As 2016 comes to a close, many of us are strategizing, planning and visualizing how we would like 2017 to unfold. More specifically, we are giving serious thought about what we want to accomplish, how we want to be better and what kind of impact we want to have on the world.

With this in mind, I have been blown away by two things over the past few weeks that I’d like to share with you. And in my view, these are two absolute must-listen and must-read pieces of information.

LEWIS HOWES’ INTERVIEW WITH JOHN ASSARAF

My friend Lewis Howes has one of the most popular podcasts on the planet – The School of Greatness – and he has interviewed some incredibly accomplished and successful people, ranging from Tony Robbins to Scooter Braun to NFL great Ray Lewis.

Yet out of the 400+ podcasts he has done, it was his very recent one with John Assaraf that impacted me the most.

Not only was it one of the best podcasts that Lewis has done, but it was one of the most impactful podcasts that I have ever listened to. How good was it?

I cannot remember ever listening to a podcast multiple times and taking notes throughout the entire interview. Furthermore, I plan on replaying it at least once a month just for the reminders. Read more »

Serial entrepreneur Sheryl O’Loughlin has just come out with a phenomenal new book called Killing It: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Head Without Losing Your Heart, and it should be at the top of the reading list for all founders of organic food companies, regardless of whether you’re in start-up mode or well on your way to generating $100 million in revenues.

Aside from the fact that Sheryl O’Loughlin has some serious street cred in the organic food industry – CEO of Clif Bar, Co-Founder of Plum Organics and now CEO of REBBL – and has plenty of experience to draw upon as an entrepreneur, this book focuses on the most important aspect of building a company that rarely gets discussed – the human element.

While strategy, branding, operations, and interfacing with customers are critical components of running a company, Sheryl has us look at the human emotions of being an entrepreneur and how it can be enthralling, debilitating and rewarding all at once.

Love, communication, support, honesty, presence, curiosity, self-reflection and radical self-acceptance must all be a part of the business journey. Yet, so many of us get caught up in the grind thinking that start-ups are nothing more than 16-hour days, rushing from to meeting to meeting, and pitching to investors. As a result, our health suffers and our companies do not thrive. Read more »

While in St. Louis last week attending the National Organic Standards Board meeting, I spent an inordinate amount of time at Seedz Cafe, a plant-based organic restaurant located in Clayton’s DeMun neighborhood.

Founded by a former buyer at Whole Foods Market and built with many reclaimed and recycled materials, Seedz Cafe is dishing out some truly delicious cuisine. Read more »

As many of you know, I have been a long-time fan of Temple Turmeric and believe that the company is synonymous with organic turmeric drinks.

Since its inception, the company has rolled out many different flavors, many of which I have enjoyed and some that I didn’t.

When founder Daniel Sullivan would ask me over the years which one was my favorite, my response was always the same: the original one. Read more »

Over the past few years, I have developed a relationship with the founder of Living Tree Community Foods, Jesse Schwartz.

Jesse is the person who urged me to check out Organic Circle, an amazing organic kosher supermarket in Brooklyn, that I profiled last month in my Supermarket Spotlight column. Needless to say, I trust his judgment.

When he wanted to send me more samples of his products recently, he was pushing real hard for his almond butter.

I said to him, “Jesse, I am sure it is great, but I really can’t eat almond butter anymore. For some strange reason, I now have an allergic reaction to eating almonds. It is better that you send me your lemon olive oil because that’s what I really want to write about. It is the best olive oil that I have ever had.”

This is not hyperbole. It truly is the best organic olive oil that I’ve ever had.

And when you learn how this lemon olive oil is produced, you’ll understand the reason for my enthusiasm.

The olives and lemons are co-milled, which means that they are crushed at the same time. Hence, a single oil is extracted from the combination.

According to Living Tree Community Foods, most flavored olive oils are infused, with an extract being added. The process of co-milling, versus adding an extract afterward, results in a very different final product.

The olives are a Mission variety, which has been used in Europe for cooking and healing in Europe for thousands of years. Introduced in California a few hundred years ago, the Mission olive contains phenols that are not found in other varieties, particularly oleuropein aglycon, which has significant health benefits.

Not to be outdone, the organic Lisbon lemons are an heirloom variety that is richly flavored and deeply aromatic.

Yet, the story gets even more interesting.

The Mission olives are grown by family farmer Darro Greco on a 100% certified organic estate called the Berkeley Olive Grove.

Founded in 1913 by a group of professors from the University of California at Berkeley, the Berkeley Olive Grove brought experts in from Europe to create an olive grove that would sustain itself. The award-winning grove is located in Sacramento Valley, 150 miles from the town of Berkeley, and is situated in a unique geographical area at the western escarpment of Table Mountain. Water naturally percolates from an underground aquifer, and the trees are 100 years old and are dry farmed. Read more »

(To follow my day-to-day organic food adventures, please be sure to add me on Snapchat: maxorganic)

I have been consistently traveling to San Francisco for many years now but for some reason, Greens Restaurant was never at the top of my list.

And what a mistake that was because the brunch at Greens Restaurant might the best that I have ever had. Yes, ever.

Opened in 1979 as part of the San Francisco Zen Center and consistently among the most acclaimed restaurants in the city, Greens Restaurant has been a pioneer in working directly with local and organic farmers in the Bay Area. The fresh, super-high quality ingredients are immediately noticeable in each dish. Read more »

(To follow my day-to-day organic food adventures, please be sure to add me on Snapchat: maxorganic)

At first glance, it might seem like an outlandish statement to say that The Organic Coup is one of the organic industry’s most important companies. After all, it only has two locations and was started by people who have never run a restaurant before.

But when you understand just who these individuals are and the concept they have launched, you’ll come to see that this is not hyperbole in the slightest.

Based in California, The Organic Coup is the country’s first certified organic fast-food restaurant and was founded by Erica Welton and Dennis Hoover, two of the most influential organic food executives in the U.S. Read more »