There will be no commentary this week, as Natural Products Expo East begins today in Baltimore. We will be back next week with a recap and analysis of the show.
If you are at Expo East and would like to say hello, please be sure to stop by the RE Botanicals booth (#8922). I will be there from 1 to 2:30pm tomorrow.
In lieu of my regular commentary, I wanted to share with you two organic-related events that I attended this past week — (1) the Organic Pioneer Awards dinner at Rodale Institute and (2) BeyondBrands’ NYC launch party for its new consumer accelerator program called BeyondSKU.
ORGANIC PIONEER AWARDS DINNER AT RODALE INSTITUTE
Rodale Institute, the birthplace of the organic food movement in the U.S., held its 9th annual Organic Pioneer Awards dinner in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Three outstanding contributors to the organic industry were recognized – Jennifer Taylor, PhD, owner of Lola’s Organic Farm and professor at Florida A&M University; Dr. Philip Landrigan, pediatrician and epidemiologist, specializing in the health of children and the effect of toxic chemicals on their brains and nervous systems; and Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, a tremendous advocate for organic in the state.
Rodale is a place unlike any other, and the awards dinner was, as usual, a magical night.
(Pre-dinner cocktail party)
(Jeff Moyer, Executive Director of Rodale Institute, giving everyone a progress update)
(The tractor ride, taking people from the cocktail party to the barn for dinner)
(Heading into the barn for dinner)
(Dr. Andrew Smith, Chief Scientist at Rodale, addressing the crowd at dinner)
(From l. to r., Dr. Jennifer Taylor receiving her award from Diana Martin, Director of Communications at Rodale)
BEYONDSKU LAUNCH PARTY IN NYC
Started by long-time organic industry veterans Eric Schnell and Marci Zaroff, BeyondBrands is a full-service consulting and brand incubation firm for organic and natural CPG companies, and on Monday night in New York, it had a launch party for BeyondSKU, its NYC-based conscious consumer products accelerator program.
At the event, BeyondSKU unveiled its first cohort of companies — True Moringa, Pilot Kombucha, Mud, Jalapa Jar and Hudson Green.
(From l. to r., Eric Schnell and Marci Zaroff, founders of BeyondBrands, and Michelle Thompson and Derick Thompson, co-founders of Startup Runner)
(From l. to r., Jeremiah McElwee, Senior Vice President of Merchandising + Product Development at Thrive Market; Marci Zaroff; Max Goldberg, founder of Organic Insider (me); Autumn Bree, Managing Director of AB Investments and co-founder/partner at BeyondBrands)
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With gratitude, 
Max Goldberg, Founder |
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Juice Beauty is being studied by UC-Davis for developing grapes and olives specifically for skin benefits.
A look at why some organic food brands and other companies are hiding their sustainability initiatives from consumers.
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As they leave their hives, the bees get coated with a beneficial fungus that they spread to plants, which has proven to protect fruit from mold.
