O Pioneers! How we love them here in America. Pioneers are at the core of the American story. And they are at the core of every successful industry.
Occasionally, someone sees possibilities that others ignore, and the rest is history. Don't believe us? Just look at what five of our favorite early birds accomplished in the organic and natural-foods aisles. It is the pioneer spirit in stories like the ones you'll see below that makes a business come to life. (Actually, it’s access to capital that makes a business come to life. But that’s not very inspiring.)
1. BARBARA JAFFEE
Claim to fame: Barbara's
(Image credit: Facebook)
Back in the early 1970s, the San Francisco area was filled with young people eager to change the world. Few of them, however, had much of a plan. One exception was 17-year old Barbara Jaffee.
Jaffee opened a tiny bakery, selling wholesome, whole-grain breads. It turned out there was a sizeable wholesale market for the stuff, and Jaffee had the good sense to pivot and expand.
More than 40 years later, Barbara’s is a veritable powerhouse of the organics and natural-food space. Barbara’s cereals, such as Puffins and Morning Oat Crunch, are mainstays of the cereal aisle at Whole Foods. Snackimal Cookies are in lunch bags across the nation.
Certainly that’s all pretty wonderful.
But the real reason we think of Barbara as a pioneer is that her company—teamed with the Audubon Society, Cornell University’s ornithology lab and others—have successfully brought the puffin seabird back from the brink of extinction.
And we think puffins are really, really cute. (That's them in the photo at the top of this article. Kawaii,aren't they?)
2. MICHAEL J. POTTER
Claim to fame: Eden Foods
(Image credit: Facebook)
Another hippie-ish character turned big-time entrepreneur is Michael J. Potter. Back in the 1970s he bought a stake in a natural-foods cafe and grocery in Ann Arbor, Mich. Over time he grew it into Eden Foods.
Edensoy and its related products may have done more than any other brand to change what Americans pour over their cereal. And today Eden’s whole grains, canned beans and organic spices are the backbone of every vegan’s kitchen.
But as amazing as that growth may be, we’re fans of Eden for a different reason.
Eden is one of the last independent organic companies left in the U.S. And Potter has taken it upon himself to help keep the organics movement pure, lobbying and winning to keep controversial ingredients off the approved list of the National Organics Standard Board.
3. GARY ERICKSON
Claim to fame: Clif Bar & Company
Back in 1990, a bicycling enthusiast named Gary Erickson bit into one of the dozens of “energy” bars on the market and found himself sort of grossed out.
(Image credit: Flickr user Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious)
With the arrogance that only a pioneer can muster, Erickson set out to create something better. Two years later, working side by side with his Mom, he created the first Clif bar.
Now 1990 is sort of late in the organics and natural-food movement. So we didn’t put Erickson on this list because he was an early player in the space.
Rather, we became fans of Erickson when, in April 2000, with the arrogance that only a pioneer can muster, he turned down a $120 million bid from Quaker Oats to buy his company.
That’s pretty cool. But know what’s even cooler? If you work at Clif Bar headquarters you can bring your dog to work and you can take advantage of the in-office yoga studio and rock-climbing wall.
4. ANDY AND RACHEL BERLINDER
Claim to fame: Amy's Kitchen
(Image credit: Facebook)
The biggest problem with being a vegetarian, vegan or any sort of health-oriented foodie has always been that the lifestyle requires a lot of cooking.
And seriously, who has the time for that? Certainly not Rachel Berlinder back in 1987. She was pregnant and overworked. So Andy set out to find a better way.
He started experimenting with frozen meals. And by the time their daughter Amy was born, the Berlinders had founded the natural frozen-food brand called Amy’s Kitchen.
Today Amy’s Kitchen makes more than 200 products. All of them vegetarian. Half of them are fully vegan.
That, of course, is quite an accomplishment.
But the Berlinders make our list because they are both organic and frozen-food pioneers. And frozen food is important to us, because we can’t cook to save our lives.
5. RON AND ARNIE KOSS
Claim to fame: Earth's Best
(Image credit: Facebook)
There’s a scene in the move “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz” in which a young, wannabe entrepreneur played by Richard Dreyfuss, is outraged and heartbroken to learn that someone else has already come up with the idea for Kleenex.
We thought of Duddy often back when we were shopping for baby food a few years ago. Because if there was ever a sure-fire, can’t-lose idea in the food industry it was this: organic baby food.
But having an idea doesn’t make you a pioneer. Bringing the idea to life and doing it first makes you a pioneer.
So our hats are off to Ron and Arnie Koss, who founded the organic baby food company known as Earth’s Best back in 1985.
In hindsight, it was an obvious idea. But nearly three decades later, Earth’s Best (now part of The Hain Celestial Group, is a powerhouse in baby and children’s food, diapers and body care.
And that reminds us—have we told you about the amazing business idea we have? We think there might be an untapped market for organic Kleenex!
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