Explore Coverage

Living Maxwell

Company Stories

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

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.

Go deeper

Organic Insider

Company Stories

Farmer Direct Organic is Raising the Bar When it Comes to Fair Wages for Growers and Traceability for Consumers

With more than 80% of U.S. consumers purchasing organic food on a regular basis, the industry continues to surge in popularity, and there are more organic brands – and choices – than ever.

Yet, when one takes a deeper look at what is happening behind the scenes, the picture is rather unsettling. Most notably, the farmers are suffering beyond imagination.

According to the USDA, projected 2019 median farm income was expected to be -$1,636, and a majority of farmers are forced to earn off-farm income to feed their families and keep their farms afloat.

Canada-based Farmer Direct Organic, a certified organic producer of grains, seeds and legumes, is acutely aware of this problem and is making it a cornerstone of the company’s operating philosophy.

Go deeper Arrow

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.

Organic Insider

Company Stories

President Obama Signs the Disastrous Federal GMO-Labeling Bill, Putting the Future of Organic in Danger

On late Friday afternoon, President Obama signed the sham Stabenow-Roberts GMO-Labeling bill (S. 764) which will allow, among many other things, companies to use QR codes instead of clear GMO labels on a food product’s packaging.

This bill is so discriminatory and so poorly written that it potentially violates several amendments of the Constitution. Additionally, it puts the integrity of the organic seal in real jeopardy.

What is arguably the most troubling aspect of this bill is that while almost every single organic consumer organization fought this bill, the organic industry’s leading trade organization praised the bill and lobbied for it to pass.

Here are the key points to understand, in terms of analyzing the bill, what this means for the organic industry, and where we go from here.

Go deeper Arrow
livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink