This week's episode will help you take an even more significant step forward on the journey to change the food system.
Be sure to check out the new resource we added to our website to help you Find Better Food! On that page, you can find out more about the producers in this episode and BUY GREAT FOOD FROM THEM!!!
Support the showBrought to you by the Global Food and Farm Online Community
Click here to subscribe on your favorite platform or click here to listen on our website.
Support the show through Patreon -- Patreon.com/TastingTerroir
This week's episode will help you take an even more significant step forward on the journey to change the food system.
Be sure to check out the new resource we added to our website to help you Find Better Food! On that page, you can find out more about the producers in this episode and BUY GREAT FOOD FROM THEM!!!
Support the showBrought to you by the Global Food and Farm Online Community
Click here to subscribe on your favorite platform or click here to listen on our website.
Support the show through Patreon -- Patreon.com/TastingTerroir
Hello and welcome back to our podcast. Tasting terrain are where we are on a journey to explore the link between healthy soil and the flavor of your food. I'm your host, Sarah Harper. This week I am really looking forward to talking with you about the farmers and food producers in our global food within farm community. And a number of them will be participating in a webinar that we are actually holding today,
December 1 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern and you're all welcome to join. It's free and you can find it on our website, globalfoodfarm.com Events. Or just click on the Events button and it will let you register for the webinar. And if you can't make it today, we're going to have these discussions every month, first Thursday of the month.
Again, 11:00 a.m. Eastern, US time. And the point of them is going to be to have more of a dialogue between those of you who are interested in finding better food, interested in the regenerative agriculture movement and the producers that are actually doing it. And struggling with all these different decisions and trade offs and frankly, struggling to get their products to market, to be able to cut through the noise that is all surrounding them. And so we've created a page on our website called Find Better Food. And if you click on that, you'll get to see a little profile of several of our producers in our community. And there are links there directly to their websites, to their online stores, and to the different podcast links that feature them, so you can get a good amount of background about them. But then on these webinars, this is really your chance to have a discussion, kick the tires, ask them about the different products that they're growing and how they make the decisions that they do and what their food tastes like. I know it's hard to describe taste, but you can really learn a lot from somebody by talking with them and being able to ask the questions that you're curious about. And so we're really thrilled that a number of our producers and food company members have agreed to participate in this ongoing dialogue with you, the public. So again, you can access this event and sign up for future webinars first Thursdays of the
month, 11:00 a.m. Eastern, at our website globalfoodfarm.com. And then click on the events page to let you sign up. While you're there, you can also sign up for our newsletter and latest updates from our blog. We'll be featuring our members and sharing updates about their newest products and what they're doing and how it's going. And I think it's just a great chance to really actually build community with these people. And part of why I feel like this is so important is because, as many of you know, I started grounded Growth in online community over three years ago. And its goal is trying to connect farmers that were doing regenerative practices with food companies. And while we had some good connections and good work, overall, it was a failure. Sad to say. I could put a knife spin on it and say we were ahead of our time. I do think that's true. But also I was really naive even after having worked in the food and agriculture policy space and the business space for a long time. Like I think a lot of people believe, a lot of the consumer surveys, the hype, the marketing that says regenerative agriculture, my goodness, it checks all the boxes. It is what every consumer wants and if we can just get it to market, whoever does that will have this huge advantage. I do think that's true but it will take longer than certainly I thought at the time that I launched a company to try to help facilitate that. And I think that that process only happens as fast as consumers like you make it happen. And so one of the things I wanted to talk about a little bit was what is a consumer role in all this? I mean, I know we're all so busy. We go to the grocery store, we got our list, we got to get in, we got to get out or maybe we order some things online and have it delivered but we don't have a lot of time to invest in researching all these different products and making our dollars have a big impact all the time. And I get that and I don't think that we have to do that with everything that we buy, certainly. But I do think that if we care about the food system and if we're unhappy with what it is that we're being offered in terms of the amount of nutrients in our food, the amount of chemicals in our food, the amount of tillage being done in the name of avoiding chemicals in our food, the things that are disrupting our microbiome, soil microbiome, the climate so many of the problems that we face today are all linked back to the soil. And if we do care about those things and if you're listening to this podcast I got to assume that you do, then we have to do more than just become part of a nonprofit group or post something every now and then or get mad on Twitter. The good news is that we can do something more now. There are actual farmers who have taken that, I mean, the crazy difficult step of adding on processing and ingredient making in food company to their current load of overworked life. And then there are some food companies like around the world, Gourmet and Snacktivists and now Greenfield Incompany. That are also reaching further outside of their comfort zone in their existing operations to actually mill crops and to turn them into ingredients. These are people who they're not just to be admired from afar. If you don't buy from their online stores and pay a little extra for shipping and take a little bit of added inconvenience, then this whole shift in the food system that we all want, it isn't going to happen. Or at least not for several more years. I know that you all want that shift to happen, and part of why I think you hold back is the feeling like you're just a drop in the bucket and you can't really make a difference. But with these people, with these producers and food companies that we've been highlighting on the podcast, and that we're going to have this webinar with a chance for you to talk more with, with these people, you really can make a difference. You really will make a big difference to their bottom line and their ability to make it. And when they make it, that is when the big food supply chain will come along and make all of it much more accessible. So I am really pleading with you, I guess, to take a step as you learn more about these folks. And now you have an easy way to connect all of them on our new website page, find Better Food. It's at Global Foodfarm.com. And then just click on the Find Better Food button right there on the menu. Take a look at some of them, maybe pick one, adopt one, and buy some of their food. Check it out. If it's not good, fine. You don't have to keep buying it just for the sake of a cause. But if it is good and it's good for you and it's good for the planet and it's good for changing the food system, then you really are doing something amazing. Okay, enough of that. In this episode, I wanted to bring you some clips from the interviews I've done with a number of the producers that are going to be on the webinar, and hopefully you'll be able to join. But if not, we're going to record it and hopefully be able to share some of their insights and discussions. And after the clips of some of these folks, many of whom are featured in full episodes in our podcast, so you can just go back through and listen to the full episode of those that you are interested in. After that, I am going to share something kind of unique with you in the lines of celebrating these amazing producers and farmers that are taking so much risk. And then I'm going to share with you more about my story of transitioning from grounded growth and the work I did there into the Jill Clapperton online community, Global Food Farm.com. This has been a regenerative process for me personally, not just the work I'm doing, but to really experience what it takes to try to run a small business, especially one that's on the edge of a new market. I wouldn't recommend it, by the way. It's because of people like Jill Clapperton, who I've had tremendous pleasure to get to know and work with and the farmers and food companies in our online community, that I've been able to find a new way forward, a new way to try to help promote this movement and connect people to these better food producers. And I'm really grateful for that, for that ability to take what I've learned and take it to a new level. And I'm also feeling like it's important sometimes that we share publicly when things don't go so great, when things are hard, cause they often are and there's not a pretty instagram filter for that. So I'm going to share with you something that I put together for the actual members in our community. And I learned to play the piano long ago, but I play by ear and I don't know if you notice the ending. Music they Don't Stop Believing song from Journey, which of course we would never be able to afford the rights to, but I've learned how to play it. So that's me playing it the outtake of every episode. And so in this little piece of this episode, after the clips from our members that you're going to get to talk with on the webinar, you will get to hear me play that song and dedicate it to the folks that I've been working with for so long and give you a little more insight of them and some additional clips of how they see regenerative agriculture and why they have not stopped believing. So this is intended to be an inspirational episode. An episode to encourage you to take hold of the power that you really do have as a consumer and use it and to celebrate with me these brave people who are risking quite a lot and investing a lot. Of their own money, in their own time, to bring regeneratively grown food that's healthier for you, that has better flavor, to bring that through directly to the consumer instead of waiting for the food supply chain to creak along and finally get there five years from now. So if you appreciate that like I do, then go buy something. Thanks. Okay, so now we're going to listen to some of the clips from members in our community, many of them involved in our webinars. First up, you'll be hearing from Deanna Lezinsky, founder and owner of Guardian Grains. They make great whole grain pasta and flour. Then it will be Clint Brower, Greenfield inc. They are pulling together supply chains for pet food companies like Canada and Snack Divist. Another one of our companies that you'll hear from, followed by Clint, you'll hear from Jennifer, COHR founder and owner of around the World Gourmet. They make glutenfree pizza crusts and our milling glutenfree rice flour regeneratively grown. And after Jennifer, you'll hear from Craig Cameron of peanut beef forage based beef, nature based beef. And finally, rounding it out will be Joni Kinwalmore, founder and owner of Snacktivist Foods. And they make a number of great baking mixes and snacks. Working with Regenerative, farmers from around the country enjoy.
DeAnna Lozensky:What was important to me was that it was whole nutrition flour being used in the pasta and water, those two things. I don't use egg, which a lot of pastas do. And I just wanted it to be a food option for everyone, no matter what their eating practices are, whether they're vegan or vegetarian or omnivores. I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy guarding grains, pasta. And so that was why the two ingredients of wheat and water were really important to me.
Sara Harper:Well, then that really lets people taste the wheat. We've talked a little bit in our group about that. It's not just wine that has terroir. That has this place based taste, because. The minerals that go into food affect its taste. And especially in a system like yours. Where there's such a focus on enhancing. The soil so there are more minerals and they are more available and they. Get into the food more, then you. Can start to see where you can have taste differences based on the place it was grown and how it was grown. Those two things together. And so then with your pasta being. So pure, it's just the wheat and the water, then people will really get to start to taste the difference. Like to taste North Dakota, if you will.
DeAnna Lozensky:And that's the idea, right? There can be flavor, natural flavor that's actually good for you. And I think that part of the pastas have gotten kind of a bad rap. And like, people that are carb conscious and things like that will steer away from pasta, and rightfully so, because all of the brand has been extracted from that type of salmolina pasta, and there's no way for our bodies to recognize it. So when we consume regular blonde pasta, our bodies are like, hey, I don't know what to do with this. Let me just set this on your hip forever. And it never leaves. The brand is a really important part of the fiber. Being able to move the pasta through your system and for your body to be able to absorb the nutrients. That was the other reason that I wanted it to be whole nutrition. I didn't want anything extracted. I wanted our bodies to be able to recognize it. Because I think that's part of the gluten problem, especially in the States, is that the processing, between the growing practices and the processing, I think our bodies are rejecting it. And so the idea of using our grains with minimal processing was the best way to offer it and to a way that people can enjoy pasta and can enjoy bread again.
Sara Harper:And then in Canada and the supply chain that you're building, that's another way. That you're bringing Regenerative forward, creating a. Market for farmers that are wanting to farm this way.
Clint Brauer:Yeah, look, we're fortunate enough to do a test in 2015, and the team candidate bought into this and we started creating a supply chain back then, and it's a different team now than it was back then because people change a.
Sara Harper:Company, but they stuck with it so often.
Clint Brauer:Stuck with it all. It's pretty cool. Yeah, that's right. That was a shock, actually. And we stuck with it and it's growing.
Sara Harper:And they're a pet food company.
Clint Brauer:They're a pet food company, yeah.
Sara Harper:That's great. Our pets deserve a ton of food. Certainly, but so do people.
Clint Brauer:Look, they're humans, too, and their company kind of rallies around doing good things and so not just pet food, but doing it right and doing it well. And they do things that beyond the regenerative supply chain. They're pretty darn cool. So I give them a lot of credit. They're very thoughtful group of folks, and I've enjoyed working with them, honestly. And so it's cool that we're in the tens of millions of pounds shipping now.
Sara Harper:That's great.
Clint Brauer:Yeah, I think it's a pretty good example for folks. And if they lacked imagination, they can just look to what we're doing and go, oh, wow, this guy and a pet food company are making this work. It's not all of their ingredients. It's not there, but we're making progress. Like, every year. That's another important, steady market. It's been hard. It's been a little different here, but we're still chugging along. It's great.
Jennifer Kocher:We are a manufacturer of gluten free vegan pizza crusts. I have other recipes that I have.
Sara Harper:That don't taste like it, I might. Add, because, yes, that does. Some of those can be a little. Taste challenged, if you will, and I have had the good fortune to sample. Them many times and can attest that they are you really can't tell the difference. And in fact, a number of your patrons don't even know that they're that's true.
Jennifer Kocher:That's true. We are manufacturing these glutenfree pizza crusts and having distributors take them off and then we ship things out as well that are to like the University of Iowa and Dennison University here in Ohio. We just got into a pizza chain called Pizza Joe's out of Pennsylvania, Western PA that has 42 units. And all those pizza crusts just got picked up today right before this call, actually. So that was exciting. The pizza crust that you're talking about, we do have a small retail front, and I wanted to prove to everybody that our pizza crusts are the best and they do not taste like the typical gluten free crust. And so I force the entire Ohio Valley here to eat and they can't tell the difference. We even on online apps like DoorDash and Delivery. We don't even say that it's gluten free even on our menu. It doesn't say that it's just been across pizza.
Sara Harper:Well, maybe you should in case there. Are people nearby that could say you. Have a gluten free option.
Jennifer Kocher:We do. We have that on there, too.
Sara Harper:Yeah, we have a gluten free option.
Jennifer Kocher:But it's actually all the same crust, so good.
Sara Harper:I love that story.
Craig Cameron:Hi, I'm Craig Cameron. I farm in central Alberta, Canada with my wife Miriam. We got two kids and then we farm with my inlaws. We raise beef forage finished beef. Yeah, it's getting me forage finished beef now.
Sara Harper:Yeah. This episode, I really want for you all and our audience to hear from farmers that have actually and brands that have actually committed to this, their mindset, and what are some of the things that help them make that pretty big decision to risk what you're doing? Anytime you change something in a business, it's a big risk. And in something like farming, where you have there's a social component to it too, like your neighbors, everybody's doing things a certain way, and when you start doing things differently, well, then you stand out and there's all sorts of stuff that comes with that. So it's a big deal to change how you do what you do. So Craig, we'll start with you and maybe share. Is there one moment that kind of was a tipping point or process some experiences you can share?
Craig Cameron:Yeah, I guess I gave you the safe version in our other podcast, but then I was encouraged a little bit from a couple of storytelling guys that I follow on LinkedIn to look for a couple of those moments. And it's kind of scary for me because I could get emotional about it.
Sara Harper:Good.
Craig Cameron:So, like, I guess growing up and kind of starting on the farm that I grew up on, I was always interested in helping people and helping the planet. And I went off to university and got my bachelor's degree in environmental chemistry.
Sara Harper:Wow.
Craig Cameron:My goal then was to try and help people get clean water, and that was kind of the vision I had going into university. But by the end of university, I realized there was a lot of people that were working on that and that I was more in a position to help on the food side of things. And so I started down that journey. And then I had a bit of a setback in my early 20s when my dad, who was kind of my cheerleader on that, he passed away. And so then I kind of had a rough spot there and kind of just walked away from that and went, I'm just going to go work cattle and just do that side of things. We started farming with my in laws here, and then the next big thing in my life was the birth of my daughter. And she had severe HIE at birth and has a lot of disabilities. And so she's totally g tube fed. And we kind of walked into that like, okay, she's not going to be picky. We want to be able to support her the best we can, so let's find what's going to be the best most nutritious, best food we can give her. And that's when we kind of got on the Regenerative path of, like yeah, everything that I've been learning about regenerative just ticks all the boxes on what we want to do to support her and to support the rest of our family and then also our customers. So that was the big couple of moments. That kind of a crazy path that got us here.
Sara Harper:One of the really unique things about. What you're doing is that you're working. With some really unique grains. I mean, they're not unique. They're just grains, but they're not in the supply they are. Yeah, exactly.
Gail Fuller:They're kind of odd ball grains. Yes. They're ones that just the average American. If they're like, oh, what are your products made out of? And I'm like, oh, milletteft or gum. They're like what? A what? Not everybody's heard of them.
Sara Harper:And what do they taste like? What does millet taste like?
Gail Fuller:Yeah, actually, they all taste very different. Proso millet is like a sweeter grain. It actually has a very nice flavor profile. And if you buy, like, Dave's Killer Bread or any of the more healthier breads on the market, actually usually do add some millet to it. It's a component in the original, like, Ezekiel bread, the Ezekiel recipe. And it's got a lovely flavor and texture that people really like once they try it.
Sara Harper:And I'm sure there are all sorts of health benefits for people. Is it higher in fiber? Does it keep its shell? It's not milled off or what?
Gail Fuller:Yeah, so it really depends on the millet that you're focused on. Like, for instance, the pros and millet I just mentioned is kind of like a classic one that people see commonly in, like, bulk bins or in products. That one has to have a hard pericarp, like an actual that has to be Dhoold. It has a whole that is not digestible by humans, so that one does have to be behold. But then you take Sore gum, which is the most commonly grown millet in our nation and in North American farming system, and it does not need to be behold. So there's a lot of nuances in the processing and all these different millets.
Sara Harper:That's very cool. What made you want to go down this path of sourcing, these kind of grains for your snack foods and baking mixes?
Gail Fuller:Yeah, two major things. I mean, for us, I have to say, my entry point was not just out of curiosity, but out of necessity, because I was struggling to feed a family that had multiple food allergies. And we were looking for things that had high nutrient integrity, which millets, by and large, do. And there are some really interesting information coming out about millets and about the diverse nutrient profile that they contain. It is rather significant in that they're much superior, especially compared to rice and corn. In fact, it's shocking. The United Soregum Association just did some really great work from a nutritional standpoint, looking at the actual just basic nutritional profile, including minerals, trace nutrient, the things that don't usually make it to the mainframe on the back of the package. And when you look at the nutritional profile of, say, sorghum, compared to other commodity crops that we commonly consume, it's shocking how much higher it is in almost every nutrient.
Sara Harper:Hi, I'm sarah harper, founder of granted growth and the director of networking and communications for the global food and farm network. With seeing how fierce the marketplace is and how resistant to change it is, even to something as amazingly positive as working with nature to grow food that's more nutrientdense and helps the climate, who wouldn't want that? But apparently a lot of procurement people I almost gave up. Over three years ago, I started grounded growth with the mighty ambition of connecting regenerative farmers and emerging food companies to build a regenerative food supply chain. I mean, it's what all the consumer research said consumers want. Consumers may want it, but supply chain wasn't too excited about changing. So it was a tough road. Thankfully, I got to be on that road with some of the most amazing. People I've ever met and I could imagine. And in the process of launching that company, taking my tiny boat out to the ocean, I went back to piano as a form of stress relief, which I highly recommend. If you're an entrepreneur, find an outlet that's not part of your work anyway. So I play by ear. I have enjoyed doing that. And I pick stuff up. YouTube videos of learning how to play songs. I've learned to play a bunch of them, and it's just fun. I just enjoy it. There's one song that I came to just almost be obsessed by both because the meaning of it was so relevant to what I was going through and what all the people in my little. World were going through, and because it. Was a hard song, it was really challenging. It's one of the hardest songs I've ever tried to play. So tonight I'm going to play it for you. But I wanted to dedicate it to a couple of people. I know it's dangerous to do that because then you well, what about there's so many people, and most of them will be left out just because people won't watch a 20 minutes video of me capturing gratitude. But I did want to just really take this moment to call out and to shine a light on some of these people who really represent this song. So first, it is jennifer coer, founder and owner of around the world were me. I'm honored to be jennifer's friend and to get to work with her. And she was the first food company to be a part of grounded growth. She set her mind on building a regenerative supply chain, and that woman does. Not know how to take no for. An answer, which is wonderful thing for us all, because she is now milling regeneratively grown rice into gluten free flour that she uses in her pizza crust. But she also sells it to other brands who can now create regeneratively grown products because of the fact that she worked with this farmer that we found for her, and she built this mill and she has brought it to market. The second group of people I want to dedicate this to are the Axtons Derek and Tannis Axton. These are amazing farmers in Saskatchewan, Canada, axton Farms. And it would be enough just for that. But they, again, like Jennifer, have just embodied this song. They have continued on over every hurdle, and there have been so many. To not only do 14 and amazing crops on their farm using regenerative practices. But they've also built a food grade. Seed cleaning facility and now a mill. And they are going to mill ancient grain, wheat, and all sorts of other. Ancient grains and flour. So that will be your gluten supply for regenerative flour. The next person I want to mention is Clint Brower. Greenfield Robotics. Clint has had an amazing journey himself, working in amazing tech companies, coming back to the farm, and building robots that actually kill weeds in the field so that you don't have to use chemicals and you don't have to tell. And he has created this amazing thing, greenfield Robotics, that is going to help scale up regenerative agriculture, I have no doubt. And again, a resilient spirit like you've never met, who's faced down nay stairs. And people who don't believe. And he has supported me at some critical moments, recognizing somehow that we're on the same journey, even though I can't offer half of what he's doing. And finally, I want to dedicate this. Song to Dr. Jill Clapperton, my mentor and the woman who just lifted me up when I was really ready to give up. I can't say enough good things about her. I mean, she's a brilliant scientist who's able to actually measure the nutrient density of food. She's able to tell farmers across the world, and she does how to help make their soil better by using plants, planting with purpose. And she's just a wonderful human being. She's curious and friendly and loving and so generous. And I'm not kidding. At the point where I was ready to just hang it all up, she came alongside me, brought me into her world so that I can help expand hers. There are so many more people in our community, our global food and farm community, which is a private online social network, focus solely on soil, health, regenerative farming, and bringing all of this good stuff to consumers despite a reluctant or pretty much absent supply chain. These are the people five years from now, ten years from now, 20 years from now, who should be recognized as the true pioneers of bringing what we all want. To market, and they did it because they held true to the song. So for those of you who may be feeling discouraged, frustrated about the marketing lies that you keep, hearing the promises. That aren't kept. And feeling like maybe this is never going to happen, don't stop believing. You think it's something that consumers are looking for?
Jennifer Kocher:Yeah, I think that there are some consumers that definitely care about this. We've seen that they've cared a lot about organic in the past, and this is just the next step.
Craig Cameron:We're looking at building and looking at measuring success and improvement. Like, think about sheets of paper that kind of is better or worse than that. Same thing with the Soil.
Sara Harper:Generative actor culture yard.
Clint Brauer:The work in progress, I think that it needs much more widespread adoption, and I have some ideas on how we can bring that into being. But virginity of agriculturals one is carbon.
Jill Clapperton:I think the whole thing is about rebuilding or restoring of a system of something, but not restoring, just backed with good old self, because that's where this whole term of regenerative came from was, well, why are we sustaining a broken system? We need to regenerate the broken system. So I think the whole idea needs to be that when you regenerate something, you are evolving the system and not devolving it.
Sara Harper:Our dinner dioculture is in a couple sentences.
Gail Fuller:Regenerate agriculture is life.
Sara Harper:Wow. You've been listening to Tasting Terroir, a podcast made possible by a magical collaboration between the following companies and supporters, all working together to help farmers, chefs, food companies and consumers to build healthier soil for a healthier world. Risotera, owned by Dr. Joe Clapperton, rhizotera is an international food security consulting company providing expert guidance for creating healthy soils that yield tasty nutrientdense foods. Check us out@rizotera.com. That's RH Izoterra.com and the Global Food and Farm Online Community, an ad free global social network and soil health streaming service that provides information and connections that help you apply the science and practice of improving soil health. Join us at Global Foodandfarm.com and from listeners like you to support us through our patreon account@patreon.com Tastingtawar. Patrons receive access to our fulllength interviews and selected additional materials. Patrons will also have the opportunity to submit questions that we will answer on the podcast. Tune in next week to hear more interviews and insights with myself, Sarah Harbor and Dr. Joe Clapperton, as well as the regenerative farmers, chefs and emerging food. Companies in the Global Food and Farm. Online community and beyond. If you like our work, please give us a five star rating and share the podcast with your friends. Thanks so much for listening and for helping us get the word out about this new resource to taste the health of your food. Until next week, stay curious, keep improving, and don't stop believing that better is. Possible when knowledge is available.