Sourcing Matters.show

FORCES OF NATURE: A talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.   FORGING A STRONGER VALUE CHAIN w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman In a perpetual dance between value creation and supply chains, hear how Souberian pushes the envelop w/ Unilever's 400 in-house brands.  --- Eric Souberian Executive Director of Climate and Nature Fund, & Vice-President Business Operation Sustainability at Unilever ---  INTRODUCTION With over two decades of international work experience in sustainability, general management, sourcing, and M&A, Eric Soubeiran is a leading force behind Unilever’s massive value chain. In his role as the VP Business Operation Sustainability, Eric manages the environmental impact of one of the largest CPGs companies in the world. Soubeiran is also the Executive Director of the € 1 billion Climate and Nature investment fund that Unilever launched to take decisive action, and support the collective efforts of thei

ep. 114: Sara Farley · The Rockefeller Foundation Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.   FOOD AS CLIMATE & SOCIAL ACTION w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman   Sara Farley leads the global portfolio for The Rockefeller Foundation’s food team. In this capacity she is driving the Foundation’s inaugural regenerative food systems strategy and leading the articulation of a “Big Bet” for Food + Climate for the foundation. Sara is leading such signature initiatives as the Food Systems Vision Prize, and directs the diet quality portfolio and is expanding the good food purchasing portfolio and true cost accounting work globally with the aim of shifting the diet quality of 500 million underserved people by 2030. We’ll witness all kinds of interesting climate actions in many forms over the next decade, but what feeds us may just possess the greatest potential to drive lasting change across large and diverse pop

ep. 113: Benedikt Bösel · Land Use Pioneer Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.   ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES IN LAND USE w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman Benedikt Bösel is founder and CEO of Gut & Bösel, a 3,000 hectare ecological farm and land use research center east of Berlin, Germany.  The site is quickly becoming an epicenter for the future of food & fiber production.  It’s the whole ball of wax from regenerative food production practice, forestry management, savvy land use, stewardship initiatives, animal centric integration, and even a royal bed & breakfast to welcome new guests to the movement. It’s a gem of a spot and a big win for the EU Regen. In 2016, Benedikt took over management of the land that’s been in his family for 300 years. He changed the operating system to farm and forest by improving the ecology. In just a few short years, Gut & Bösel has grown from a concept to now

ep. 112: Jennifer Hashley · Friendly Neighborhood Food Superhero Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.   LOCAL FOOD SUPERHERO w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman Rooted in the Tufts Friedman School of nutrition, the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project is one of the first initiatives nationwide to help immigrants and refugees develop commercial farming opportunities. Change-agent Jennifer Hashley grew New Entry into a sustained effort while she was getting her Master’s in Agriculture and Public Policy at Tufts. The goal since the beginning has been to help farmers thrive in the fields, the office and within their communities. Today, 25 years later and New Entry has established a framework that will teach anyone that’s ready to learn how to operate a successful sustainable farming business. New Entry is teaching an approach to farming that could eventually become the model that everyone uses to produce f

ep. 111: Volkert Engelsman · Marketing Mastermind | Guru of Differentiation Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.   FOOD FULL OF THOUGHT w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman Volkert Engelsman is CEO of EOSTA, the EU’s largest importer of organic and biological fruit. Volkert is nothing short of a mastermind when it comes to marketing product differentiation, and amplifying how those differences benefit each stakeholder involved. In this conversation we hear what it has taken for Engelsman to become a leading force connecting the worlds of healthier food and thriving soils.  “When you commoditize products, you anonymize origin and backstory,” explains Engelsman in describing why he launched food integrity platform Nature & More.    The Sustainability Flower by Nature & More is used to evaluate, manage and communicate the net positive environmental impact and social welfare achievements of organic g

ep. 110: Henk Ovink · World Water SuperAgent  Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.   QUARTERBACKING A WATER SMART PLAYBOOK w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman   Water is a fundamental part of all aspects of life. Yet, today, 40% of the world’s people are affected by water scarcity; 80% of wastewater is discharged untreated into the environment, and more than 90% of disasters are water-related. And despite all of these real concerns – we still suck down 70% of available freshwater to lavishly manage antiquated cropping systems chock full of chemical externalities. The long and short of it – we need awareness of the problems and more solutions for the vast water crises enveloping the planet. So, to find out what should be done to manage water better in the future – we’ve turned to the guy that the United Nations has asked to quarterback their big 2023 Water Conference. We welcome Henk Ovink. How we al

ep. 109: Dan Barber of Blue Hill BUILDING A COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman In a far-reaching 40 minute conversation, Dan joins Aaron to discuss alternative proteins, the environmental brass-tacks of regenerative, how seeds rule the way we use the planet, the mission of a well suited food system, and the potential to stabilize the world by taping into our hedonistic self. You’ll hear a lot about the future of food, and the power that yield will wield in all of our futures! So, tune-in and be empowered to be part of a global environmental & social movement that asks you to partake by feeding your pleasures, vanity and soul some super-duper delicious, healthy, and responsible real foods!   “What we need is a food system that is an engine for the improvement of ecological systems and the environment. Having to sacrifice the health of the environment for food production is a false choice.” – ep. 109 guest, Dan Barber   SMOOTH LIKE (Margarine) The dialogue begins by evaluating the cur

ep.108: ‘Repurposing Subsidies for Favorable Outcomes’  Guest: Todd Barker of Meridian Institute --- Favorable Outcomes In this episode you’ll hear that when subsidies are dolled out based on positive outcomes instead of crop type – good things happen.   You see, according to a Sept 2021 UN FAO briefing, agriculture contributes a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of biodiversity loss and 80% of deforestation across the globe. And, it’s also true that nearly 90% of the $540 bn in global subsidies given to farmers every year are “harmful.” It’s true that the majority of well-intentioned agricultural support now damages human health, exacerbates the climate crisis, dwindles nature and drives inequality by excluding smallholder farmers. For real food systems change, support needs to be better aligned with favorable outcomes. To learn more about this whole ball of wax we connected with Meridian Institute CEO Todd Barker on the myriad ways that the organization is bringing together stakeholders in the U.S.

Episode 107:  Animal Centric Agriculture Host: Aaron Niederhelman Guest: Øistein Thorsen, CEO of FAI Farms Did you know that across the globe we process over 70 billion land animals every year?! Nine billion in the US alone. Yet, it’s still pretty hard to find good meat and to know a little something about the animal that it came from. A growing opportunity has arisen in contemporary markets for meat from animals raised using elevated practices. These elevated practices are simply investments into the well-being of the food animal that result in holistic benefits to humans, the planet and of course the animal themselves. As you’ll hear from today’s guest, this commitment to elevating practices in the production of good meat may not only be the best draw to attain and retain modern consumers, but when adopted into our collective consciousness as an obligation – it’s a clear path forward to clean-up a broken food system and to help stabilize the planet. We must start looking at food systems differently, and th

Episode 106:  Standard Bearer of Favorable Seas - MSC Host: Aaron Niederhelman Guest: Rupert Howes, CEO of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Rupert Howes explains it this way, “MSC is the standard setter. We have no ability whatsoever to influence the outcome of an independent certification.. That’s done by an independently accredited certifier. The science is independently peer-reviewed. There’s an independent objections process. We (MSC) have no financial interest or ability to influence any of that. The only time we generate an income, is if the market chooses. Once a fishery is certified, once the entire supply chain has a chain of custody audit, only then do we generate a modest fee for use of the MSC logo in the marketplace.”   Sustainable Seafood from Stable Seas The Marine Stewardship Council(MSC) is a global, independent non-profit organization which sets a standard for sustainable fishing. MSC works with partners in an effort to make the world’s seafood markets sustainable. With credible standards

EPISODE 105: Regenerative Ocean Farming Host: Aaron Niederhelman Guest: Bri Warner, CEO & Pres. @ Atlantic Sea Farms Guest: Chris Sherman, CEO @ Island Creek Oysters   This latest episode is about how to re-build a food system that creates quality sustenance for people, new jobs on working waterfronts and healthier oceans through the adoption of smarter management practices on regenerative ocean farms. Regenerative ocean farming is an aquatic farming system that grows seaweed and shellfish on no inputs. As is the case with terrestrial production, aquatic regen farming is all about investing in the ecological health of an ecosystem to create good food.   REGENERATIVE OCEAN FARMING US seaweed pioneer Bri Warner shares in her experience of having to make a compelling business case for kelp production in coastal communities in Maine. Ahead of the curve, Warner has leveraged some creative methods and core business fundamentals to establish a whole new kind of values-based food production company. We discover

ep. 104: Jonathan Webb || where tech embraces nature in controlled growing environments "To feed the population of 2050 we'll need to grow more food than we have in the entire history of human agriculture. That's what keeps me up at night. That's a need for more food than the previous 10,000 years of human food production combined," explains Jonathan Webb. A Kentucky native, Webb first made a name for himself in building-out clean energy infrastructure throughout Appalachia. In starting AppHarvest, Webb returned home to his Blue-Grass state roots to build-out a large-scale state-of-the-art value-based food production operation that is truly disrupting the apple cart. As you'll hear once again in this conversation, 'Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness'. --- NEW EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SALAD PLATE & FRUIT BOWL Something that I found especially insightful in my conversation with Jonathan was his storyline about regional food systems. He draws-upon an analogy of shipping coal to support growth of c

ep. 103 guest: Jonathan LundgrenEcdysis Foundation founding Scientist/ Farmer For ep. 103 we welcome Ecdysis Foundation founder, Jonathan Lundgren. What’s really needed to frame-out mainstream adoption of regenerative – “it’s good data,” explains Dr. Lundgren.  Good and accurate data coming from bleeding-edge scientific studies, in fact. So, in January 2022, the Ecdysis Foundation launched their 1000 (Regen) farm initiative as the most ambitious agroecology experiment ever conducted. The belief is that it's the scientific analysis on oodles of rich data coming from all kinds of different farms in different regions, footprints and crop types that will ignite a regenerative movement from a slow-burn evolution – into a revolution. On-farm Scientific Analysis to Fuel the Regenerative Movement The millions of data-points coming from the 1000 Regen farms will be used to measure outcomes that are in accordance to best regenerative food production principles.  Using a simple scoring matrix - they can already make so

Ep. 102: Land Use: Regen Ag & Soil Health -ft. Fred Kirschenmann Fred Kirschenmann has been an agent-of-change in agriculture for five decades.  His work at the Leopold Center at Iowa State University has introduced resilient farming practices to diverse stakeholders, and advanced the adoption of regenerative land management through building an awareness for soil health in the US breadbasket. As President of the board at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Tarrytown, NY, Fred has worked with leaders from cuisine, food systems and production agriculture to establish a globally recognized epicenter of research and enrichment for food.  As a whole, Fred’s collective efforts to reconnect us with nature through food and its production elevates him to an iconic stature in a time of ecological enlightenment.  Tune in to hear what this true-action-hero icon has to say about the movement in 2022 and beyond.   A statesman for a just and stable tomorrow.  Every-time I sit down with Fred I learn something

Ep. 101: Will Shafroth – National Park Foundation, CEO & President || Proper land use and natural resource management on public lands is a mechanism to foster greater planetary stability.  Joining as guest of episode 101 is the President and CEO of the National Park Foundation, Will Shafroth.  Throughout the 45 minute conversation we explore how exposure, experience and immersion into the US National Parks changes mindsets for the better. We hear how enlightenment, empathy and environmental consciousness is presented each and every year to over 330 million visitors in 423 National Parks. Spanning all 50 states, the parks encompass 84 million acres, 2400 historical sites, 17K miles of trails and 43K miles of shoreline, and are available to us all as a public service. Wallace Stegner famously called the National Parks “America’s Best Idea”. Will Shafroth and his team at the National Park Foundation (NPF) believe that this best idea should be common grounds available to each and everyone no matter background

a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks. This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions. We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet.  Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.   EPISODE EIGHT: Join the Conversation Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast Guest: Dr. Agnes Kalibata, UN Special Envoy for Food System Summit _______ 'Laying Down Tracks' ep.8: What better way to finish off the UN FSS Pre-Summit than to listen to the last episode of the La

a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks. This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions. We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet.  Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.   EPISODE SEVEN: Good Food For All Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast Guest: Paul Polman, Co-founder & Chair at IMAGINE Guest: Chantelle Nicholson, chef owner at Tredwells and All's Well _______ 'Laying Down Tracks' ep.7: “If you work in silos you will never get these

a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks. This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions. We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet.  Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.   EPISODE SIX: Food for all Corners of the Planet Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast Co-host: Ruth Richardson, Executive Director for the Global Alliance for the Future of Food and Chair of Food Systems Champions Network Guest: Helianti Hilman, Founder and Executive Chair

a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks. This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions. We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet.  Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.   SPECIAL EPISODE: Food Solutions for the Forcibly Displaced Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast Guest: Valerie Newsom Guarnieri, WFP Assistant Executive Director Guest: Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner of Operations at the UNHCR Guest: Malish James, WFP Storytelle

a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks. This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions. We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet.  Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.   EPISODE FIVE: System Resilience Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast Guest: Nate Mook, CEO of World Central Kitchen _______ 'Laying Down Tracks' ep.5: What better way to celebrate Sustainable Gastronomy Day than to listen to the latest episode of Laying Down Tracks? This