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DOCUMENTARY: The Importance of REBBL With A Cause and the Possibility that it Inspires

When you mention the name REBBL to most people, the first thing that usually pops up is their favorite flavor of the company’s adaptogenic coconut elixirs.

After all, these drinks are incredibly delicious and nutritious. And addictive.

Yet, when you dig deeper and peel back the layers of this brand, a very inspirational story emerges.

In REBBL With A Cause, an excellent documentary about the company’s origin and mission, we also learn how it is using Brazil nuts sourced from Peru to improve the well-being of indigenous people in that region and also to fight against human slavery and trafficking around the world — a $150 billion annual business, with 80% of the victims women and children.

Even though I profiled REBBL’s use of Brazil nuts in a story that I did last year, the information that I gathered to write this piece was all second-hand.

I did not meet the farmers, I could not see the Brazil nut trees in the rainforest, I was unable to truly understand the struggles that these people face and how they were being taken advantage of by local traders.

Additionally, I could not fully grasp the sensitivity to which REBBL was approaching this project in Peru.

While I was aware that the individuals who run and work at REBBL are deeply caring, seeing them interact with the indigenous people in Peru and observing them take the long-term approach of building true relationships — partnerships — came through vividly in this film. So did the enormous impact that REBBL has had in this community and throughout the world, where the company has helped more than 20,000 people escape human trafficking.

Along with giving me a much greater appreciation for the incredible work that REBBL is doing in Peru, the documentary also forced me to think about some larger issues in society and in my own life.

This was because the principle of regenerative business — using a business to improve every person or thing that it comes into contact with — was an important theme in the film and is a guiding force in how REBBL operates and makes decisions on a daily basis.

As a result, the following questions came up for me.

Shouldn’t we be expecting more from the companies that we support and whose products we buy? Shouldn’t they all be in the pursuit of operating as a regenerative business?

And how can I, as an individual, be more regenerative in my own life? How can I become more conscious and positively impact every person and thing that I interact with?

REBBL With A Cause is more than just a documentary about the good that an organic beverage company is doing in the world.

It is also a film that inspires us to be better.

And to ask what is possible.

 

To watch REBBL With A Cause, it can be viewed here.  

A message from Tradin Organic

Why Tradin Organic is Prioritizing Regenerative Organic Farming

At Tradin Organic, we believe that regenerative organic farming is key to growing healthy and nutritious food ingredients — for now and for future generations.

And in Sierra Leone, we have grown the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified cacao.

Learn more.

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Living Maxwell

Company Stories

ECOrenaissance by Organic Industry Pioneer Marci Zaroff is a Very Inspirational Read

When it comes to the organic textile business, serial entrepreneur Marci Zaroff is a true visionary — and I do not use this word lightly.

In 1995, Marci Zaroff coined and trademarked the termECOfashion® and launched Under the Canopy, which pioneered the market for organic and sustainable apparel and home textiles. Additionally, she helped create the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

Most recently, Marci Zaroff founded and is the CEO of MetaWear, the first “sustainable style” GOTS and Cradle to Cradle Certified cut and sew manufacturer in the world for organic and eco-friendly apparel. In addition to that, she is the founder of Farm to Home, producer of THREAD / Driving Fashion Forward, and co-founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Good Catch Foods and BeyondsBrands.

This organic trailblazer just launched her first book called ECOrenaissance: A Lifestyle Guide for Cocreating a Stylish, Sexy and Sustainable World, and I caught up with my good friend to speak with her about it.

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A message from Tradin Organic

How Tradin Organic is Helping Coconut Farmers in The Philippines

For more than a decade, Tradin Organic has been working with local partners in The Philippines to bring a diversified range of organic products to the market, such as coconut oil, tropical fruits and even cocoa.

The company is helping to support local farmers by assisting them with technical support and organic certification, in addition to paying Fairtrade premium on top of the organic premium.

Learn more.

Organic Insider

Company Stories

Why Sun+Earth and Brother David’s are So Vital for Organic Stakeholders and Our Planet

David Bronner, the Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner’s, saw this coming years ago.

With California having legalized cannabis in 2016, he knew that this plant was headed down the path of other agricultural crops — mass industrialization, genetic engineering, enormous energy consumption through fossil fuels, and the displacement of small-scale family farmers.

Where cannabis differs from other agricultural commodities, however, is that there can be no such thing as “organic cannabis” until the federal government stops classifying it as an illegal drug.

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Organic Insider

Company Stories

Are Organic Food Advocates Democrats or Republicans? The Answer is Yes.

Whenever you start talking about organic food and political affiliations, many people seem to think that organic food advocates are all Democrats. Yet, the answer is not that simple and is much more complex than one might think.

In “The Politics of Organic Farming: Populists, Evangelicals, and the Agriculture of the Middle” (once on the page, click on the link that says “PDF – 786KB”), the amazing food magazine Gastronomica delves into this question and explores the matter from a historical, geographical and cultural context.

As the article points out, organic food supporters have been incredibly betrayed by President Obama. So, does that mean that Republicans are now the big proponents of organic food? Well, yes and no.

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