Organic CEOs Give Their Thoughts on the Year Ahead

Welcome back and I hope everyone had a great holiday!

For the first column of this new year, I asked a handful of CEOs what they think will happen or what they would like to see happen in 2019 — for them personally, their company or the industry as a whole. Here is what they had to say.

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In 2018, the global scientific community did everything in its power to show us that the urgency of the climate crisis is far greater than we thought (and we thought it was bad). We can no longer tolerate debate, delay, or greenwashing — it’s time now for the rest of us to do everything in our power to solve humanity’s biggest challenge.

At Patagonia, we’ll be committing more energy and more resources in 2019 and beyond to confront climate change head-on, including huge investments in regenerative organic agriculture. We’ll be doing everything we can to build products that last forever and can be repaired and re-used, so we can reduce consumption and build a circular economy. And we’ll be doing everything we can to show the entire business community that we all must be in business to save our home planet.

— Rose Marcario, President and CEO of Patagonia

I would like to see the industry come together and re-commit to the values and ideals behind the organic movement. This is not just setting and enforcing high standards for quality and fighting hard against fraudulent imports and the like, which, if not pursued aggressively, could undermine trust in organic forever. But it also pertains to the organic values around community, environmentalism, and a sustainable farm economy.

Organic is not about a quick buck. Rather, it is about honoring a set of ideals that commit us to leaving the world a better and safer place for our kids and the next generation. We need to stand up and fight for organic, as many threats loom large. And one of the biggest threats is having the organic industry itself forget and become disconnected from our roots, the change we represent, and what we really must stand for.

— John Foraker, CEO and Co-Founder of Once Upon a Farm

In 2019, I’d like to see more brands take responsibility for the agricultural supply chains that produce their primary raw materials and ingredients for their products. This means making sure they are regenerative and organic with fair prices and wages for farmers and workers, and ensuring humane treatment for any livestock involved. The Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC) will be what consumers look for in the years and decades to come.

— David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner’s

2019 will be an important year for the continuous evolution of the organic beverage industry, and Suja intends to stay ahead of the game when it comes to the change within our industry. Our mission to democratize organic beverages at an affordable price point began with juice, but over the past few years we’ve ventured into other healthy beverage segments where we see the opportunity to transform current store-shelf options into organic, clean label versions that consumers demand.

Suja will continue to push boundaries, pioneer change within the organic beverage space and cater to functionalities outside of just providing consumers with organic products as they pay more and more attention to what goes into their bodies in the coming year.

— Jeff Church, CEO and Co-Founder of Suja Juice

In 2019, I hope that we in the organic industry will make real headway in doing what it takes to become regenerative. A study published in Science in June of 2018 reports that the food and agriculture sector accounts for over a quarter of global GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions and is therefore a significant contributor to global warming. Global warming increasingly impacts us all, especially the world’s poor and food-insecure, and it is up to us as leaders to be part of the solution now — we have no time to lose when it comes to the effects of global warming, and the world depends on us to make real changes.

Fortunately, we are already moving in the right direction, with many of us banding together and making commitments to building regenerative businesses, supporting regenerative agriculture, and nurturing a regenerative society that invests in the long-term care of its people and its environment. My goal is to continue to ensure that this is a primary driver of REBBL’s work and develop partnerships with like-minded companies.

— Sheryl O’Loughlin, CEO of REBBL

Consumer buying trends favoring clean ingredients and organic foods aren’t going away. But we think 2019 will be the year conscious consumers also begin focusing on how our food systems affect our broader ecosystems, namely in the form of soil and water health with practices like regenerative farming (farming that rotates crops or animals to maintain soil health), low impact or biodynamic viticulture, responsible aquaculture, and other holistic approaches to mitigating our environmental impact.

At Thrive Market, we’re committed to bringing more and more options like these online, so you’ll see us doubling down on quality of our supply chain and storytelling around our incredible producers in 2019.

— Nick Green, Co-Founder and CEO of Thrive Market

This is a big, breakout year for the organic industry coming together with a cohesive voice across categories, products, and stakeholders in the supply chain. We will magnify our collective vision to transform agriculture and popular culture alike — connecting the dots from source to science to story. In 2019, organic will become ‘the new normal.’

— Marci Zaroff, CEO and Founder of MetaWear and Farm to Home

With the recent signing of the Farm Bill, 2019 will unquestionably be the year of hemp and CBD. At RE Botanicals — my latest hemp venture — we will help educate CBD users and the natural food industry on two vital issues in today’s Wild West of misleading hemp claims.

1) That USDA organic certification is a must-have for any hemp or CBD product if you care about your health and that of the planet.

2) That organic alcohol extraction of hemp flowers produces the highest-quality product with the lowest carbon footprint. Consumers and retailers need to pay close attention to how CBD is extracted, and we want to play a role in raising the awareness of this very important issue.

Let’s regenerate our bodies’ endocannabinoid systems and the planet’s soils and oceans with hemp!

— John Roulac, Founder and Chief Hemp Officer of RE Botanicals and Founder of Nutiva

Currently, organic alcohol makes up less than 1% of the total spirits, beer and wine market, and we believe that our industry can do better. We also know that just like in other categories, when offered the option, consumers will choose organic. So, in 2019, we are going to work hard to rally our customers and distributors to help push organic alcohol so that it mirrors overall food sales in the U.S., where organics comprise roughly 5% of the total market.

Additionally, throughout this year, Prairie Organic Spirits will be dedicating financial resources to help transition more farmland to organic. We believe it’s time for the spirits industry to help support and grow the organic movement because it’s simply the right thing to do — for our land, for our farmers, and for our future — and we’re more committed than ever to do our part.

— Mike Duggan, CEO of Prairie Organic Spirits

Have a great day! Max Goldberg, Founder