The Secret Sauce Behind a Successful Brand – Join Mike Schall, FocalPoint, on Compass Coffee Talk, August 18, 11:30am EDT
The Secret Sauce Behind a Successful Brand
Former Whole Foods Market Senior Leader of Global Growth and Business Development Mike Schall Will Share Key Components to Success on the Next Compass Coffee Talk™
Wednesday, August 18, 11:30 am – Noon EDT
Zoom, Admission is Free
Mike Schall
Schall is the Managing Director of FocalPoint, a middle-market international investment banking firm, where he also serves as a co-leader for the company’s Food & Beverage practice. Prior to joining FocalPoint, Mike was an integral part of the global senior executive team at Whole Foods Market, where he first served as an advisor to the E-Team and subsequently joined Whole Foods Market as Senior Coordinator, Global Growth and Business Development, providing leadership on a wide range of business initiatives including investments, acquisitions, new ventures, strategic partnerships as well as product development for Whole Foods Market Exclusive Brands.
Mike serves on a number of national boards and organizations and is an active Advisory Board member of Compass Natural Marketing. In addition, Mike has held various C-level positions in food companies for more than 30 years, including Fresh Food Concepts, Monterey Gourmet Foods, Guiltless Gourmet, Townsend’s, David Michael Flavors, Wise Foods, and The B. Manischewitz Company.
About Mike Schall
Mike Schall has successfully navigated significant growth periods, and food recalls; led sales, marketing, culinary, product development, and quality assurance teams; negotiated strategic joint ventures with Fortune 500 companies such as ConAgra and Proctor & Gamble; and served on audit and strategic mergers and acquisitions committees.
Mike Schall graduated from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business with a Master of Business Administration in marketing. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in marketing from California State University, Los Angeles. He is a frequent speaker at food and beverage industry events and has authored numerous food industry articles and blogs. Mike is an advocate for Atlanta-based OnBoard, a non-profit supporting women in leadership. He is plant-based, an avid runner, and enjoys cooking, reading, and studying history. He and Lisa, his wife of 40 years, have two daughters and three granddaughters.
About Compass Coffee Talk™
Take a 30-minute virtual coffee break with Compass Coffee Talk™. Hosted by natural industry veterans Bill Capsalis and Steve Hoffman, Coffee Talk features lively interactive conversations with industry leaders and experts designed to help guide entrepreneurs and businesses of any size succeed in the market for natural, organic, regenerative, hemp-derived and other eco-friendly products.
Compass Coffee Talk™ is produced by Compass Natural Marketing, a leading PR, branding and business development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more.
VIEW OUR PAST COMPASS COFFEE TALK EPISODES ON YOUTUBE
Hemp-derived CBD Industry to Congress and FDA: “Regulate CBD as Dietary Supplements Now”
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s July 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
The U.S. Hemp Roundtable (USHR) at a press conference on June 18th in Denver called on members of Congress in Colorado and in states across the country to support national legislation that would call on the FDA to regulate CBD like any other dietary supplement.
With approximately 100 people in attendance in person and online via Zoom at its spring 2021 membership meeting held at the Denver History Museum, USHR underscored its lobbying efforts by announcing the launch of Regulate CBD Now, an online campaign to encourage industry members and citizens to contact their representatives about important legislation impacting consumer access to hemp and CBD products in the U.S.
According to USHR General Counsel Jonathan Miller, the hemp industry is focused on two bills that Congress is currently considering – H.R. 841 in the U.S. House of Representatives, and S. 1698 in the U.S. Senate – that would call on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate CBD as a dietary supplement or as a food additive.
“To have CBD regulated like dietary supplements would be a game changer for the hemp-derived CBD industry,” Miller told Let’s Talk Hemp. Miller noted that in addition to allowing CBD to be regulated like dietary supplements, the Senate bill also calls for CBD to be permitted as an ingredient in food and beverage products.
According to a statement by USHR, while the FDA has recognized the significant public interest in CBD, the agency has not yet established a legal pathway for its sale.
About the Bills:
H.R. 841 – Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act of 2021
Introduced by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), H.R. 841 allows the use of hemp, cannabidiol (CBD) derived from hemp, or any other ingredient derived from hemp in a dietary supplement, provided that the supplement meets other applicable requirements. Currently, FDA's position is that CBD products may not be sold as dietary supplements. (Source: congress.gov.)
S. 1698 – Hemp Access and Consumer Safety Act
Introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), S. 1698 would allow hemp-derived cannabidiol and hemp-derived cannabidiol containing substances in dietary supplements and food and beverage products. (Source: congress.gov).
In addition to USHR, the Regulate CBD Now campaign is supported by organizations including the Alliance for Natural Health, American Herbal Products Association, Citizens for Health, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, Council for Responsible Nutrition, Friends of Hemp, Hemp Alliance of Tennessee, Hemp Industries Association, Midwest Hemp Council, National Grocers Association, Texas Hemp Coalition, United Natural Products Alliance, U.S. Hemp Authority, U.S. Hemp Building Association, Vote Hemp, We Are for Better Alternatives (WAFBA), and the Wisconsin Hemp Alliance.
The U.S. Hemp Roundtable is a national advocacy organization comprising a coalition of dozens of leading companies and organizations committed to safe hemp and CBD products. USHR works in partnership with national, regional, and state organizations, and helps lead the way forward for hemp and CBD products through education and action. For more information, visit www.regulateCBDnow.com and www.hempsupporter.com.
Drought in the West Brings Risk of Food Inflation Across the U.S.
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s July 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
California produces 80% of the world’s almonds, but it is a thirsty crop. Almond production is California’s most valuable crop, and it accounts for 80% of the state’s water use.
However, after a warm spring that dried up nearly all of the Sierra Nevada’s snowpack, the drought in the state is now so extreme and water so scarce in California’s Central Valley that almond farmers are ripping out trees or being forced to let portions of their acreage go dry, reported Bloomberg. With water levels of more than 1,500 reservoirs in California at 50% below normal for this time of year, “It’s a stark reminder of the devastating toll that the drought gripping the West will take on U.S. agriculture, bringing with it the risk of food inflation,” wrote Bloomberg journalist Elizabeth Elkin.
It’s a concern for the whole nation, as the Golden State’s 69,000 farms and ranches provide more than a third of all vegetables and two-thirds of all fruit in the U.S.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has put 41 counties under a state of emergency in an attempt to drastically limit water use. State authorities have been forced to cut water allocations for farmers, too, sometimes to zero, while water transfers have been delayed and farmers are being prevented from pulling water out of their neighboring rivers.
As a result, a growing number of farmers are abandoning crops that require too much water, such as almonds. One grower, Fowler Brothers Farm in Snelling, California, tore up 600 acres of almond orchard to make room for crops that require less water, reported The Weather Channel.
Farm workers, too, are at risk from extreme heat, adding stress, dehydration, heat stroke and other heat-associated health risks to already grueling work, reported Bloomberg. U.S. farmworkers face a 35-fold risk of heat-related deaths compared to that of the general work force, Bloomberg, reported, and temperatures this summer are hitting triple digits in swaths of California and the West. According to researchers at Emory University, laborers on farms are often chronically dehydrated, even if they drink enough water during their workday, and worker’s body temperatures often rise above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning they run a fever all day. The additional weather-related dangers farm workers face could add to labor shortages in an industry already struggling to attract employees.
Climate change is not just affecting crops in the United States – according to Bloomberg Green, Brazil, the world’s largest exporter of coffee, sugar, and orange juice, saw little rain during its rainy season and water reserves are running so low that farmers are concerned they may run out of water before harvest. In recent years, Bloomberg reported, drought has impacted wheat growers in Europe and livestock producers in Australia.
According to research led by Cornell University and published in April 2021 in the journal Nature Climate Change, “Despite important agricultural advancements to feed the world in the last 60 years...global farming productivity is 21% lower than it could have been without climate change. This is the equivalent of losing about seven years of farm productivity increases since the 1960s.” The UN Food and Agriculture Organization also warns that traditional food gathering techniques of indigenous communities throughout the world are under threat from accelerating climate change and economic pressures, reported Global Banking and Finance Review.
The drought and extreme weather come at a time when the world is already experiencing the highest grocery costs in a decade, global hunger is on the rise, and countries are still reeling from the economic and health-related shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, as drought begets drought, in an early warning sign of rising food costs, avocados cost about 10% more than last year, Bloomberg reported. “That could mean that prices for nuts and even products like almond milk could increase down the road if harvests continue to be constrained,” said writer Elizabeth Elkin.
The issue is large enough that comedian Bill Maher, host of HBO’s Real Time, said on a recent episode, “The Bay Area was just placed under a water shortage emergency with mandatory restrictions. Except, here's the thing, there isn't – even with the drought – really a shortage problem. It's more a, 'where the water is going' problem. California agriculture accounts for 80% of our water use, even though California agriculture is less than 2% of our economy," said Maher.
"We actually have enough water, we give away too much of it to farmers who get their water subsidized by the government because we still act like it's 1890 and farmers are small and independent when they're really mostly part of Big Ag," he added.
Join Chris Kilham on Compass Coffee Talk, July 14, 2021, 11:30am EDT
The Medicine Hunter: In Search of Sacred Plants
Chris Kilham, A Modern Day ‘Indiana Jones’, Author, Yogi, and Educator to Discuss the Power of Healing Botanicals and How the Natural Products Industry can Bridge Cultures Together on the Next Compass Coffee Talk
WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 11:30 AM - NOON EDT
ZOOM, ADMISSION IS FREE
Chris Kilham
Take an epic virtual adventure deep into the jungle on the next Compass Coffee Talk on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, and hear from internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and educator Chris Kilham, Founder of Medicine Hunter, Inc. Regarded by the New York Times as “part David Attenborough, part Indiana Jones,” Chris Kilham will share with Compass Coffee Talk listeners his stories about discovering the healing power of botanicals and their potential in benefitting products and supplements in the natural products industry.
In his work, Kilham has traveled nearly 4 million miles and has roamed the globe visiting unknown wild places in rainforests, mountains, and deserts. He has fire-walked in the South Pacific, been made a chief, enjoyed a diplomatic post for three years, made best friends with a prince, dined with prime ministers, and embarked on ceremonial journeys with shamans. Kilham’s mission as the Medicine Hunter is to promote and preserve natural, plant-based medicines, to protect the natural environment, and to support indigenous cultures.
About Chris Kilham
Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter, author, educator, and yogi. The founder of Medicine Hunter Inc., Chris, has conducted medicinal plant research and sustainable botanical sourcing in over 45 countries. Chris works with companies to develop and popularize traditional plant-based food and medicinal products into market successes. These include ashwagandha, kava, Maca, Rhodiola, Schisandra, tamanu oil, cat's claw, dragon's blood, ayahuasca, and hundreds of other plants. Chris also works to bridge worlds, regularly sharing information about other cultures through presentations and media.
Chris has appeared on over 1,500 radio programs and more than 500 TV programs worldwide. As a TV correspondent and guest, he speaks about medicine hunting, traditional botanical medicines, nutraceuticals, psychoactive plants, environmental and cultural preservation, and other related topics for a broad and diverse audience.
About Compass Coffee Talk™
Take a 30-minute virtual coffee break with Compass Coffee Talk™. Hosted by natural industry veterans Bill Capsalis and Steve Hoffman, Coffee Talk features lively interactive conversations with industry leaders and experts designed to help guide entrepreneurs and businesses of any size succeed in the market for natural, organic, regenerative, hemp-derived and other eco-friendly products.
Compass Coffee Talk™ is produced by Compass Natural Marketing, a leading PR, branding and business development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more.
VIEW OUR PAST COMPASS COFFEE TALK EPISODES ON YOUTUBE
Hemp Industry to Congress and FDA: “Regulate CBD Now”
This article originally appeared on LetsTalkHemp.com
By Steven Hoffman
The U.S. Hemp Roundtable (USHR) at a press conference on June 18 in Denver called on members of Congress in Colorado and in states across the country to support national legislation that would call on the FDA to regulate CBD like any other dietary supplement.
With approximately 100 people in attendance in person and online via Zoom at its Spring 2021 membership meeting held at the Denver History Museum, USHR underscored its lobbying efforts by announcing the launch of Regulate CBD Now, an online campaign to encourage citizens to contact their representatives about important legislation impacting consumer access to hemp and CBD products in the U.S.
Members of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable announced on June 18 the launch of “Regulate CBD Now,” an online campaign to encourage passage of national legislation allowing access to CBD in dietary supplements and food and beverage products. Photo: Let’s Talk Hemp
According to USHR General Counsel Jonathan Miller, the hemp industry is focused on two bills that Congress is currently considering – H.R. 841 in the U.S. House of Representatives, and S. 1698 in the U.S. Senate – that would call on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate CBD as a dietary supplement or as a food additive. “To have CBD regulated like dietary supplements would be a game changer for the hemp-derived CBD industry,” Miller told Let’s Talk Hemp.
According to a statement by USHR, while the FDA has recognized the significant public interest in CBD, the agency has not yet established a legal pathway for its sale.
“We wanted to raise awareness of this important legislation by hosting our Spring meeting in Colorado, an epicenter of the hemp industry,” said Miller. “We’re grateful to Colorado Representative Ed Perlmutter for co-sponsoring H.R. 841, and we hope that Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO) will co-sponsor H.R. 841, as she serves on the committee of jurisdiction, Energy and Commerce. Also, we hope Senators Hickenlooper and Bennett will support the Senate bill, S. 1698.” Miller noted that in addition to allowing CBD to be regulated like dietary supplements, the Senate bill also calls for CBD to be permitted as an ingredient in food and beverage products.
“Colorado is a hemp state. We need Colorado’s elected officials to stand up and support legislation that gives consumers confidence in our products, protects small businesses and farmers, and allows this new industry to thrive,” said Steve Smith, co-founder of Pet Releaf, a family-owned company based in Littleton, CO. Smith noted that Colorado is home to many hemp and CBD companies. However, regulatory uncertainty has started to dismantle this up-and coming market, he said.
“The only way we’re going to see a regulated CBD market is if everyday citizens make their voices heard,” Miller emphasized. “Taken together, these two bills are a huge step forward in creating more certainty for farmers, greater protections for consumers, and more economic opportunity for…hemp companies,” he said.
About the Bills
H.R. 841 – Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act of 2021
Introduced by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), H.R. 841 allows the use of hemp, cannabidiol (CBD) derived from hemp, or any other ingredient derived from hemp in a dietary supplement, provided that the supplement meets other applicable requirements. Currently, FDA's position is that CBD products may not be sold as dietary supplements. (Source: congress.gov.)
S. 1698 – Hemp Access and Consumer Safety Act
Introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), S. 1698 would allow hemp-derived cannabidiol and hemp-derived cannabidiol containing substances in dietary supplements and food and beverage products. (Source: congress.gov).
“Regulate CBD Now” Endorsed by Leading Consumer Products Associations
The U.S. Hemp Roundtable is a national advocacy organization comprising a coalition of dozens of leading companies and organizations committed to safe hemp and CBD products. USHR works in partnership with national, regional and state organizations, and helps lead the way forward for hemp and CBD products through education and action.
In addition to USHR, the Regulate CBD Now campaign is supported by organizations including the Alliance for Natural Health, American Herbal Products Association, Citizens for Health, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, Council for Responsible Nutrition, Friends of Hemp, Hemp Alliance of Tennessee, Hemp Industries Association, Midwest Hemp Council, National Grocers Association, Texas Hemp Coalition, United Natural Products Alliance, U.S. Hemp Authority, U.S. Hemp Building Association, Vote Hemp, We Are for Better Alternatives (WAFBA), and the Wisconsin Hemp Alliance.
For more information, visit www.regulateCBDnow.com and www.hempsupporter.com.
Supporting the Juneteenth Holiday, and Diversity and Inclusion in Hemp
In addition to covering a lengthy agenda, members of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable also wrapped up their Spring meeting by honoring Juneteenth – the new national holiday celebrating emancipation from slavery in the United States – with a number of USHR members volunteering to work at the Juneteenth Music Festival on June 19 in downtown Denver. The volunteer opportunity was organized by USHR’s Minority Empowerment Committee (MEC) to advance the association’s efforts to achieve equity, including, diversity and inclusion in the industry hemp and CBD industries.
U.S. Hemp Roundtable members volunteered to work at the Juneteenth Music Festival on June 19 in Denver, CO – Photo: U.S. Hemp Roundtable Facebook Page
One Step Closer™ Fosters Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Natural Products Industry, Announces New Leaders to Guide its J.E.D.I. Collaborative
Mission-driven Non-profit Adds New Board Members, Rebrands Itself, and Inspires Companies to Drive Positive Change through Compostable Packaging, Climate Reform, and Social Justice
Oakland, CA (June 3, 2021) – One Step Closer™ (OSC), a mission-driven natural products industry organization, is pleased to announce that visionary leaders José Corona and Konda Mason have joined the nonprofit's board of directors. In addition, Cynthia Billops has been hired as OSC’s Vice President of Operations, Membership & Belonging, and will guide the organization’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion project known as the J.E.D.I. Collaborative.
Formerly known as ‘One Step Closer to an Organic Sustainability Community (OSC2)’, the organization rebranded to its current name as ‘One Step Closer.' OSC envisions a society that collectively brings people One Step Closer to manifesting a shared vision for a just and prosperous world. Together members and partners meet to drive change focusing on OSC’s three core competencies: zero-waste packaging, reversing climate change, and embracing justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. .
Lara Dickinson, Co-founder and Executive Director states, “At One Step Closer, we aim to model what we seek to inspire in natural Products. An important step for us is embracing the leadership of those who have been historically excluded. We are fortunate that Konda and José have joined the OSC Board and Cynthia is now a part of our executive team. Through their extensive experience, authentic approach to leadership, and advocacy, we will increase our capacity in our core competencies.”
New Board Members
Joining the OSC Board is José Corona, Vice President of Programs & Partnerships, Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. José is a social entrepreneur who has built a reputation as an innovator and relationship-builder.
“I am humbled and honored to join the OSC Board, whose members and efforts align with my values and allows me to continue walking my path in life,” said Corona. “My path and mission in life has been dedicated to ensuring all people have the opportunity they need to fulfill their life mission and goals.”
Konda Mason is also new to the OSC Board of Directors. She is the Co-founder and President of Jubilee Justice, Inc, a non-profit working to bring climate-resilient farming and economic equity to Black farmers in the rural South to restore and accelerate Black land ownership and stewardship and create thriving Black farming communities.
“Leveraging the incredible companies in its network, OSC is wisely guiding them to an even better version of themselves with the J.E.D.I. initiative. The work of OSC and their commitment to racial justice in the natural food sector made my joining this Board a no-brainer,” said Mason. “Plus, I get to hang out and learn from some really cool and experienced entrepreneurs.”
Membership Details
The OSC member community is comprised of leaders in the natural products industry who maintain the highest sustainability standards in business and personal lives. For more information about our Core Chapter, Rising Star Chapter, and Cannabis Chapter memberships visit, osc2.org/join-osc/. To make JEDI commitments, go to jedicollaborative.com/make-commitment/.
About José Corona, Vice President, Programs and Partnership, Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation
As Vice President of Programs & Partnerships, José leads all grantmaking, partnership, and programmatic efforts for Stephen and Ayesha Curry's Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation – a new foundation the Curry’s launched in 2019 that is becoming one of the country’s most innovative and impactful philanthropic organizations through its commitment to creating equal opportunities and bright futures for every child.
In 2020, José served as the Co-chair of the City of Oakland Economic Recovery Advisory Council, charged to safely open businesses in Oakland during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, José is an Aspen Fellow and serves on the Boards of Northern California Grantmakers, The Unity Council, and the Oakland Museum of California.
About Konda Mason, Co-founder and President of Jubilee Justice, Inc
Konda is a social entrepreneur, financial activist, earth and social justice activist, and mindfulness teacher. She is also the Co-founder and VP of Potlikker Capital, a charitable loan fund specifically designed to deploy integrated capital to Black American farmers.
Konda is Co-Founder and founding CEO of Impact Hub Oakland (newly renamed Emerge Oakland), an award-winning co-working space that supports socially engaged entrepreneurs and changemakers. In addition, she is the Strategic Director of RUNWAY, a micro-lending fund for African American entrepreneurs, and the co-founder of the annual COCAP (Community Capital) conference in Oakland, focusing on closing the racial wealth gap restorative economics, and the next economy just transition.
Konda is on the Board of Directors of The Historic Clayborn Temple in Memphis, TN, On Being with Krista Tippett, One Generation with Paul Hawken, and Lion’s Roar Magazine.
About Cynthia Billops, OSC & J.E.D.I VP Operations, Membership & Belonging
Cynthia is a business strategy and operations expert who has spent the last few decades planning, designing and launching complex IT, Web, and SaaS services. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Mills college – focusing on small group interactions and the importance of each individual’s contribution to optimal success.
Her unique understanding of the challenges (and opportunities) faced by developing organizations combined with her determination to ensure open doors and “on-ramps to opportunity” for persons living in and coming from systemically marginalized communities; helps collaboratively create systems and processes that lead to sustainable growth, better staff retention and higher profits due to optimization and efficiency gains.
About One Step Closer (OSC)
One Step Closer (OSC) is a non-profit community-based organization centered in the natural products industry. OSC was founded in 2012 to build regenerative businesses and tackle some of the toughest challenges facing our industry and planet. With a carefully cultivated membership of 50 mission-driven companies, OSC has three leadership chapters: Core Chapter, Rising Star Chapter, and Cannabis Chapter. In addition to regular chapter meetings, OSC hosts industry-wide programming and member-focused continued education programming through OSC University. OSC has launched three industry-wide projects with a network of partners: Compostable Packaging Collaborative, the Climate Collaborative, and J.E.D.I Collaborative. For more information, please visit osc2.org and www.J.E.D.I Collaborative.com.
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Pepsico Announces Goal to Expand Regenerative Farming Practices on 7 Million Acres by 2030
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s June 2021 Newsletter
Pepsico announced in late April that the company is launching an ambitious, impact-driven “Positive Agriculture” strategy with the goal of spreading regenerative agriculture practices across 7 million acres of farmland by 2030, which the company says is approximately equal to its entire agricultural footprint.
“Any plan to tackle the urgent challenges facing the global food system must address agriculture, the source of nourishment for billions and a key lever to address climate change and inequality,” said PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta.
Pepsico estimates the initiative will eliminate at least 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by the end of the decade. Additional 2030 goals within its Positive Agriculture agenda include improving the livelihoods of more than 250,000 people in its agricultural supply chain, and sustainably sourcing 100% of its key ingredients, the company said.
“One big part of Positive Agriculture is extending regenerative farming practices — a set of techniques that improve and restore ecosystems with a focus on building soil health and fertility, reducing carbon emissions, enhancing watershed management, increasing biodiversity and improving farmer livelihoods. Partnering with farmers, PepsiCo will spread the adoption of these practices across 7 million acres, approximately equal to the company’s entire agricultural footprint. The growers behind products like Lay’s potato chips, Quaker oats and Tropicana orange juice will be driving forces,” the company said.
“Today, we're accelerating our Positive Agriculture agenda, because we know we have to do even more to create truly systemic change,” said Jim Andrew, PepsiCo’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “By focusing on regenerative agriculture practices at the local level to build soil health, we can build a stronger foundation for our products and help make the entire food system more sustainable.”
ePallet Offers Innovative Online Platform for Wholesale Buyers
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s June 2021 Newsletter
Utilizing a proprietary, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, web-based platform, ePallet is disrupting the traditional wholesale business model by providing customers with user friendly, direct access to what it claims is a more efficient and cost-effective way to buy and sell food and consumables in full-pallet increments.
Think of it perhaps as the “Amazon for wholesale buyers,” serving foodservice operators in hospitality, restaurants, healthcare, corporate and institutional kitchens, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, retailers and grocers, manufacturers, and others — and helping businesses and organizations in North America secure their supply chain from a wider range of sources, said ePallet cofounder and CEO James Kwon.
Working under the slogan “True Wholesale,” ePallet’s business model provides a single-source platform for buyers to purchase affordable, quality food, grocery and foodservice products from a diverse range of trusted global and local brands, including a wide array of natural and organic products, with no hidden costs, said Kwon.
“ePallet offers an innovative approach that disrupts the traditional supply chain where layers of middlemen typically add markups of 10% to 40%,” Kwon noted. “With ePallet's machine-learning platform, customers benefit from real-time, net-net delivered pricing in full-pallet increments.” ePallet also offers wholesale customers the option to build mixed-pallet orders from vendors. The company is open to working with vendors, retailers and foodservice operators in the natural products channel. Visit www.ePallet.com.
Thrive Market Wants to Be the First Climate Positive Grocer
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s June 2021 Newsletter
Thrive Market, the online natural products retail marketplace founded in 2014 by Nick Green, Gunnar Lovelace, Kate Mulling and Sasha Siddhartha, has set a new goal to become the nation’s first “climate-positive grocer.” The company saw sales skyrocket in 2020 during the pandemic and now CEO Nick Green says it wants to take those profits – and momentum – to pursue how it can reduce plastic packaging and overall waste, among other objectives.
“We are committing to not only minimize our negative environmental impact, but have a net positive effect on the climate specifically,” Green told Forbes Magazine. “The big message that we’re trying to send, which we hope other companies will embrace as well, is that doing less harm isn’t enough. We should all be thinking about what we can do to actually make things better to help heal the planet after a century in which we’ve done more harm than all prior centuries combined. Specifically, at Thrive Market that means committing to going carbon negative as a company by 2025 (right now we are carbon neutral), making our zero waste practices official with a TRUE Zero Waste certification in 2022, and going fully plastic neutral, as well, by 2023. We’re already proud to be the largest grocer ever to receive B Corp certification and looking forward to recertifying in October 2023 with even stronger commitments to both social impact, environmental stewardship and investment in our people,” Green told Forbes.
Said Thrive Market’s Chief Merchandising Officer Jeremiah McElwee, “The biggest inherent challenge is balancing out high quality, value and values-driven products being packaged in truly environmentally responsible formats. At present, those options can still cost five to 10 times what the more conventional options cost. So you can have a product that retails for $1.99 and the package itself costs $1. That means the customer would have to pay that premium when just affording healthy, organic food can be a challenge for many on a limited budget. Our approach is to create step functions so that we start with reduction always, then we move toward innovation and, ultimately, end of life solutions. Right now we have multiple pilots exploring both compostability and upcycling solutions for our shipping materials and product packaging,” he told Forbes.
As part of its Climate Positive initiative, the company identified three key areas of focus: carbon footprint, zero waste, and excess plastic. For more information on Thrive Market’s commitment to becoming the world’s first climate positive grocery store, visit here.
Grocers Are Lifting Mask Mandates after CDC Issues New Guidelines
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s June 2021 Newsletter
As the nation loosens public safety restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection, grocers are removing mask mandates for customers and in some cases employees who are fully vaccinated. Retailers including Wegmans, Kroger-owned stores, Trader Joe’s, Harris Teeter, Publix, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Walgreen’s, Target, Meijer, Aldi, Costco and others are removing face mask requirements based on new guidelines issued on May 13 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which stated that fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to cover their faces indoors.
"Starting May 20, fully vaccinated customers and most fully vaccinated associates no longer need to wear a mask in our facilities, including stores, distribution centers, plants and offices, unless otherwise indicated by state or local jurisdiction," said the Kroger Co. in a statement on the company’s website. "If there is a state or local mandate, please follow that requirement and timing,” the company added. Kroger will continue to require that non-vaccinated employees wear a face mask, and the grocer requests that non-vaccinated customers continue to wear a face mask. Employees will need to provide proof of vaccination to work without masks, the grocer said. Associates in its pharmacy and clinic locations will be required to continue to wear a mask due to CDC’s guidance for healthcare settings. Kroger added, “We will continue to respect the choice of individuals who prefer to continue to wear a mask.” In addition, Kroger is offering a $100 one-time incentive payment to associates for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Whole Foods Market announced in May that Whole Foods team members and Prime shoppers are required to wear face masks, reported WRAL in Raleigh, NC. However, customers who are fully vaccinated can now shop without a mask.
Trader Joe’s was the first major national retailer to announce a change in its mask-wearing policy in mi-May after the CDC issued new mask guidelines.oHoe
Natural Grocers on May 24 updated the natural retail chain’s mask guidelines, as follows: “We require customers who are not fully vaccinated to wear face coverings in our stores per the most recent CDC recommendations. We will not be asking customers to prove their vaccination status to shop in our stores, unless required to do so by government mandate; we will be relying on the honor system for compliance. We understand that certain of our customers subject to our policy may be unable to wear a face covering while shopping in our stores. Under these circumstances, we are pleased to provide curbside pickup and delivery through Instacart to allow continuing access to our goods and services,” Natural Grocers said. The company requires employees to wear face coverings at all times, and added that currently, the state of Oregon requires that customers provide proof of vaccination to go maskless indoors, the grocer said.
Sprouts Farmers Market also updated its face mask policy, stating on Instagram, “Vaccinated customers are now welcome to shop without a mask! We’ll continue to encourage non-vaccinated customers to wear face coverings while shopping and will continue to follow state and city mask ordinances where masks are required.”
Some grocery workers have expressed concern that CDC’s new guidelines put them back in the center of the face mask debate. Fox News reported that “now, some workers say the end of mask mandates has put them in a new position of having to explain their employers' mask policies, manage anxious shoppers and assess whether unmasked customers are indeed vaccinated, all while potentially risking their own health.”