The Produce Moms Podcast

September is National Fruit and Veggie Month and luckily for the produce industry, Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, President and CEO of Produce for a Better Health Foundation decided to shift her focus of study in college from medicine to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Find out how she is taking produce consumption data and educating the world.  Plus you don't want to miss how  various produce hacks ca...

Find out what to expect this season as TPM Founder & CEO, Lori Taylor and TPM Executive Producer, Kristen Mehne reunite for this special "kick-off" episode of The Produce Moms.  To keep up with the latest in the produce industry, be sure to follow The Produce Moms on all of your favorite platforms, including our  blog , Facebook ,  Instagram , and  TikTok  accounts. You can also watch The Produce...

"We want to make sure the contribution we make is a positive one in the world." Joanna Jaramillo (33:57-34:00) You've probably seen Wholesum's ripe, organic Poppies or Darlings snacking tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, or bright and crisp bell peppers when shopping for groceries, but did you know Wholesum's produce is 100% fresh, organic, responsibly grown, they use 100% renewable energy on their farm...

"Food is so personal, so cultural, and such an integral part of how we live life, how we celebrate… how we do everything!" Lori Taylor (3:00-3:08) You want your kids to grow up eating healthy, and that means more than just the types of food you're eating. Without a healthy relationship to food, your children can develop all sorts of unhealthy eating patterns that no amount of broccoli can counterb...

"We 100% know and believe here in the produce industry that with proper immigration reform we will be able to increase efficiencies on the farm and therefore drive down the price of food at the grocery store."   Lori Taylor (7:04-7:17) We're all feeling the pain of rising gas and grocery store prices. Everything is going up thanks to inflation, but one remedy to fix it is through immigration refor...

"The seeds inside will be a cross of two parent apple trees. Breeders will plant those seeds, grow that tree and just wait to see what the results come out to be. It's very similar to having your kids."   Brett Valicoff (21:26-21:36)   Brett Valicoff, President of Valicoff Fruit, a farm started by his great grandfather over one hundred years ago, certainly knows the complexities that go into growi...

"Nobody wakes up wanting to waste food, it's just a matter of having the right information at the right time."   Dana Gunders (19:34-19:41)   When it comes to food waste around the world, the statistics are staggering. We all know it's a problem and almost every country is fighting it. What can we do to effectively decrease our food waste (and the carbon emissions that come with it), decrease food...

"To do good is in our DNA." Johnathan Sutton (16:41-16:43)   Westfalia Fruit is known around the world for their incredible, healthy, fresh avocados. They have the largest avocado-growing footprint in the world, plus grow fruits like mangoes, kiwis, limes, oranges, litchis, clementines, grapes, coconuts, pomegranates, cherries… the list goes on and on! What's most phenomenal about Westfalia other...

"We went from working with one band to working with hundreds of musicians and artists like Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Michael Franti, The Dead and so many others!"   Justin Levy (5:11-5:23)   It all started when Justin Levy had an idea 20 years ago to teach young people how to fight against hunger by hosting a food drive at a concert. He was attending University of Colorado at the time and as a...

"We want to see farms like yours be very successful and profitable because your profit directly relates to our ability to create a more sustainable, healthy planet and continue to access and grow food."   Lori Taylor (16:12-16:37)   Beth Bocock went from saying, "I'll never marry a farmer!" to becoming one of the second owners of Bumbleberry Acres with her husband, working for Naturipe and being t...

"NatureSweet is the brand people really know and trust."   Lori Taylor (13:22-13:31)   Amit Patel is the Marketing Director at NatureSweet, the company behind those delicious, favorite Cherub, Glory and Cherry tomatoes we all love! Whether you leave them on your counter to snack on all day like Lori, or use their packaging as a colander to wash in, NatureSweet's tomatoes are a convenient, versatil...

"The Produce Moms would not be B Corp certified if it weren't for Kerrie."   Lori Taylor (2:57-3:01)   You've heard us share about the exciting process of becoming a B Corp Certified business, but you're probably wondering why this is so important. Kerri McDevitt is a Senior Consultant at Impact Growth Partners, a small consulting firm working with businesses across the world to become B Corp Cert...

"We're trying to understand how different foods and different eating patterns impact anxiety and psychosis disorders."   Dr. Monique Aucoin (5:44-5:51)   Dr. Monique Aucoin is a naturopathic doctor and senior research fellow at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, and also one of the leading North American researchers in the field of nutritional psychiatry (the use of nutrition in the pr...

"Sometimes we think, 'I'm not sleeping, I'm not exercising, I need to eat healthier, I'm stressed', and then we're just even more overwhelmed. Overwhelm does nothing for us."   Dr. Christopher Mohr (24:07-24:17) Dr. Christopher Mohr, PhD R.D., is one of the world's leading nutrition and mindset experts and he's got a lot to say when it comes to "Minding your Melon". He's consulted for clients like...

"My dad had the mindset that this isn't just a profession, this is my identity. If I'm not a farmer, what else am I going to do?"    Marshal Sewell (15:19-15:28)   For the month of May, we're doing a special series called "Mind Your Melon" and focusing on mental health awareness for the agriculture industry. Marshal Sewell, Strategic Account Manager and Mental Health "AG-vocate" for Bayer Crop Sci...

"If we're robbing these neighborhoods of those green spaces, we're robbing them of their health as well."   Bryan O'Donnell (9:31-9:38) What does planting trees have to do with helping reduce the daily food insecurity 38 million people around the world experience? Not only is there a huge correlation between communities that are low-income food deserts and a lack of trees, but just by planting one...

"This is an amazing liquid that's often misunderstood in our supply chain."   Melissa Martinelli (6:06-6:11)   When you hear the word "whey", you probably think of whey protein powder, right? There's so much more to whey than that, which is why Melissa Martinelli created Superfrau, a sparkling, bubbly, functional whey beverage made from fresh, upcycled whey that comes from the greek yogurt ferment...

"Beko is the Tesla of home appliances! The way you have brought technology and sustainability into real time solutions for homeowners and moms like me is amazing."   Lori Taylor (32:43-33:02)   In 2018, we started the tradition of celebrating a brand that's doing a remarkable job of making sustainability a priority and more accessible for all of us in our home kitchens for Earth Day. There's no be...

"You should feel proud that this is the county you live in and these are the incredible things we bring to the market."   Anna Genaschi (23:03-23:10)   Anna Genaschi, Director of Communications for the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, is always looking for opportunities to educate farmers, ranchers, growers and consumers alike about their local food sources and, while getting a salad one day with he...

"It's a safe assumption to make that [sexual harassment] is happening in your workplace."    LeAnne Ruzzamenti (14:05-14:09) The Equitable Food Initiative is raising awareness for sexual harassment prevention in the month of April and, thanks to them, all companies across the Agriculture industry have access to a phenemonenal sexual harassment prevention training and toolkit that's helped transfor...

"Produce waste is a trillion dollar problem."   Lori Taylor (13:58-14:00)   Food waste is something we're all guilty of here in the United States. Have you ever tasted an apple from your recent trip to the grocery store and felt it tasted tired? You probably threw out the rest of them without a second thought. But did you know in the United States, 40% of fruits and vegetables grown end up in the...

"I really want the consumer to understand the true cost of producing a product. I think with more education they'll know what they're investing in and will be willing to pay more for a quality product they know has a positive impact in the world."   LeAnne Ruzzamenti (14:09-14:26) The annual Farm Worker Awareness Week, which falls along Caesar Chavez's birthday and along the same time when fresh f...

"We are encouraging women to bring their capabilities to the table in a way that's unapologetic."   Jill Overdorf (25:15-25:24) Jill Overdorf is one of the first women who had the "boss lady" mentality and reputation in the produce industry and rightfully so! She's strong, powerful, unapologetic and a key stakeholder in the empowerment of women across the board. She's technically been in the indus...

"If you don't have the next generation of kids going back to their family business or starting new farming operations, we're going to have a problem in 20 or 30 years."   Walt Dasher (20:24-20:35)   Walt Dasher is the proud owner of third-generation, family-owned G&R Farms where they do more than just grow delicious Vidalia and Preuvian onions, they are fostering the Future Farmers of America (FFA...