Rudolf Steiner introduced biodynamic farming, a practice that avoided all forms of biocides and consisted in working with the energies that create and maintain life. In America, J. Rodale's experiment with methods of growing organic food resulted in his establishment of the Soil and Health Foundation, forerunner of The Rodale Institute--a worldwide organization dedicated to bringing about a regenerative food system that renewed environmental and human health.
In Rachel Carson published Silent Spring , a seminal book in which she emphasized the hazards of chemical agriculture, initiated the move to ban DDT, and spurred revolutionary changes in laws affecting our air, land, and water.
In Brooklyn, New York, Samuel Kaymen studied biodynamic agriculture and was active in regional groups that advocated pesticide control and soil conservation; he established the Northeast Organic Farmers Association.
By teaching rural and homesteading skills with an emphasis on organic food production, the Kaymens wanted to revitalize the struggling New England dairy industry and halt the decline of family farms. Their long-range goal was to produce healthy yogurt and educate consumers about the ways business and industry could be both financially and environmentally successful. Hirshberg had channeled his passion for safeguarding the environment into working as a water-pumping specialist and then joining the nonprofit ecological advocacy group known as the New Alchemy Institute, dedicated to spreading information about organic agriculture, aquaculture, and renewable energy systems.
However, a visit to Disney World's Epcot Center modified Hirshberg's thoughts about the role a nonprofit enterprise could play in educating the public about environmental issues. In a interview, Hirshberg told writer Courtney Claire Brigham of Londonderry's Eagle-Tribune that at Epcot he saw 25, people walking through the Kraft artificial cheese exhibit. Struck by the daily attendance at the Kraft exhibit compared to the 25, annual visitors of the work done at the nonprofit Alchemy Institute, Hirshberg wondered if an environmentally and socially responsible business could also be profitable.
He concluded that "he would not be as effective in spreading environmental awareness in the nonprofit world as he could be in business," Courtney Claire noted. Hirshberg soon had the opportunity to test his conclusion. In April , Kaymen founded Stonyfield Farm in Wilton, New Hampshire, as a TREC nonprofit project; he hoped to expand the farm and make the production of yogurt both an educational and a profitable venture.
With his wife and their six children he milked seven Jersey cows and produced a tasty, all-natural yogurt based on a family recipe. From the start, the Kaymens used only the highest quality, all-natural ingredients; their yogurt, made from the premium milk of their own cows, was certified kosher.
In September Hirshberg accepted the full-time position of president and executive director of the new company. In Hirshberg drafted the new company's first business plan and--thanks to the fact that his mother, family members, and friends agreed to co-sign loans--secured much needed funds.
In the partners attempted to solve this problem by working with a packing company that shortly fell into bankruptcy. The bank closed down the co-packer, and creditors attached its assets: equipment, cups and lids, ingredients and finished products.
Department of Justice forced the Stonyfield sale to forestall monopoly control of the organic milk market. Under Danone, Stonyfield, already successful, saw its sales skyrocket. Gary Hirshberg and Samuel Kaymen started Stonyfield in to help support their non-profit farming school.
Starting with a herd of seven cows, family members produced their goods from a small dairy in Wilton. With a popular product in hand, in Stonyfield built a production center in Londonderry. Kaymen retired in , and Danone bought a 40 percent share. Danone purchased Stonyfield outright in Hirshberg stepped down as chief executive in , but remains on Stonyfield's advisory board.
The company does produce Greek yogurt, but Hirshberg said the high supply costs make it impossible to offer the same kind of grocery store discounts as for other non-organic brands. Where analysts do think Stonyfield has an edge is in its mission-driven, healthy identity. Those values are also increasingly important to food industry giants as they look to make acquisitions and stay competitive in a shifting food landscape.
For the past several weeks, analysts had speculated that General Mills and Dean Foods might be weighing a possible purchase of Stonyfield to bolster their yogurt divisions. And Mexico-based Grupo Lala has now emerged as the lead bidder, though no price was revealed. In both cases, the international dairies most likely see Stonyfield as a way to make inroads into organics and gain expertise in the US market.
The sale is also a very public reminder that Stonyfield is owned by a larger corporation, something that might put off younger consumers, who tend to flock to independent companies with compelling stories, Seifert said. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The Department of Justice could have objected to Danone owning both companies in the organic dairy space. Stonyfield CEO Esteve Torrens and Hirshberg are just getting to know Lactalis management, but the chairman says the company is appealing.
He says he has confidence in the new owners because they, too, know the passion of not only business, but having a mission behind the business. I now have a strong motivation to prove them right. Hopefully this is a marriage of two passionate folks with two passionate missions. His grandfather Andre Besnier founded the company in
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