Stonyfield's Hirshberg to speak at Food and Ag Conference

SANTA ROSA -- Gary Hirshberg, chairman and co-founder of the world's largest organic yogurt company, has been inspiring business leaders for over 30 years to make a sound profit -- and to save the planet while they're at it.

Using his own company Stonyfield Farm as an example, Mr. Hirshberg demonstrated that healthy environmental and social practices lead to a healthy bottom line.

Mr. Hirshberg will be the keynote speaker at the Business Journal's fourth annual Food and Agriculture Industry Conference on Thursday, Nov. 12 at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa, 7:30--11:30 a.m. Registration for the event, co-presented by the Journal and Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, opens Monday, Sept. 29.

"We feel very fortunate to be able to have with us a person of such national prominence in the specialty and organic food business," said Business Journal Publisher Brad Bollinger. "The North Bay is home to many vibrant and growing natural foods companies and the Nov. 12 conference with Mr. Hirshberg and other speakers from the industry is intended to support them."

Back in 1983, Mr. Hirshberg teamed up with friend Samuel Kaymen to sell small batches of full-fat plain organic yogurt that they produced from their seven cows. With those humble beginnings, Mr. Hirshberg and Kaymen grew Stonyfield Farm into the most popular organic yogurt brand on the market. Then, after almost 30 years, Mr. Hirshberg stepped down as Stonyfield's chief in 2012 and handed over day-to-day operations to former Ben & Jerry's CEO Walt Freese.

The purpose was to allow Mr. Hirshberg "to devote more attention to a variety of local and national political efforts including seeking labeling of genetically engineered foods with the Just Label It campaign,” the company said.

As chairman and co-founder of Just Label It, Mr. Hirshberg has been advocating for the consumer's right to know whether a food has been genetically altered. Various studies and polls have shown that the majority of Americans want mandatory labeling for GE foods. The United States is one of only a few developed countries that does not have laws requiring such labeling.

Mr. Hirshberg is co-author of Label It Now -- What You Need to Know About Genetically Engineered Foods and the author of Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World. In 2011, President Obama appointed Mr. Hirshberg to serve on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. He is also a co-chair of AGree, an agricultural policy initiative formed by the Ford, Gates, Kellogg, Rockefeller, Walton and other leading foundations. Mr. Hirshberg has received 12 honorary doctorates and numerous awards for corporate and environmental leadership including a 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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