Future of Food: The Climate Connection

FUTURE OF FOOD: THE CLIMATE CONNECTION

Future of Food, an ongoing series, brought to you by OSC2, showcases inspiring conversations with visionary leaders of the modern food movement. In our next installment, The Climate Connection, Chris Mann (Guayaki), Ken Lee (Lotus Foods), Miyoko Schinner (Miyoko's Kitchen), and Jordan Rubin (Get Real Nutrition) will share the evolution of their climate beneficial businesses. We’ll hear personal stories of struggle and perseverance around implementing regenerative agriculture and agroforestry practices and reducing short-lived climate pollutant emissions, such as black carbon and methane, from supply chains.

We’ll kick off the evening with the latest preview from the inspiring documentary film, Kiss The Ground, and hear updates from the recently launched Climate Collaborative, a community of businesses joining forces to create pathways to action, to connect companies to resources, and to work together to create climate beneficial solutions.

The program will be led by Lara Dickinson, CoFounder and Executive Director of OSC2.

Light refreshments will be served.

Featuring
Ken Lee, CoFounder & CoCEO of Lotus Foods
Chris Mann, CEO / Chairman of the Gourd Guayaki
Jordan Rubin, CoFounder of Ancient Nutrition
Miyoko Schinner, CoFounder & CEO of Miyoko’s Kitchen

Note: 6pm Doors & Reception / 7pm Program Begins

Our partners

New Resource Bank is a triple-bottom-line bank serving values-driven businesses and nonprofits that are building a more sustainable world. We see money as an agent of positive social, environmental and economic change and believe banking can transform the economy into one that serves all people and the planet. We put deposits to work for good by lending to organizations that benefit our communities and preserve our planet.

To Sensiba San Filippo, knowledge is the effective and appropriate application of experience, training, and instinct. They build it, use it, share it, and ultimately, help you benefit from it by tailoring its knowledge from all relevant disciplines within the firm to your company’s needs. In today’s marketplace, only a business armed with current, relevant and multi-faceted financial knowledge can make the critical decisions that will determine whether it succumbs, survives, or succeeds. SSF will help you obtain that knowledge.

To bring you the most effective, useable knowledge, our service teams are organized into industry — and specialty — focused groups. Each group is tasked with not only knowing the economic, regulatory and environmental factors affecting the industries we serve, but in applying this knowledge to you in a timely manner.

SSF’s focused and integrated service team efforts provide the value your business deserves and the knowledge your business needs to succeed in today’s changing marketplace.

Ancient Nutrition believes the human body was built for high performance. In the modern world, we are disconnected from the traditions and nutritional principles that were honored and celebrated throughout history. Our whole food nutritional products are designed to provide Ancient Nutrients in a modern, convenient form to power the body and mind, restoring us to the health, strength, and vitality of our ancestors.

Changes in food culture are creating exciting opportunities for innovative food companies to bring a wave of new products and services to market. The emphasis is on health, nourishment, environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and culinary diversity. KITCHENTOWN offers founders of food startups production space, equipment, and the opportunity to interact with a community of like-minded peers, industry experts, and investors to help scale their businesses.

About the Speakers

Lara Jackle Dickinson, Co-Founder & Executive Director of OSC2 & Founder Pluot Consulting

Lara co-founded OSC2 (One Step Closer to an Organic Sustainable Community), to work with mission drive leaders toward regenerative food and agriculture solutions. In this capacity, she launched the Compostable Packaging Collaborative, the Climate Collaborative and Climate Day for the Natural Foods industry. She also runs Pluot Consulting where she deploys her 20 plus years of natural products experience to work on executive level marketing, sales, and strategic planning with some of the most mission driven food companies in the world.

Lara was the CEO of LightFull Foods, VP Marketing & Retail sales at Numi Organic Tea, and VP of Marketing at the Balance Bar Company leading up to it’s acquisition by a major CPG company.

Lara received an MBA from Cornell, a BS in Finance from the University of Southern California and completed graduate work at Oxford. She lives in Piedmont, CA with her husband, three young children and 10 chickens.

Birgit Cameraon, Senior Director of Patagonia Provisions

(More Soon)

Ken Lee, Co-Founder/Co-CEO of Lotus Foods

Twenty plus years of experience importing rice from smallholder farmers in developing countries who had no previous export experience and providing them access to a global marketplace. Responsible for establishing Lotus Foods’ primary account base, Lee has developed extensive personal and capacity-building relationships with the company's suppliers throughout the world. A member of Social Venture Network, Ken was a panelist at the 2008 Clinton Global Initiative, 2010 Global Philanthropy Forum, 2012 Bioneers Conference, and 2014 Sustainable Foods Summit and 2015 Bioneers (Funding Your Enterprise from Day1). Ken was a speaker at the 2009 CGI annual meeting, 2012 and 2013 Yale University - Unite For Sight Global Health Conference and a recipient 2011 Biodiversity Awards – Leadership, Union for Ethical BioTrade and 2016 Leadership Award for Citizenship, Specialty Food Association. 2016 Conscious Company’s, Conscious Leaders Award for Global Impact. Prior to founding Lotus Foods, Lee worked in the insurance industry and was a financial consultant. Lee earned a BA in Political Science at the University of Rhode Island.

Chris Mann, CEO / Chairman of the Gourd of Guayaki

Chris got his BA in Economics from Harvard University but quickly realized that economics conveniently forgot about sustaining the environment and protecting people. Through his experience with Guayaki and previously with Natural Flavors, a 100% organic, vegan restaurant that employed 25 people and 60 local farmers, Chris is finding that by recognizing common purpose, seemingly disparate groups can integrate social justice, environmental restoration and economic success.

Jordan Rubin, CoFounder / Ancient Nutrition

Jordan Rubin is one of America’s most recognized and respected natural health experts and is the New York Times bestselling author of The Maker’s Diet, and 25 additional titles, including his latest work Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine.

An eco­entrepreneur and lecturer on health and nutrition, Jordan has shared a message of natural health in five continents and 46 states in the U.S. Jordan is the founder of Garden of Life, a leading whole food nutritional supplement company, and Beyond Organic a vertically integrated organic food and beverage company. Jordan has formulated hundreds of dietary supplements, functional foods and beverages including many #1 top sellers in the Healthy Foods channel.

In 2016, along with Dr. Josh Axe, Jordan launched Bone Broth Protein by Ancient Nutrition, the first line of protein supplements and superfoods made from real bone broth.

Jordan is the founder of Heal the Planet Farm, a regenerative permaculture retreat located in Missouri’s Ozark mountains within the four thousand acre Beyond Organic Ranch.

Jordan and his beautiful wife Nicki are the parents of six wonderful children.

Presented by

OSC2 is a progressive northern California and national community of CEO’s and founders of leading mission-based natural products companies who are committed to driving positive impact on the consumer packaged goods industry. Member companies include Alter Eco, Numi Tea, Guayaki Yerba Mate, Nutiva, Estancia Beef, 18 Rabbits, California Olive Ranch, Treasure8, The FruitGuys, REBBL, GetReal Nutrition, and Happy Family.

OSC2 and its members strive to leave earth and humanity in better condition than we found it by inspiring natural products leaders to work in innovative and collaborative ways towards positive change, and addressing the toughest sustainability problems facing our industry and our planet by building new regenerative business models and agricultural systems.