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On this episode of the Be Better. Do Better. Podcast Kristy chats with Ashley Rouse, Founder & CEO of Trade St. Jam .  Ashley creates fruit forward and clean tasting vegan jams that are low in sugar and high in flavor. She teaches jam classes to kids at underprivileged schools and aspires to use residual jams to feed the less fortunate, two efforts that are near and dear to the owner’s heart.

Denise Woodard is the Founder and CEO of Partake, a line of nationally distributed allergy-friendly snacks inspired by her daughter’s experience with food allergies. Launched in 2017, Partake’s first product — 10 flavor varieties of delicious, nutritious, allergy-friendly cookies — can now be found in more than 6,000 retailers including Target, Sprouts, and Whole Foods Market. In December 2020, the company closed a Series A round of funding led by investors including Rihanna, CircleUp Growth Partners, FF2032 and Marcy Venture Partners. Of the $7.5 Million Denise has raised, more than 50% has come from Black investors. In January 2021, Partake released a 5-in-1 Baking Mix followed by a Brownie Mix in February—both are available on partakefoods.com. Prior to launching Partake, Denise spent a decade in consumer packaged goods at various Fortune 100 companies and is the first Black woman to raise more than $1 Million publicly for a CPG food startup.

Robyn is a globally recognized voice  in the food industry. She has been called “food’s Erin Brockovich” by The New York Times and Bloomberg, and in 2020, Forbes recognized her on its Impact 50 List for her work in agriculture. Her TEDx talk (based on her book, The Unhealthy Truth, Random House) exposes the shortcomings in the food system. It has been watched by millions, translated into dozens of languages, and influenced policy, legislation, and product formulation in the food industry. Prior to founding rePlant Capital, Robyn advised CEOs and executives at multinational CPG companies, startups, and farm organizations and worked on a team that managed $20 billion in assets. 

Bayard Winthrop is on a mission is to craft high quality apparel, ethically and responsibly, right here in the United States. His company, American Giant, seriously makes THE best hoodies and sweatpants, pandemic tested and approved! Bayard is on a quest to take on the globalization of the apparel industry, starting on US cotton farms and then crafted in production facilities in the Carolinas. Bayard and American Giant aren't stopping there, their Delta Project highlights the work of activists, entrepreneurs, authors, and artists who are driving change and seeks to bring diverse perspectives together and remind us of all that we have in common. 

Kristy chats with Phil Taylor, Founder and Executive Director of Mad Agriculture, which works alongside farmers to advance regenerative agriculture  through farm planning, financing through their recently launched Perennial Fund, and crop + carbon markets. In a lively and introspective conversation on a sunny afternoon in Chautauqua Park in Boulder, CO, Kristy and Phil discuss race, social issues, humanity, morning rituals, and a big vision for a better future through farming and beyond.

Twenty years ago, Steve Tucker inherited his grandfather's farm in Western Nebraska. Since then, he was worked endlessly to learn and improve how he farms. Today, we're at that very farm talking to Steve about how we're working together to plant 85 acres of sorghum, aka milo, using regenerative ag practices. Steve and I have a lot in common, we're each hopelessly optimistic or some might say, just a little crazy. We both have a passion for dramatic film scores and we love Interstellar, particularly the corn chase scene. Want to know if our sorghum trial works, so do we, stay tuned.

Today, we're chatting with regenerative organic farmer and all around super hero, Dave Vetter. Dave is a real legend in regenerative agriculture, these farming practices  can actually reverse global warming by improving the health of the soil. Dave and I have known eachother for 9 years, he supplies the organic corn in our popcorn, and honestly Quinn might not exist without his belief in our vision. He is a legend, and the kindest human being that I know.  I hope you enjoy our conversation.