Edward & Sons Supplier Receives PETA Award for Ethical Sourcing Practices
Honored for its stance against monkey labor, Edward & Sons’ organic coconut supplier earns PETA Asia’s 2024 Company of the Year, highlighting a long-standing commitment to ethical sourcing and Earth Day values
CARPINTERIA, Calif. (April 22, 2025) – Edward & Sons Trading Company, a leader in ethical and sustainable food products, is proud to announce that its long-time Thai coconut supplier has been named PETA Asia's prestigious Company of the Year for its commitment to ethical sourcing practices, including monkey labor-free coconut harvesting. This recognition reflects the values at the heart of Edward & Sons' mission. Headquartered in Carpinteria, just miles from the site of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill that helped inspire the first Earth Day, Edward & Sons has long championed animal welfare and environmental sustainability across every part of its supply chain.
The recognition from PETA, the preeminent animal rights group, further solidifies the integrity of Edward & Sons’ 47-year commitment to ethical sourcing practices across its entire family of brands including Native Forest® and Let's Do Organic®. These products have consistently been verified by PETA as "monkey labor-free," following thorough audits of the coconut harvesting process.
“PETA is proud to recognize Edward & Sons for pushing back against the cruelty that runs rampant in the coconut trade, where monkeys are chained and whipped into picking coconuts,” said PETA Senior Vice President of International Operations Jason Baker. “Their commitment to sourcing coconut products without monkey labor sets a cruelty-free and responsible example for the rest of the industry to follow -- one that deserves recognition this Earth Day.”
Liz Dee, CEO of Edward & Sons Trading Company, said the company, founded in 1978, has always been deeply committed to sourcing products that respect both animals and the environment.
“On Earth Day and every day, we believe that responsible sourcing is a reflection of our deepest values at Edward & Sons, values that we have pioneered for nearly fifty years – protecting not just the environment but also the living beings who call it home,” Liz said.
Soaring worldwide consumer demand for food products made from coconuts – including coconut water, coconut milk and plant-based coconut yogurt and ice creams, among others – led to focused attention on a 2022 PETA exposé about the shocking abuse of monkeys by some Thai farmers, who use enslaved monkeys to harvest their coconuts.
Multiple PETA investigations in Thailand revealed that endangered pig-tailed macaques, illegally kidnapped from the wild, were being kept chained and abusively trained to be coconut-picking machines. When PETA investigators found monkey labor on farms maintained by third-party contractors – farms that had been certified as “monkey-free” by the Thai government – Edward & Sons’ coconut supplier promptly cut ties with the farms and gave investigators full access to their local partner farms to verify that no monkey labor was being used.
“Native Forest has always stood for value-driven innovation,” said Alison Cox, vice president of sales and marketing at Edward & Sons. “From pioneering organic coconut milk to leading on monkey labor–free sourcing, we’re proud to offer products that meet both the ethical and culinary expectations of today’s market, our retailers and our consumers.”
Edward & Sons continues to stand at the forefront of ethical business practices by supporting initiatives that promote sustainability, animal welfare, and community development. The company actively collaborates with local organizations, including the Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand, which provides shelter and rehabilitation for monkeys affected by unethical labor practices. The company encourages consumers to make mindful purchasing decisions and support brands that prioritize both social responsibility and environmental stewardship.
“Change doesn’t happen in isolation. It takes all of us — brands, suppliers, retailers and consumers — working together to build a food system rooted in care, accountability, and respect,” concludes Liz. “We’re grateful for this recognition, and hopeful it inspires more companies to examine their supply chains with fresh eyes. A more humane food system is possible – but only if we choose it.”
PETA Shoppers Guide
In October 2024, PETA issued an updated Shoppers Guide to educate consumers about this important issue and to identify brands that have been verified as monkey labor-free. Among a small number of coconut milk brands that PETA’s investigations identified as monkey labor-free are Edward & Sons’ Native Forest® brand of organic coconut milk products and its Let’s Do Organic® line of organic coconut products.
Learn More
About Edward & Sons®
Edward & Sons Trading Company, Inc. is an independently owned, family-run food business based in Carpinteria, California. Since 1978, they’ve offered a distinctive portfolio of plant-based, natural, organic, and sustainably sourced grocery brands—including Native Forest®, Let’s Do Organic®, and more. Committed to ethical sourcing and environmental stewardship, Edward & Sons provides nourishing foods that support both local communities and the planet. The company proudly partners with retailers across North America to deliver “Convenience Without Compromise®.” Their products can be found wherever natural foods are sold. To learn more, visit EdwardandSons.com and search the Store Locator or Online Retailers list to find products near you. Follow along on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042
Global Earth Day Live Broadcast, April 22, Includes Focus on Regenerative Agriculture
Photo: Pexels
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
The global organizer of Earth Day, Earthday.org, will present its second Earth Day Live digital event on April 22, 2021. The theme of the multi-hour, multi-channel livestream event, beginning at noon Eastern Time, is Restore Our Earth. Topics include regenerative agriculture, climate and environmental literacy, equity and environmental justice, climate restoration technologies and more. “The agriculture sector is one of the largest contributors to climate change, and regenerative agriculture has the power to change that by rehabilitating our soils and enhancing our ecosystem,” Jillian Semann, Earth Day Network’s Food and Environment Director, said in a statement. "This Earth Day, we have an important opportunity to challenge world leaders to see climate change for what it is – a pressing global security threat, one that threatens everyone and everything but particularly our most vulnerable people and places," said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earthday.org. Learn more at www.earthday.org/earth-day-2021.
EarthxTV to Livestream Half-Earth Day and EarthX Global Gala, October 22
This article originally appeared in the October 21, 2020 edition of the Let’s Talk Hemp Newsletter.
“Attention all hempsters! EarthxLings await your expanded minds at the Global Gala. Half Earth Day mean several things and we mix ‘em up. The resulting blend will give you a taste of things to come on EarthxTV.” – EarthX Founder Trammell S. Crow
By Steven Hoffman
Dallas, TX – Most of us know that Earth Day is held each April 22, and this year, 2020, marked the 50th anniversary of the day dedicated around the globe to environmental education and awareness.
But not many people may know about Half Earth Day. Yes, Half Earth Day.
This year, celebrating the halfway point in the calendar to the 51st Annual Earth Day in April 2021, Half Earth Day will be livestreamed for free on EarthxTV on Thursday, October 22, 2020, 5:00 pm – 6:25 pm CDT.
The idea is to get us thinking about the environment all year round, said event organizers. And rather than lament the fact that they can’t host the gathering in person this year, “we will now be able to have a worldwide audience for streaming,” said Dawn Spalding, Executive Producer of the EarthX Global Gala held in conjunction with the Half Earth Day event.
With headline speakers including Erin Brockovich; renowned naturalist E.O. Wilson; Rachelle Carson Begley, wife of “uber-environmentalist” Ed Begley and a passionate environmentalist in her own right; and conservationist and writer Harvey Locke, Half Earth Day brings together people from around the world and across disciplines and party lines to share their perspectives and thought leadership on how we can work together to ensure the health of the planet for future generations.
Half Earth Day is presented by EarthX, an internationally recognized nonprofit multi-media organization dedicated to building environmental awareness and founded by Dallas, TX, real estate scion and environmentalist Trammel Crow.
Inspired by the work of E.O. Wilson, Half Earth Day is a call to conserve half the Earth’s land and sea in order to provide sufficient habitat to safeguard the bulk of biodiversity, said event organizers.
The free livestream Half Earth Day program will be followed by the EarthX Global Gala, held the same day, October 22, 6:30 pm – 11:00 pm CDT.
The “eco-star-studded” virtual gala event will feature “some of the most notable eco-heroes on the planet,” along with live musical entertainment by The Compton Kidz Club, Grammy winner Skip Martin of Kool and the Gang, and the Bastards of Soul, plus a live virtual auction. The gala is hosted by Dr. Evan Antin, host of Animal Planet’s Evan Goes Wild. General admission tickets for the Global Gala livestream are available for $25 here. VIP tickets are also available.
“Hemp industry professionals will want to tune in to the Global Gala to celebrate environmentalism and progress for the planet,” said Daulton O’Neill, who works in Corporate and Partnership Development at EarthX. “The hemp movement plays a significant role in the regenerative agriculture conversation, and we are happy to curate those conversations here at EarthX and now on EarthxTV.”
What started as an outdoor street fair in Dallas in 2011 has grown into one of the world’s leading Earth Day events and a globally recognized environmental organization, EarthX. Founded by Trammell Crow, the Dallas, TX-based nonprofit promotes environmental awareness and impact through conscious business, nonpartisan collaboration and community-driven sustainable solutions. Visit www.EarthX.org.
# # #