Giving Bulk a Brand with Jason Freeman of Farmer Direct Organic

Nov 25

To create a CPG product that is 100% organic, 100% traceable back to the family farm, and 100% tested for pesticides and herbicides is no small feat.

In today's episode, we speak to someone who has done just that. Jason Freeman is the Founder and CEO of Farmer Direct Organic, a certified organic supplier of beans, grains, legumes, and all sorts of healthy whole foods to stores across the US and Canada.

We discuss the challenges of traceable supply chains, affordable plastic-free packaging, finding the right investors, the rise in superweeds, the need for more widely-used environmentally friendly farming techniques, and the problems of corporations fueling unhealthy addictions that create disease.

This episode is jam-packed with valuable insight into a whole range of important issues, so don’t miss it!

Key Points From This Episode:

How Farmer Direct Organic was established and the principles that it is founded upon.
The evolution of Jason’s career from BioHemp to Farmer Direct Co-Op, to Farmer Direct Organic, and HempScience.
Jason’s involvement in the early hemp legalization movement.
Jason’s thoughts on democracy in light of the prohibition of cannabis.
Shocking stats about diabetes in America and how corporations pray on unhealthy addictions.
The rise in superweeds that are becoming resistant to GMO technology.
How Farmer Direct Co-Op became the first national brand to be certified to domestic fair trade standards through the Agricultural Justice Project.
Jason’s hope for the revitalization of rural America through organic farming.
The value of Farmer Direct Organic being consumer-founded and therefore consumer-focused.
The difference between non-GMO and organic.
How Farmer Direct Organic just became part of Above Food and what this means.
What Farmer Direct Organic is doing to try to eliminate plastic in its packaging.
Jason’s goal to have everything that the company produces approved for a diabetic diet.

Tweetables:

“One of the big issues with agriculture is that governments and corporations are telling farmers how to farm, instead of investing in the farms and allowing the farmers to do what they need to, what they know how to do, and that’s build soil.” — Jason Freeman [0:24:06]

“Even though it’s organic doesn’t mean everybody in the industry is being fair to the farmers, in fact, there are lots of issues with fraud and off-shoring, and stuff like that.” — Jason Freeman [0:26:44]

“I don’t know if these large conventional farms are necessarily going to be organic but they’re going to significantly reduce the herbicide and the synthetic fertilizers to the point where they are building soil.” — Jason Freeman [0:34:42]

“For us to get back to some sort of environmental consistency, we really need to take care of the soil and grow it.” — Jason Freeman [0:35:18]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Jason Freeman on LinkedIn

Farmer Direct Organic

"Attack of the Superweeds” - New York Times

Kiss the Ground

Amy’s Kitchen

Agricultural Justice Project