognized by Produce Business Magazine as one of the Top 40 Under 40 within the produce industry. While complete opposites, Lori and Kristin compliment each other so well and make everything at TPM possible.

"We've been known for introducing a variety of fruits and vegetable to US supermarkets"

In Episode 3, Lori talks all things fresh produce with the eldest daughter of Frieda's Specialty Produce CEO Karen Caplan, and the granddaughter of founder Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, Alex Jackson Berkley. She joined the company in 2011 after graduating from George Mason University, making Frieda's a three-generation family-business success story.

"We try to make produce relatable through something fun that's going to make people smile and laugh at the same time"

Alex started in Frieda's marketing department before moving into the sales department in 2014 as an account manager. In 2014 at age 24, Alex was the youngest produce professional to be accepted into the United Fresh Leadership Program Class. That same year, Alex earned a certificate of Produce Executive Development from Cornell University's Food Industry Management Program.

"Food is a common language of our world"

In 2017, Alex was named one of the "40 Under 40" by Produce Business Magazine for her success and leadership in the produce industry.

Alex served as a member of the Produce Marketing Association's Women's Fresh Perspectives Advisory Committee and was co-chair from 2015 to 2017. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Westerly School of Long Beach, a California K-8 non-denominational private school.

Some Topics we talk about in this episode:

• Introduction // Alex Jackson Berkley - 0:45
• What is Frieda's Specialty Produce? - 2:55
• Understanding the Fresh Produce Supply Chain - 7:25
• What it's like to run a family business - 11:25
• Predicting the Culinary Trends - 17:05
• Final Questions - 22:10

Watch the Documentary "Fear No Fruit" The Frieda Caplan Documentary - http://fearnofruit.com/

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week! https://www.facebook.com/groups/316715662104709/
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you're at in life and business! Find out more at www.theproducemom.com

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!

Lori talks all things fresh produce with the eldest daughter of Frieda’s Specialty Produce CEO Karen Caplan, and the granddaughter of founder Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, Alex Jackson Berkley. She joined the company in 2011 after graduating from George Mason University, making Frieda’s a three-generation family-business success story.

"There's a disconnect on how food affects our health. I want to be having that conversation, so people understand what a direct impact it has "

For several years, Lisa Helfman and her family took part in a weekly fruit and vegetable co-op, and she watched her children's eating habits dramatically transform. So much so that her little boy turned down a piece of cake at a birthday party, craving instead the blueberries he'd grown fond of eating at home.

"We believe that our only goal is to make an impact"

Like most moms, Lisa realized this was a fairly significant decision for a six-year-old, and she wondered what kind of influence regular access to fresh produce might have on all children. Especially if that produce was free to families.

"You can be empowered to take control of your health and live a happier healthier life by eating right - and the key to eating right is fresh produce"

She was inspired to replicate this type of positive change in underserved communities identified as "food deserts," or areas where access to grocery stores stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables is sorely limited. Because nutrition education in these communities is often equally lacking, Lisa's vision was to bring a produce co-op to schools in these neighborhoods that included an educational component.

"People are sick in our community and they could be healthy just by eating right"

She created a collaborative partnership between the Houston Food Bank and Dr. Shreela Sharma, an expert in nutrition and a professor of epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health, and they launched the program now known as Brighter Bites. Four years later, Brighter Bites has delivered more than 8,000,000 pounds of fresh produce to over 20,000 families at over 90 sites in Houston, Dallas, and Austin.

When she isn't pushing kids to eat kale smoothies, Lisa is Director of Real Estate for H-E-B and is working on the company's significant expansion in Houston. Prior to joining H-E-B, Lisa served as Director of Real Estate Services at Texas Children's Hospital where she created the Real Estate Services Department in order to centralize the hospital's real estate operations. Lisa worked at Texas Children's for seven years after leaving Vinson & Elkins where she represented many urban redevelopment clients, non-profits, and government entities in financings, real estate, and other general matters. Lisa received her JD from University of Houston Law Center and her BA from Tulane University.

Some Topics we talk about in this episode:

• Introduction // Lisa Helfman - 0:45
• Give Healthy Food Drive - 2:05
• How Brighter Bites got started - 3:15
• Why Fresh Food? - 5:09
• Brighter Bites and the "Access Issue" - 6:40
• Brighter Bites Programs - 11:30
• Integration with schools and kids - 14:30
• The Bright Bites Audience - 17:15
• The Myth of Food Shortage - 24:12
• How Brighter Bites is Changing Lives - 27:00
• How You Can Get Involved - 32:20
• Wrap-up - 35:29

We are hosting a "Give Healthy" Food Drive to support the amazing work that Lisa and her team at Brighter Bites are doing. Text the words "Give Healthy" to 55498

We will send you a link to the "Give Healthy" Food Drive as well as a Brighter BItes Wish List!

For more information, visit www.brighterbites.org

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week! https://www.facebook.com/groups/316715662104709/
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you're at in life and business! Find out more at www.theproducemom.com

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!

“There’s a disconnect on how food affects our health. I want to be having that conversation, so people understand what a direct impact it has ”

For several years, Lisa Helfman and her family took part in a weekly fruit and vegetable co-op, and she watched her children’s eating habits dramatically transform. So much so that her little boy turned down a piece of cake at a birthday party, craving instead the blueberries he’d grown fond of eating at home.

"Our mission is to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables in the US and change the way America eats"

In this pilot episode of the The Produce Moms Podcast, we hear from THE Produce Mom, Lori Taylor. Lori has 10+ years of experience in the produce industry and is working every day to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Her passion to "change the way America eats" comes from her expertise in the industry and her responsibility as a Mom to make the best, and most healthy, choices for her family.

"We're helping people understand the many different ways that they can eat more fresh produce and simplifying the process"

Lori shares her story and unique perspective on what it means to eat more fruits and vegetable, the vision for The Produce Moms, and why we decided to start a podcast. From a late night decision to buy the url theproducemom.com to what the brand and community is today is truly an amazing and inspiring journey. Lori shares some defining moments in the process and how she had to stand up for herself in corporate America to be able to make the impact that she's making today.

"I paid more for my idea than my home"

In 2018, The Produce Moms is a thriving community with an intense focus to resource America with a healthier alternative to what we're bombarded with everyday. The produce section is a guilt-free zone and we can be a part of changing the way America eats by shining light on the produce industry and all of it's benefits.

"We have almost 40K subscribers from 30 countries and all 50 states"

Join the movement today, and help us change the way America eats.

Some Topics we talk about in this episode:

• Introduction - 0:45
• Why We Started a Podcast - 2:15
• The Vision and Story of The Produce Moms - 3:30
• Lori and 10+ Years of Experience in the Produce Industry - 8:35
• How Lori Got Her First Marketing Job - 10:30
• Our First Blog Post - Who is the Produce Mom? - 16:30
• Resources that TPM and this Podcast Offer - 23:50
• The Community Component of TPM - 25:39
• Topics to Expect on This Podcast - 27:10
• Coming up in Episode 2 - 32:35
• Wrap-up - 33:50

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week! https://www.facebook.com/groups/316715662104709/
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you're at in life and business! Find out more at www.theproducemom.com

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!