March 30, 2022
![Creative business models flourish in natural products industry Creative business models flourish in natural products industry](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/blt8fbf519ac998386e/64ff1897562995414448ef86/14-Inventive_20Business_20Models.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Jacobsen has formed partnerships with local farms, restaurants and hotels to install beehives in support of honeybee populations in the Pacific Northwest. Now, it offers a full-service hive program that offers beekeeping equipment, maintenance and harvesting, consulting and educational classes.
Our Gorongosa's coffee is grown in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique and blended with sustainably sourced Arabica beans. In turn, 100% of the company's profits are turned over to the Gorongosa Trust, which oversees the park's human development and conservation activities. The profits from each bag are earmarked for a specific function: girls' education, wildlife conservation or rainforest reforestation.
DoughP supports the She Recovers Foundation, a nonprofit that works with women in recovery. The cookie dough company donates 1% of all sales, with a minimum donation of $30,000 guaranteed. The company also seeks to remove the stigma associated with mental health issues and addiction. It encourages open dialogue and offers employees mental health days.
Saucy Lips, a family-owned sauce company, uses recipes for the meals the mother, Gabriela, made in Yucatan, Mexico, before the Daltons moved to the United States. Like many natural brands, this one got its start at local farmers markets. The company is women led and the products are free of gluten, soy, dairy, GMOs, BPA and nuts. Additionally, no sweeteners are used.
Smallhold doesn't ship its mushrooms from some warehouse. Instead, it networks mushroom farms across the country—in warehouses, basements, restaurants and grocery stores. The company's goal is to redefine "local" so it means food that is grown in the community, not 500 miles away. Minifarms are automated and designed to fit in restaurants, cafes and even nonprofit community centers.
Smallhold doesn't ship its mushrooms from some warehouse. Instead, it networks mushroom farms across the country—in warehouses, basements, restaurants and grocery stores. The company's goal is to redefine "local" so it means food that is grown in the community, not 500 miles away. Minifarms are automated and designed to fit in restaurants, cafes and even nonprofit community centers.
New Hope Network's editorial staff, in concert with the NEXT Data & Insights team, have identified the key macro forces driving food trends in the United States. In the 2022 Guidebook we have connected these macro forces and hot trends, as well as the newest exhibitors and fresh brands to help you meet consumers' needs. Learn more about the Guidebook and purchase your copy here.
There is growing momentum to use business to heal, rebuild and strengthen the planet, community and society. The natural products industry is full of creative flows of capital, partnerships and purpose. Thinking outside-the-box, under-the-box or around-the-box is the necessary first step in beginning the long and challenging journey to make business a solution that can heal, not damage or weaken us.
Four trends support the Inventive Business Models macroforce:
Mission-driven commerce—Radical change-makers are doing the hard work to create products or brands focused on improving how commerce is conducted to address social or environmental issues.
Multi-stakeholder—These brands were not necessarily created solve poverty, hunger or environmental problems but they are rethinking how they conduct business. Instead of focusing only on profits, they aim to reduce their companies' negative impacts on people and planet.
Diversifying ownership—The faces of founders and shareholders in a brand are shifting. Through different types of employee ownership or new enterprises with people of color, Latinx or Asian-American founders, entrepreneurs are changing who owns food brands and, thus, who drives innovation.
Sourcing responsibly—To mitigate the extractive tendencies of our food system, many brands pay closer attention to how and where they source ingredients. Brands now form transparent and direct trade relationships with farmers and communities, which make the supply chain more equitable.
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