The 'Un-Corporation'.
I dig this company. In fact, I fell hard for Organic Valley last year when I took a tour of their headquarters (pictured above) in an effort to learn more about how organic farmers get their product to market--in other words, how they get it to a store near us and ultimately into our refrigerator.
And what I found surprised me and gave me hope for the future of food...
Organic Valley was like no company I had seen before. For starters, it is farmer-owned and independent--a cooperative that pays its farmers a sustainable price for organic food so that they can keep farming and pass their wisdom on to the next generation.
Second, this is a company run by a passionate group of individuals committed to building a healthy regional food system that’s good for people and the planet. These are folks who bust their buns, love what they do and are fiercely proud to offer hopeful solutions for hundreds of farm families as well as conscious consumers.
The above are not the kind of qualities you find on Wall Street--or at the big industrialized agriculture companies-- whose primary goal is to get us to eat more mass-produced cheap food devoid of nutritional value. (All while implementing farming practices that destroy the land and lead to horrific conditions for the animals.)
If any of this is sounding familiar, it should. Because these have been issues I’ve repeatedly circled back to since the show started. Why? Because taking charge of your health and the health of your family (as well as the country) begins with making better decisions about the food on your fork.
And that’s why it's an honor to partner with Organic Valley as our national sponsor for the Michael Pollan show. To work with an organization that makes choosing local and regional food produced without chemicals, synthetic hormones or antibiotics possible is as good as it gets.
Not only did I get a kick-butt education the day I visited the Organic Valley headquarters, but more importantly, I developed a newfound respect for the kind of dedication, work ethic and creativity needed to make change and choice happen.
Meet some of the very cool Organic Valley farmers HERE.
