squeeze packs than glass jars and
because glass is so heavy, it takes
nine truckloads to transport the
same amount of baby food in jars
that we’re able to ship in just one
load, meaning we’re using one-
ninth of the fossil fuel that others
use just to move this stuff around.”
What about the end life of this
squeeze pack, though? Since it
uses the same technology as Tetra
Pak, the pouches can be recycled
in a few cities that have the infra-
structure to do so, however, most
cities don’t. Representatives from
Nest attended the Sustainable
Squeeze Pack Summit hosted by
Justin’s Nut Butter in 2010, and
are working to develop something
more recyclable or compostable in
Plum Organics’ newest campaign, “Babies for
Yum,” launched a headline contest on Facebook.
On the social responsibility side,
Nest is B Corp certified and is a supporter of Healthy Child Healthy World
(HCHW), a nonprofit dedicated to educating parents about reducing toxins.
Nest recently worked with HCHW and
other brands like Seventh Generation
to put together kits for moms as part
of a national education program.
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organic industry to policy makers and the general public.
Building the Nest: The
Future of the Collective
Besides looking forward at sustainability, Grimmer also realizes that in
order to nourish “generation organic,”
the company must create a strong supply chain with organic farmers. To do
this, Nest has started to work with
farmers to help them transition from
conventional to organic, focusing on
domestic farmers like Washington
apple growers. “Looking at what we
sourced in 2011, we’ll likely be sourcing close to 7. 5 million pounds of organic fruits and vegetables next year.”
Besides growing more produce,
many readers might be wondering if
there is room in the Nest for more
like-minded kids brands? Grimmer
says it’s a possibility. “We’re open to
the discussion and developing partner-
ships to broaden the portfolio.”
The Collective, however, is also
happy building the brands they al-
ready have. Last year alone they visited
over 30 events, many of which were at
grade schools—and the revolution
shows no signs of stopping. “We have
two incredibly strong brands and
we’re driving those through great
product innovations,” Grimmer says.
“To me, at the end of the day, if you
can get kids’ food to go from healthy
to healthy and ‘craveable,’ where kids
are screeching with joy in the shop-
ping cart because they’re getting it,
that’s the job well done.” o
Learn more at ota.com
Call (413) 376-1219
Kat Schuett is the editorial director of
Organic Processing Magazine. You can reach
her at kat@organicprocessing.com.
