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ADVANTAGE, sourcing whole food brands

Posted - December 20, 2010

ADVANTAGE, sourcing whole food brands

By Adriana Michael
Passion and commitment are common traits shared by pioneers and leaders of the global organic and natural health movement. Jerry Zeifman, President of Canadian firm Advantage Health Matters, is an entrepreneur who exemplifies these qualities in his quest to promote health consciousness through the use of whole food supplement strategies and raw superfoods through a sustainable, eco-friendly business model.
A dynamic and leading Canadian importer and distributor of some of the most cutting-edge brands of organic supplements in the market, Jerry could be considered a

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Machu Picchu opens new cacao plant

Posted - October 15, 2010

Machu Picchu opens new cacao plant

By Clara Paz
Claudia Perez Control Union Esther Paredes Machu Picchu Fernando Guzman Machu Picchu rabino Meushar y sr Arie Halperin1In view of growing demand for organic cacao beans and derivates, Peruvian leading cacao processor Machu Pichu Trading inaugurated a new plant last month to process only organic, fair trade, kosher parve and free allergen cacao ingredients and chocolate. It is located in the city of Pisco.

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Industry moves to sustainable palm oil

Posted - July 25, 2010

Industry moves to sustainable palm oil

By Warren Beaumont

Palm oil seeds display, husk in half, full palm oil and palm kern oilThere is global concern over palm oil being sourced from Indonesia and South East Asia where tropical forests have been cleared to make way for plantations, which have threatened the orangutan. This has led to major food retailers and suppliers to introduce plans to source sustainable palm oil or to ban palm oil in food.

Nestle announced it had stopped sourcing palm oil from the Indonesian company Sinar Mas and was moving to meet high standards for sustainability. Unilever suspended purchases of palm oil from PT SMART, part of the Sinar Mas group. It followed allegations by Greenpeace that Sinar Mas, Indonesia’s biggest palm oil producer, had been responsible for widespread deforestation and peatland clearance.

French supermarket giant Casino has announced that it will no longer use palm oil in 200 of its private label products by the end of 2010 and will eventually remove palm oil from all its food products, citing concerns over palm oil

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Euro-Nat: Partnering Bolivian quinoa for 20 years

Posted - February 11, 2010

Euro-Nat: Partnering Bolivian quinoa for 20 years

By Angela Mallaroni

In 1988, entrepreneur Didier Perreol, discovered quinoa at a casual encounter during an exhibition in Geneva. He was looking for a unique cereal product to stand out from his 75 product line his firm Euro-Nat had recently introduced to natural health food stores in France.

Didier Perreol, Founder and CEO Euro-Nat, FranceImpressed with the grain, Mr Perreol went to Bolivia to meet with ANAPQUI, the only cooperative of small quinoa producers in the country at the time. With his first 500 kg order of Royal Quinoa, Mr Perreol went back home with the commitment to introduce quinoa to France. The emblematic company brand Primeal was born, and an intensive communications campaign followed.

Primeal Royal Quinoa was a success. It was versatile, easy to prepare and mix in many recipes and inspired Mr. Perreol and others to publish quinoa cookbooks. For the next ten years Euro-Nat imported quinoa from the producers in Bolivia and the Primeal brand entered every natural health food store in France. In 2001, Euro-Nat started distribution of quinoa products to major supermarket chains under private label.

To develop a stable project with constant delivery and traceability of the best quinoa available, Mr Perreol made a further commitment: to set up shop in Bolivia itself. In 1997, he founded Jatariy, (

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Irupana: building a sustainable model of social enterprise

Posted - January 25, 2010

Irupana: building a sustainable model of social enterprise

By Adriana Michael

With a jeep, 4,000 USD and two ideas, entrepreneur Javier Hurtado Mercado founded Irupana Andean Organic Food S.A. in 1985. First, he wanted to market natural and organic certified products from small indigenous producers in Bolivia. Second, he wanted to make available ancient forgotten nutritious foods. After working for several years with NGOs, Javier and his wife Marta Cordero realized that the only way to help peasant farmers was to set up a distribution business to bring products directly to the buyers.

Javier Hurtado, Founder and CEO Irupana Andean FoodUntil 2004, the firm supplied mainly the domestic market with over 120 natural foods and a distribution network of 400 outlets. Opening a franchise followed, currently with 18 natural food shops that offer coffee, a variety of Andean cereals and baked goods, pasta and honey.

A tender bid from the government (2000-2004) allowed Irupana to offer a nutritious breakfast with quinoa to feed over 60,000 students from public schools. Instead of refined imported wheat for cheap bread, the children discovered a delicious and nutritious local staple.

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Australian Organic Skincare

Posted - November 1, 2008

Jasmin Skincare:

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Colombian Organic Firm

Posted - November 1, 2008

Daabon Sets Mood for a Greener Colombia

By Adriana Michael - as printed in O.W.N. Fall 2008

Daabon Organic, a third generation family-owned business in Colombia, is run by Alberto Davila Diazgranados, affectionately known to all as Don Alberto. He has turned a family farm founded by his father in 1914 into a progressive international enterprise, a pioneer in sustainable agriculture and a leading grower and exporter of organic bananas, palm oil, cacao and coffee. Don Alberto is an easy to approach man who enjoys the company of others. He certainly meets many people, running a company that employs over 1500 people and deals with over 400 contractors.

Keeping a business alive for almost 100 years is a challenging task.What has been the formula to its success?

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Labels, Tests and Education

Posted - November 1, 2008

Dangers of Playing Hide and Seek with Product Labels

O.W.N. News Network

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Organic Cosmetics Standards

Posted - July 15, 2008

Varied Requirements, Little Regulation Bring US Lawsuit

Organic-branded cosmetics and personal care products are coming under legal question in the US. A lawsuit was recently launched by soap and cosmetics firm Dr. Bronner

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Brazilian Cosmetics

Posted - May 1, 2008

Beyond Raw Ingredients

By Adriana Michael - as printed in O.W.N. Summer 2008

The bounty of Brazil’s rainforests provides many healing ingredients for everything from functional foods to jewellery. In the past, indigenous peoples have been often left out of related success stories. Raw ingredients are shipped off with no added value for the local economy.

Now the growing market for eco-friendly goods stimulates sustainable ways to preserve the forests and knowledge native experts have used for generations.

Brazilian cosmetics firms Florestas Organic Botanical, Surya Nature Inc., Reserva Folio and newcomer Mat

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