Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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A biopsy finally proved he had a fungal infection in his lungs, histoplasmosis, tied to bat guano he may have picked up in Costa Rica. "We began making ice cream again on the same day I had the biopsy," Lowe says. "Tears of joy don't quite do the moment justice when the doctor comes running in, yelling, "It's not cancer! It's not cancer!" Following several months of anti-fungal medication, Lowe is feeling fine again and able to indulge in his current favorite Jeni's f lavors: Sweet Potato Pecan Praline and Buttercup Pumpkin with Amaretti cookies. "We took a lot of really tough punches and we are better for it," he says. "We learned a lot about our team and our capabilities, and boy, is it fun to get to play offense again. There's a limitless possibility for the things we can do going into the future." 2016 LEADERSHIP AWARD: BUSINESS LEADERSHIP Greg Steltenpohl, Co-Founder & CEO, Califia Farms B everage pioneer Greg Steltenpohl, who co-founded Odwalla, has continued to break ground with his newest health- conscious venture. Inspiration Califia Farms, a company concentrating on plant-based juice, almond milk, cold-brewed coffee, and Latin-inspired horchata and agua fresca, is one of the fastest-growing natural beverage companies in the U.S. Steltenpohl, 61, co-founded Califia Farms with Sun Pacific, a California farming group growing a bounty of produce and tree nuts in the San Joaquin Valley. Steltenpohl says two different factors drove him to build a company that's shaking up the beverage industry. One is business, the other is personal. He says his role as an entrepreneur is to translate beverage trends into products the consumer can relate to. As he saw the Latino population in the U.S. grow and prosper, he realized "there was a lack of aspirational products for that market, healthier bever- ages using higher-quality ingredients and better packaging." Hence, Mango Chile Lime Agua Fresca and Classic Cinnamon Horchata with Almondmilk were born. As the global population nears 10 billion in 2050, Steltenpohl also sees an environmental and literal market cost that is not sustainable if people continue to be reliant on animal-based protein. "Unfortunately, you can't just tell people not to eat animal prod- ucts," he says. "In developed countries, we have to create aspirational brands built around emotion and caring about the environment and making it desirable." To that end, Califia Farms has worked to develop an alternative to dairy milk that is equally pleasurable when poured on cereal or in coffee. In addressing California's protracted drought, he cited studies showing that almond crops require less than half the amount of water needed to raise dairy cows. He also noted that more people are discovering they are lactose intolerant. "As more and more people become aware of the role of food and diet as a central issue in health care, they'll be looking for healthier ways to get their protein," he says. "It's not just about animal protein becoming more expensive." Impact Responsiveness to health-minded consumers is a priority, Steltenpohl stresses. More than a year ago, Califia Farms eliminated animal- based protein from its portfolio, making it a 100-percent vegan com- pany. Concerns about a commonly used binding agent, carrageenan, that has been linked to inflammation and other potential health problems, led to it being removed from all products. "It's not scientifically documented as being harmful," Steltenpohl says of carrageenan, "but we eliminated it as a precau- tionary standpoint, to err on the side of the investigative consumer." Steltenpohl's values extend to the environmentally sound design of Califia Farms' manufacturing facility. A number of innovations at the plant include skylights and high-efficiency lighting fixtures and motion sensors that reduce energy costs by 20 to 25 percent, he says. Packaging is 100-percent recyclable. All coffee beverages are made from beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. "We are working toward a closed-loop system in which we'll be capable of processing our water waste back to the point that it can be reintroduced as irrigation," Steltenpohl says. He expects the system to be nearly complete within 12 months. 32 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com