Specialty Food Magazine

WINTER 2014

Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.

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A HONORABLE MENTIONS mid stiff competition, three additional leaders stood out for their innovation and effort. These honorable mentions offer plenty of inspiration for their invaluable contributions to specialty food. Citizenship: Sam Mogannam, Bi-Rite Market The second-generation owner of one of San Francisco's most recognized food destinations transformed the family business after taking over in 1997. San Mogannam has grown Bi-Rite Market into a place of impact, always with the community in mind. He has paved the way with the company's direct relationships with area nonprofits and community groups, whether delivering excess bread through nonprofit Free the Need to low-income families or partnering with startup CropMobster, which diverts surplus foods to disadvantaged people. Since 2007, Bi-Rite Market has run 18 Reasons, a nonprofit community and education center teaching healthful lifestyles. Vision: Justin Gold, Justin's Justin Gold has created a wildly successful, and sofi Award–winning, line of gourmet nut butters and better-for-you sweets, such as peanut butter cups and chocolate bars, containing more fiber and protein and less sugar than similar products. He made waves when he organized and hosted the inaugural Sustainable Squeeze Pack Summit in 2010, bringing together industry experts to set goals for creating 100 percent renewable packaging. The company's nut butters have already made the switch to BPA-free jars containing 47 percent less plastic, and goal updates appear regularly on justins.com. Gold's philanthropic efforts extend to his hometown of Boulder, Colo., and beyond, from supporting local charities and indigenous tribes in South Dakota, to funding microloans to entrepreneurs in developing countries through the Whole Planet Foundation's Microloan a Month Fund, of which Gold is a founding member. Business Leadership: Greg Steltenpohl, Califia Farms The co-founder of Odwalla moved on to greener pastures when he founded a grower-owned company producing healthful beverages, including signature Cuties Juices. The Bakersfield, Calif., producer has worked to diminish the city's high unemployment rate, creating more than 60 entry-level, mostly year-round jobs. Parent company Sun Pacific offers employees a chance to further their careers, giving out three $20,000 university scholarships and two $3,000 trade school or community college scholarships. Not only is Steltenpohl a partner of Esalen Institute, creating and conducting seminars on responsible business practices, but he is also a founding member of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, a network of entrepreneurs focused on local economic growth. Impact The Healthy Minister Program has evolved to give employees copious benefits that helped The Republic of Tea earn a place on Outside Magazine's "Best Places to Work" list in 2013. Among the perks the team enjoys are free athletic shoes every year, a fulltime staff nutritionist, on-site weekly yoga classes and daily walking breaks. Benefits such as paid volunteer days, childcare credits and a scholarship program embrace mental and financial wellness too. "I've seen ministers who were smokers and now they're nonsmokers," Rubin says of the impact. "I've seen people make lifestyle changes and then pass that on to their spouses and their family. It's been exciting." Every aspect Even more influential on of the business the company may be the annuincorporates al tea trips. Every year, employthe mindfulness ees travel to the sites where The Republic of Tea sources its products its ingredients—China, India, aim to evoke. South Africa, Sri Lanka and Taiwan among them. The idea came to Rubin early on as he traveled frequently to meet with suppliers around the world. He realized the experience would be both enchanting and educational. "When you go to the origin … it's going to give you a lot of confidence promoting the tea and the tea revolution," Rubin explains. Employees meet the growers, help pick the leaves in the fields and learn firsthand about the local cultures. "It's life-changing," he asserts. Future Despite its many successes and continued growth, The Republic of Tea remains a family-run business with an emphasis on the specialty food industry, and Rubin plans to keep it that way. The company employs about 105 people, Rubin says. His son Todd signed on in 2007, and is moving into a leadership role, "to take it to the next generation." As for moving into mass retail, Rubin isn't particularly interested. "We've been a specialty tea company and remain specialty. There comes a point where a brand has to decide whether they want to cross the line and go from specialty to mass," he explains. "And that's not for us." Eva Meszaros is associate editor of Specialty Food Magazine. 42 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com

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