Singapore Entrepreneurs Network & Startup Organization

Organic Valley of Farms

George Siemon, CEO
La Farge, Wisconsin
organicvalley.coop

In 1988, seven Wisconsin farmers, frustrated by the loss of nearly 2,000 farms in America each week and the staggering number of farms threatened with extinction, set out to save family farms.

Led by George Siemon, the farmers determined that organic agriculture was the solution. The demand for organic products was growing steadily, and they yielded a higher price because it costs more to produce without antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilizers. The practice also fulfilled the farmers' commitment to a sustainable approach to agriculture, ensuring their land would be preserved for future generations.

The farmers formed an organic cooperative, known today as Organic Valley, and they did the unimaginable: They set Organic Valley's pay-price to farmers for their organic milk at about twice the pay-price of conventional milk. And they kept the pay-price at a fixed amount for an entire year, an unprecedented move in the dairy industry.

The model has paid off. Today Organic Valley is one of the largest organic brands in the nation, offering milk, cheese, juice, eggs, spreads, produce, soy and Organic Prairie meat. With 1,183 organic farmers in 32 states and one Canadian province, it is the only national organic brand solely owned and operated by organic farmers. Most importantly, Organic Valley farmers are making a stable living wage and staying in business.

Despite Organic Valley's growth, the co-op remains true to its roots and business model. A board of farmer-owners, together with Siemon, Organic Valley's C-E-I-E-I-O, sets Organic Valley's annual milk prices. They oversee every aspect of the organic process, from the moment the products leave the farm to the moment they appear on grocery shelves. And they uphold sustainable farming practices, such as pasturing animals and treating them humanely, ensuring Organic Valley farmers meet and even exceed USDA organic requirements.

"The success of Organic Valley proves that organic agriculture can be a lifeline for America's struggling family farms," Siemon said. "In an era of rising and falling agricultural prices, Organic Valley employs a model that is unmatched anywhere on earth."

Just as Organic Valley strives to support family farms, the co-op is committed to growing local communities. In 2004, Organic Valley chose to build its new company headquarters, which accommodates 250 employees, in La Farge, Wis., the small town the co-op has called home since its inception. Likewise, Organic Valley's relationships with businesses and non-profit organizations in other regions where their farmers live embody the co-op's "grow local" philosophy.

Being farmer-owned has allowed Organic Valley to stay true to its mission and what its customers expect they are getting when they buy an Organic Valley product: food produced by a farmer who is a steward of the earth and at the heart of the organic revolution.

Seventh Generation

Jeffrey Hollender, chief inspired protagonist
Burlington, Vermont
seventhgeneration.com

Seventh Generation takes its name from the Great Law of the Haudenosaunee, which states that "in our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."

At Seventh Generation, this wisdom means many things, all of which come together to create a new chain of sustainability that stretches from our company to our customers and out into the world we share. Our mission to do things differently and in the process blaze a new path for business to follow begins with our products and our choice to make them without harmful ingredients and polluting technologies. These include biodegradable, vegetable-based cleaning and laundry products; chlorine-free diapers and training pants; natural lotion baby wipes; chlorine-free organic cotton feminine hygiene products; chlorine-free recycled paper towels, and bath and facial tissues; and trash bags made from recycled plastic.

While our name references the next seven generations, for most parents it's the next generation that matters the most. A short time ago, the e-mail below came into our consumer relations department:

Dear Seventh Generation:
My heart has been overflowing with gratitude since Saturday night. I was emptying the dishwasher, and hadn't realized that it had malfunctioned (all of the dishwashing powder was still in there). My daughter had opened the little detergent door when I wasn't paying attention. I looked down to see her with two handfuls and a mouthful of your dishwasher powder. Frantic, I called Poison Control. "My daughter ate dishwasher powder." They asked what brand it was. "Seventh Generation." "Oh, it's fine then. Just wash it off her hands, and give her a glass of water." Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sincerely,
Gabrielle Lennon
Idyllwild, California

Our products help consumers maintain safer homes and healthier families, and they contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable world. But they're just part of our story. We're also dedicated to building a company in whose operations a new model for business can be found, one that respects its human and environmental assets as much as its financial capital. As a pioneer in the corporate responsibility movement, we believe deeply that a company should provide its employees with a work experience that offers meaning, satisfaction, equity, and the chance to continually grow both inwardly and outwardly. We also believe that all of these things should come together to create a force for good in the world.

Our mission has been embraced by people of all kinds who share our desire to create a better world, and that in turn has translated into commercial success as well. Since 2001, our operating income has increased six fold. Today, our products represent 46% of the total natural foods cleaning, paper, and personal care categories combined.

Seventh Generation Initiatives

Seventh Generation is committed to creating partnerships with organizations that are working toward environmental and social justices. Among them:

changeit07.com

Seventh Generation has partnered with Greenpeace to train and sustain the next generation of change agents. Through our joint training program, Change It, we are engaging and empowering college students across the nation to become active on campus and in their communities.

weegeneration.com

Wee Generation is a collaboration between Seventh Generation and Healthy Child Healthy World, the national leader in safeguarding the healthy or children and protecting them from harmful environmental exposures. By educating parents and engaging communities, we encourage new and expectant parents to make simple, smart choices that allow our children and families to flourish.

ampontification.com

Tampontification was a program developed in 2005 when it came to our attention that feminine care products are in short supply in women's shelters around the country. The program used a combination of interrelated issues to inform, educate and move people to action on two interrelated but equally taboo subjects - menstruation and homelessness.