At one point during our conversation, Verde Farms CEO Brad Johnson expressed the simple, powerful value proposition that the organic, grass-fed beef brand offers to modern consumers.

“We’re simply taking away all of the bad things that a broken food system introduced… to give you the purest version of something you already love.”

That ethos has helped make Verde Farms into the leading U.S. provider of USDA certified organic, 100% grass-fed and 100% free-range beef, offering ground beef, steaks and stew meat. The Massachusetts-based brand sources beef from a network of family farmers in Uruguay, Australia and North America and touts its adherence to sustainable and substantiated business practices, including regenerative agriculture.

In 2020, Manna Tree, a Vail-based global investment firm whose mantra is to improve human health through nutrition, acquired a minority stake in Verde Farms for $15 million. At the time, Manna Tree noted that “consumers today are more keenly attuned to the impacts of their purchase decisions from a health and sustainability standpoint” and described Verde Farms as well-positioned to meet them where they shop. The brand is currently represented in several major retail chains, including Target, Harris Teeter, BJ’s, The Fresh Market and Albertsons. 

In an interview recorded during Manna Tree’s recent leadership summit in Colorado, Brad spoke about how Verde Farms is attempting to democratize access to organic and grass-fed beef, why consumers view brand attributes in a holistic way, weighing investor expectations vs. mission-based goals, and why the company invests significantly in customer and consumer service.

0:43: Brad Johnson, CEO, Verde Farms – Brad spoke with Taste Radio editor Ray Latif about his background in Colorado and the meat business, Verde Farms’ origin story and how the company attempts to communicate feeling and emotion. He also discussed Verde’s pricing strategy, competition within the premium meat segment, why education and branding are the keys to its marketing strategy and how the brand is assessing opportunities in foodservice and growing consumer demand for clean label protein. Brad also explained how the company defines success and its role in promoting regenerative agriculture. 

Brands in this episode: Verde Farms, The New Primal