On today’s episode, we continue our discussion on Superfoods with our guest, Sarah Evanega. Sarah is a plant scientist working at the intersection of science communication and science policy, globally. Sarah’s background includes studies at Reed College and Cornell University, as well as Research, Professor, and Director roles at Cornell University and Boyce Thompson Institute. Today she is leading Stakeholder Communications at Pairwise, a company committed to building a healthier world through better fruits & vegetables. 

Tune in to this episode as we learn about the brand Conscious Foods and the groundbreaking use of CRISPR gene editing to enhance superfoods.

TRANSCRIPT

Lori Taylor:

Hello everybody, welcome back. This is the Produce Moms podcast. I’m Laurie Taylor, I’m the host of this show. I love coming to you week after week with some amazing content and guests to talk about how we’re all gonna get more fruits and vegetables on every table. And as you know, we are in the midst of our super food theme here on the Produce Moms podcast. So I’m really excited to continue today’s theme with such. an amazing, well-educated, and renowned guest. So today we’re welcoming Sarah Avangia. She has a PhD and she is a plant scientist. She’s working at the intersection of science communication and science policy at the global scale. Sarah’s background includes studies at Reed College and Cornell University, as well as research, professor and director roles at Cornell University and Boyce Thompson Institute. And today. She is leading stakeholder communications at Pearwise. Pearwise is a company that is committed to building a healthier world through better fruits and vegetables. So all about superfoods here. So the brand that is under the Pearwise umbrella that you and I are gonna be able to encounter in our homes real soon is Conscious Foods. So we’re gonna dive into Conscious Foods, the new brand. We’re gonna learn more from Sarah all about the scientific point of view as it relates to superfoods. It’s really important to resource a thought leader and an expert like her for this topic. So with that, Sarah, we are so glad you’re here. Welcome to the show.

Sarah:

It’s great to be here, Lori. Thanks so much for the invitation to come and talk to you about one of my favorite topics.

Lori Taylor:

Well, good. I’m so glad. Yeah. So Sarah and I met through Jenny Maloney. Jenny’s been a previous guest on this show and Sarah is Sarah and I’ve had some amazing conversations leading into this episode today. And I didn’t know exactly when we were going to place Sarah on the show. I knew immediately she had to come on the show, but then when we came forward with the superfood series, it really made sense. Because in a way, Sarah, I feel like what your company is doing at Pairwise and through the Conscious Food brand is, I almost feel like you’re elevating fruits and vegetables to superfood status. So that’s, you know, I really look forward to diving in today, but why don’t we start with just your self-introduction, help people understand a little bit more about your background and how you have this, you know, this voice of authority, this passion that’s driving forward the company you’re working for.

Sarah:

Great, thanks Lori. So I’m a mom of three kids, very concerned about making sure those three kids eat their fruits and veggies. But by training, I’m a plant scientist, as you said, and I’ve spent most of my career really trying to work toward food and nutritional security. So for many years, that work was focused primarily internationally, working with scientists, philanthropists, civil society, and many others to really advocate for access to innovations that are going to improve the health, not only of people, but also of the planet, and doing it in a way that is equitable. So access for all.

Lori Taylor:

Well, and I love that, and I love one of the phrases you just said, Sarah, you know, nutrition security. That takes food security a step further. And for those of you that are avid listeners to this show, you know we’re on the heels of our Food as Medicine series and theme here on the Produce Moms podcast. And within that Food as Medicine series, the episode with Taylor Newman, who is the director of nutrition for Croker, we really dove into the concept of nutrition security. And I think it’s just worthy of a little elaboration in spotlight because that’s really what the, how food security’s almost evolved. We really need nutrition security.

Sarah:

That’s right. Yeah. I mean, it’s not just enough to think about the quantity of calories, but we really need to be focused on ensuring that everyone has access to quality calories. And at Pearwise, that’s very core to our mission. We are a food and ag tech startup working

Lori Taylor:

Okay.

Sarah:

to transform what we eat. And the mission of the company aligns very much with your mission at Produce

Lori Taylor:

Yes.

Sarah:

Moms. And that is to really build a healthier world through better fruits and vegetables.

Lori Taylor:

I love that.

Sarah:

So

Lori Taylor:

Okay.

Sarah:

I absolutely joined Pearwise about a year and a half ago because of that mission and the Pearwise vision to reduce the barriers that prevent people from eating more fruits and vegetables. I think as you well know, Lori and probably most of your listeners do too, only one in 10 American adults eats the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables. So

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

90% of us aren’t and we want to do something about that.

Lori Taylor:

Yeah, I’m very familiar with those stats from the political action work I do to support an increased presence of fruits and vegetables in our federal nutrition programs. And I do a lot with school meals, Sarah. So like the statistic with teens as a subset, for instance, like it’s

Sarah:

Yeah.

Lori Taylor:

98% of teenagers aren’t eating the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. So definitely, we’re definitely parallel missions here. we’re working toward a very similar cause. I’d like to, before we really get into the heart and soul of this episode and learning more about superfoods from your perspective and how you’re a solution for making superfoods more accessible, let’s help people understand the ecosystem under which you work. Because Pearwise is the parent company. Conscious Foods is the brand that most of the folks that are listening to the show, that’s the brand that they’re going to have a touch point with.

Sarah:

That’s right. So, Pearwise is a company that’s now five years old. And our approach to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is essentially to use technology to reduce the barriers and make produce tastier, more available and more convenient so that people eat more of it. And so we use technology in particular, we use CRISPR and gene editing, and I’m sure we’ll talk more about that into the podcast

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

to achieve that goal. We work with growers and packers and shippers in partnership, and then the foods show up to the consumer under our consumer brand Conscious Foods.

Lori Taylor:

Got it, okay, so really this is all about breaking down barriers for fruits and vegetables and that is very similar to how, like at the Produce Moms, this business was founded on breaking down the how to select store and serve barriers surrounding fruits and vegetables as a means to increasing consumption and consumer interest in eating a diet more rich with fruits and veggies and fresh produce, so. definitely understand and connect with that as well. All right, so let’s ask the question that I’m asking all of our guests in the Superfood mini series. And I can’t wait to hear your answer on this, especially with your incredible scientific background. How do you define a superfood, Sarah?

Sarah:

That’s a great question. So I define a superfood as a food that is especially rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, foods that have exceptional health benefits, whether it’s heart healthy benefits, great for boosting our immune system or preventing diseases like cancer, for example.

Lori Taylor:

Yeah, yeah, fantastic definition. And let’s take it a step further. All right, are all fruits and vegetables superfoods? What do you think?

Sarah:

I would tell my kids yes, but

Lori Taylor:

I would

Sarah:

it’s

Lori Taylor:

too.

Sarah:

probably not a technical answer. So let me put it this way. I would say that fruits and vegetables are all lowercase s superfoods, but not uppercase s superfoods. So

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

certainly there are products like leafy greens and berries and tomatoes that are richer in some of those antioxidants that we talked

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

about, then really healthy staples like white potatoes, which can provide a lot of really important healthy staple calories, but they might not quite have that big-ass

Lori Taylor:

Yeah,

Sarah:

superfood status.

Lori Taylor:

I agree. And so the analogy that I had when I was thinking of like this question in particular, like are all fruits and vegetables superfoods? It’s like, okay, so if we’re going to use a comparative to basketball, so all fruits and vegetables would be like NBA players. Okay. It’s like the, the cream of the crop, like the top 1%, the ultimate basketball players or NBA players. The ultimate choice in food is fruits and veggies. Now. superfood, if we’re talking about superfoods, that’s like being the MVP or the world champs, you know? So it’s like, not every NBA player is an MVP, the same way not every fruit and vegetable is a superfood. So I love

Sarah:

I love

Lori Taylor:

your,

Sarah:

it.

Lori Taylor:

yeah,

Sarah:

I love it.

Lori Taylor:

that’s how my non-scientific brain like put this together. All right, so let’s talk about how, because when I experience your website, which focuses consciousfoods.net, That’s where you can go to kind of follow along with what we’re diving into now. How is conscious foods helping to elevate fruits and vegetables to superfood status?

Sarah:

Yeah, so we are absolutely working to make super foods more accessible. That’s core to what we’re doing. It’s core to our mission. And so I guess the best way to think about it is a common theme across our portfolio of conscious foods products is that we’re taking super nutritious super foods, so foods that already are loaded with nutrition, whether

Lori Taylor:

Mm-hmm.

Sarah:

it be in the fruit category or the vegetable category. And we’re asking ourselves. So what is it about this super food that people don’t like? Why

Lori Taylor:

Ah,

Sarah:

is it that people aren’t choosing

Lori Taylor:

okay.

Sarah:

to eat this really healthy food? And then we’re going after those traits. So in the case of cherries, for example, many people don’t like the pit. So we’re trying to

Lori Taylor:

Sure.

Sarah:

make a pitless cherry. And that’s another great boon for parents of young kids. So many of us don’t feed our little ones cherries because the pits can be a choking hazard. And also depitting cherries takes

Lori Taylor:

Time,

Sarah:

time and we

Lori Taylor:

a

Sarah:

don’t

Lori Taylor:

lot

Sarah:

have

Lori Taylor:

of time.

Sarah:

enough of that,

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

right? But imagine how easy it would be to snack on a delicious pitless cherry. So we’re taking on that challenge as one of our products. And then if we can do that in cherry, we can imagine doing it in other stone fruit as well, like peaches and plums,

Lori Taylor:

Sure.

Sarah:

for example.

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

So you can imagine eating a bowl full of pitless peaches that are the size of cherries, and that’s potentially bowl of peaches instead of a bowl of potato chips. So that’s really the mission and

Lori Taylor:

Okay.

Sarah:

that’s the goal. And so our current conscious foods portfolio is actually all superfoods from the greens to the berries to the cherries.

Lori Taylor:

I love that. Okay, so let’s talk about the greens because that’s the product that’s coming to market first. Is it in market right now?

Sarah:

It is. We launched in food service in May.

Lori Taylor:

Oh, okay, so like it is brand new to market. And when,

Sarah:

It is brand new.

Lori Taylor:

yeah, when Sarah says food service, chefs, restaurants, you know, the bigger institutions like universities and in hospitals and stuff like that. Okay, so. Let’s talk about this. So conscious foods, the salad greens, what are they, what’s it called? What is it?

Sarah:

So our first flagship product is called Conscious Greens.

Lori Taylor:

conscious

Sarah:

And

Lori Taylor:

greens,

Sarah:

this is

Lori Taylor:

okay.

Sarah:

the first product to hit the market. And in fact, it’s also the first product in the US to hit the market that’s developed with CRISPR, this form of gene editing that we use at Pearwise. So we’re pretty excited about it. We know from our consumer research that half of salad consumers are bored with the current offerings. So they’re hungry for alternatives that have the nutrition of a kale, for example, but have the more familiarity and the mouth feel of romaine. And so conscious greens really tries to deliver on that consumer demand.

Lori Taylor:

Okay.

Sarah:

So I can tell you a little bit more about how they’re different.

Lori Taylor:

I definitely want to know how they’re different. And I’m going to have to ask some questions about this gene editing. Cause I know for a fact, like we get, we get all these sorts of FAQs and I’m sure that’s what you’re bombarded with as well. So let’s talk, let’s talk first if you don’t mind. I want to clarify like, what is gene editing? Why does this exist?

Sarah:

Yeah, so gene editing is one of the latest innovations in plant breeding and in crop improvement. We hear different terms, so many people use the term gene editing, genome editing, we often use the term CRISPR. These all basically relate to more or less the same thing. So I’ll use the term CRISPR,

Lori Taylor:

Okay.

Sarah:

and that’s a naturally occurring phenomenon that scientists have to make very precise changes in plants that can have pretty significant desirable effects. So basically it works like this. We think about what traits would drive more fruit and vegetable consumption.

Lori Taylor:

Mm-hmm.

Sarah:

And then we go and we look for the genes that are responsible for those traits. And with CRISPR, what we can do is we can hone in on the specific genes that are responsible for that trait. So looking in the DNA for where the gene is that’s responsible for that trait.

Lori Taylor:

Mm-hmm.

Sarah:

And then we can go in and we can make very small, smart, subtle changes to the DNA sequence that will essentially give us that desired effect. So I can give you an example from

Lori Taylor:

Yeah, I

Sarah:

our

Lori Taylor:

need

Sarah:

work

Lori Taylor:

an example.

Sarah:

at…

Lori Taylor:

Yeah. Ha ha

Sarah:

Yes.

Lori Taylor:

ha.

Sarah:

So I’ll tell you, one of the superfoods that we’re working on is blackberry. And of course, blackberry is known as a very nutrient dense superfood, great

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

antioxidant properties.

Lori Taylor:

So

Sarah:

But 85%…

Lori Taylor:

they’re so good. I’m gonna tell you right now what my nuance is with them. They

Sarah:

You tell

Lori Taylor:

get,

Sarah:

me.

Lori Taylor:

the seeds get stuck in my teeth.

Sarah:

That’s exactly right. And you are among the 85% of people,

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

as am I, that don’t like that aspect of blackberries. And so that’s exactly the trait we’re trying to eliminate. So we have seedless grapes, we have seedless watermelon,

Lori Taylor:

Sir.

Sarah:

why not seedless blackberries? Wouldn’t it be great if our smoothies in the morning did not have seeds that got stuck in our teeth, right?

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

So our team’s taken on that challenge of using CRISPR to essentially tweak the genes that are responsible for seeds and blackberry. in hopes of achieving seedlessness, so that consumers can have that flavor and the great taste, the great nutrition, but not have seeds stuck in their teeth.

Lori Taylor:

So is this considered

Sarah:

So

Lori Taylor:

an,

Sarah:

the other

Lori Taylor:

yeah, go ahead.

Sarah:

reason why consumers say that they don’t buy more blackberries is inconsistent flavor and

Lori Taylor:

Totally.

Sarah:

also availability. So

Lori Taylor:

Yeah, like

Sarah:

we’re

Lori Taylor:

they’re

Sarah:

also…

Lori Taylor:

either tart or sweet. Like there’s nothing in between. Yeah.

Sarah:

That’s right. And it’s because there’s different varieties that are available at different times of the year.

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

And so what we want to do is start with a really great tasting blackberry, which we have, and make the edits there. We want to make them seedless. We have a couple of other grower traits that we’re working on. And make them available year round so that consumers know that when they pick up conscious berries, they’re going to have that great, consistent flavor all throughout the year.

Lori Taylor:

Interesting, okay. So I love it. And now I have to ask the question that, probably like, okay, so I just said, this is my nuance with blackberries, but I’m not avoiding to purchasing blackberries because of the seeds. Like it’s all I know. You only know what you know, right? So my question is, is this, so this is definitely a technology or a scientific process that’s done to the… Is this the same as GMO? Is this considered natural? I know natural is kind of a BS term when it comes to food marketing, but is this a natural process? Is this the same as GMO? If it’s not, what’s the differentiator?

Sarah:

Sure, so it is a natural process. I mean, this is again, a process that scientists discovered in nature, won the Nobel Prize for its discovery. So absolutely it’s a natural process. It is very different than GMO. The science is different. In most cases, the way that products are regulated is different. So for example, with our conscious greens, the USDA doesn’t consider them any different than a conventional green. So they’re different. And the big difference really is that with most so-called GMOs, you’re basically taking a piece of DNA from one organism and you’re moving it into another.

Lori Taylor:

inserting

Sarah:

So

Lori Taylor:

it.

Sarah:

one of

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

the most common GMOs, for example, that have really benefited growers across the US and around the world, people have taken a gene from a bacteria and they’ve moved it into a plant to protect the plants from insects. But this is an interspecies transfer, right, from bacteria to plant. And in gene editing, we’re not moving DNA from species to species. We’re just going in and we’re working with the plant’s own DNA. And that’s

Lori Taylor:

Okay.

Sarah:

really the fundamental difference.

Lori Taylor:

Yes. Okay. So that sounds good. And for anyone who is very adverse to GMOs, this is a totally, this is not the same thing at all.

Sarah:

That’s right. It’s a very, it’s one of many tools that plant breeders have in their toolbox.

Lori Taylor:

Yep, okay. So when I’m on your website, I think one of the coolest things about your website is the way that Conscious Foods and Pearwise, the parent company, are putting transparency first. You know, that is at the core of your brand identity, in my opinion. So let’s talk a little bit about the consumer research and demand to validate your innovations and… drive that commitment to transparency.

Sarah:

Yeah, absolutely. I’m really glad you asked about this topic because transparency is one of our core values and

Lori Taylor:

Okay.

Sarah:

we take it very seriously. So just backing up to the second part of your question about responding to the demands of consumers. Again, Conscious Greens, our flagship product, is absolutely a response to the fact that we know that over half of US salad consumers are bored with the current offerings, right? So they want healthy superfood level. alternatives to romaine and conscious greens delivers on that.

Lori Taylor:

Mm-hmm.

Sarah:

So that’s sort of, you know, we know the research, we know what consumers are asking for, and we want to use our tools to innovate, to deliver on that, so that again people are inspired to eat more of these healthy foods.

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

So in terms of, so Lori, back to this important topic of transparency. Let me dig in there. We know from our research, that consumers today are very much interested in knowing how their food is produced. And we absolutely wanna deliver that kind of information. So

Lori Taylor:

Right.

Sarah:

we’re using CRISPR. We know that consumers in the US don’t know much about CRISPR or gene editing, but when they learn about it, the majority feel really positive. And that’s especially the case if gene editing can bring nutrition benefits or CRISPR can bring nutrition benefits. And so we’re responding to that curiosity by providing different levels of detail on the conscious foods website that you explored. So for the ultra curious, as you probably saw, we have a gene editing 101 section where

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

consumers can go

Lori Taylor:

Yeah,

Sarah:

and

Lori Taylor:

we could have

Sarah:

learn

Lori Taylor:

a whole

Sarah:

more about gene

Lori Taylor:

podcast

Sarah:

editing.

Lori Taylor:

just on that. There’s so much information. Yeah, so I love all that. Now let’s talk about, let’s dive into talking about this flagship product because it just launched at Food Service. I’m anticipating your, you must, I’m anticipating the retail launch. I mean, Conscious Greens is. coming, it’s not being grown and produced just for food service. It’s going to be something that we can eventually purchase at the grocery store. So let’s talk about conscious greens. Let’s talk about what the product is. I know you said it’s a result of boredom with the salad category, which I think anyone who has shopped at a grocery store can see that that’s the direction the salad category and greens are going. I mean, you have everything from these ultra fancy, you know, lettuces that are mixed together from the indoor farms to the salad kits that have the most diverse flavor profiles that are really leaning in. Like I think I saw one just the other day. It was like Nashville hot chicken salad kit, you know, so it’s everywhere.

Sarah:

They’re getting regional.

Lori Taylor:

Yeah, there’s so many different flavors. There’s so many different lettuce varieties, microgreens incorporated into the mix. How is conscious greens filling a void that isn’t already being addressed.

Sarah:

Yeah, so conscious greens are from the mustard green family.

Lori Taylor:

Mm-hmm.

Sarah:

So this is the same family of other superfoods like Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kale. But the difference is you don’t have to massage a conscious green, right? They actually eat like a typical salad green. So they have the crunch and the feel of romaine, but they have a much richer, complex flavor. So in the case of our green blend, just called green zing. it’ll be the retail blend, has a sort of a more buttery flavor. And then the purple blends, which are actually out now in food service and will come out in retail under the name Purple Power, they have that complex flavor. But they have a nice pop of color from those purple leaves. So what’s different about these conscious greens? So all the mustard greens are superfoods, right? So they’re known for great nutrition. But they contain this off flavor.

Lori Taylor:

They’re

Sarah:

It’s like

Lori Taylor:

bitter.

Sarah:

a horseradish

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

flavor that kind of sets your mouth on fire

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

when you eat them raw. And so although mustard greens are common in a range of different cuisines, they’re almost always consumed cooked.

Lori Taylor:

cooked

Sarah:

And so

Lori Taylor:

and

Sarah:

you

Lori Taylor:

not

Sarah:

lose

Lori Taylor:

just

Sarah:

a little

Lori Taylor:

cooked,

Sarah:

bit of that

Lori Taylor:

but

Sarah:

nutrition.

Lori Taylor:

like cooked. Yeah, cooked with like bacon drippings

Sarah:

Really cooked,

Lori Taylor:

cooked. Yeah.

Sarah:

right, right. So what we’ve done is we’ve used CRISPR to dial down the genes that are responsible for those off-putting flavors. So it’s specifically a gene called morosinase, or codes for morosinase. And this is essentially the effect is just what happens when you cook the greens, only now it’s sort of inherently dialed down so you can consume and enjoy the greens in their raw form. So you have now a great tasting salad green, and it has doubled the nutrition as compared to romaine. So huge benefit to consumers.

Lori Taylor:

That is a big benefit. And the retail pack is this washed and ready to eat.

Sarah:

It is, it’s washed and ready to eat. And I’ll add too, because we just touched on this topic of transparency, that the retail pack will also be very clear about the technology used to develop the greens. And in fact, we have a cute little icon on the pack that essentially says, these are developed with CRISPR, right? Better flavor by CRISPR.

Lori Taylor:

Right, right.

Sarah:

So consumers will be able to make that informed choice in retail.

Lori Taylor:

I love that. Okay, so what’s the timeline?

Sarah:

Right, so we launched in food service in May. It was a really exciting moment for the company.

Lori Taylor:

I love that. All right. So let’s talk about the farm. Let’s talk about how the conscious greens are grown because pairwise is probably best described. Are you best described as a technology company or are you a farming company?

Sarah:

Yeah, I mean, we’re a food and ag technology company,

Lori Taylor:

Okay.

Sarah:

pairwise, yes. And so the business model is essentially like we start, we acquire and start with really great germplasm, right? And we use our technology to improve that germplasm. And then we grow our products just like they would be grown otherwise, right? So our greens are grown in the salad bowl of America, like all other greens, right?

Lori Taylor:

Salinas

Sarah:

So

Lori Taylor:

Valley,

Sarah:

we grow in.

Lori Taylor:

yeah, down to

Sarah:

We

Lori Taylor:

Yuma,

Sarah:

grow in the Salinas

Lori Taylor:

yeah.

Sarah:

Valley, we grow in Santa Maria, we grow in Yuma in the winter months. So, you know, they’re field grown and grown essentially just like any other green in partnership with the growers that work with our packing house.

Lori Taylor:

Okay, so that was my biggest question. That was kind of what I was getting at. So, you’re working with existing growers to help bring this product to market and cultivate it.

Sarah:

That’s right, so that’s the current model. We work with grow packer shippers, they have farmers, specific farmers that they work with, and then the greens are shipped to food service or soon to be in retail, and then the consumer interacts with the product under our Conscious Foods brand.

Lori Taylor:

I love it. Okay, so as we think about, as we think about one of, you know, our shared mission, we wanna get more fruits and vegetables on every table, we wanna make the world a better place through fruits and vegetables, your passions for nutrition security, how is conscious foods democratizing the access to superfoods?

Sarah:

Yeah, well as you probably know, you know very little innovation in the supermarket happens in produce So only 3% of the innovation in the supermarket is in produce So we need tools to accelerate innovation in produce so that we again we can You know have more great superfoods

Lori Taylor:

Right.

Sarah:

as a as a healthy choice And so what CRISPR and gene editing does is essentially adds a new tool to help fuel that innovation so that we can have more options. It’s a new tool, relatively new, first published about 10 years ago. And so we’re just starting to see applications come online. So conscious greens was the first product in the US. There’s a tomato that’s been commercialized in Japan that has a a health benefit as well. It’s got a higher levels of an amino acid that’s thought to have health benefits, calming benefits, potentially reduce high blood pressure. So that’s another product that’s out there in the market. But there are so many products being developed today, naturally decaffeinated coffee, protect, we can use CRISPR to protect important plants like cacao from diseases, coffee from disease. I mean, any disease, you name it, someone’s probably working on it. One of the products that I’m really excited about is a non-browning avocado.

Lori Taylor:

Yeah,

Sarah:

Who doesn’t

Lori Taylor:

right?

Sarah:

want that, right?

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

So there’s a lot of different products being developed, a lot of startups that are popping up using CRISPR and gene editing to innovate and produce. So it’s a very exciting time.

Lori Taylor:

I love to hear that. So this is an exciting time. So for the product that is in market now, can you talk a little bit more about that footprint? I know we kind of defined what food service entities entail, restaurants, university cafeterias, hospitals, et cetera. Let’s talk a little bit about the footprint though, because people could essentially be encountering conscious screens right now when they’re dining and not necessarily know, right?

Sarah:

So we, again, very committed to transparency.

Lori Taylor:

Mm-hmm.

Sarah:

And so we make a lot of different assets available to the points of sale. So

Lori Taylor:

Okay.

Sarah:

whether it’s window decals or table tents,

Lori Taylor:

Right?

Sarah:

ask me about conscious screens, buttons that the waitresses can wear, et cetera. So very much. want consumers to be able to make informed choices about what they eat. In terms of where we are, so as you said, we’re in restaurants, we’re in university cafeterias, hospital cafeterias, we’re in 39 states now, so that’s very exciting.

Lori Taylor:

Wow,

Sarah:

The majority

Lori Taylor:

that’s a huge

Sarah:

of that

Lori Taylor:

footprint.

Sarah:

is, yeah,

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

absolutely. The majority of that is east of the Mississippi, but we’re definitely starting to get further west as well. And then as we ramp up toward our retail launch later this year, we will most likely launch in California near where the greens are grown. So those are the retailers that we’re focused on engaging with now.

Lori Taylor:

Well, that is so exciting. So Conscious Foods, another thing that I really loved about your website, in addition to the commitment to transparency, is your self-proclamation. We are a mission-driven brand. So you gotta tell me more about this. You know the Produce Moms is B Corp certified, so anything mission-driven, anything about the social and environmental responsibility, that’s really important to me. And I know, as we talk about Consumer Insights, people want to know. that their dollars are being used as a force for good. So elaborate

Sarah:

That’s

Lori Taylor:

on

Sarah:

right.

Lori Taylor:

that mission-driven component of your brand identity.

Sarah:

Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, as we talked about earlier, that, you know, why do people not eat more fruits and vegetables? There’s a lot of barriers right out there

Lori Taylor:

sure.

Sarah:

that prevent people from eating fruits and vegetables. And so it pair wise, you know, we’re using technology to address some of that, right. But there are other ways in which we can lean in and help ensure that all people have access to healthy food. And so We are very active with the food banks in areas where we work, whether that’s North Carolina or California. So that’s one way in which we really try to bring that mission to life. But there’s also a lot of other organizations out there that we have the opportunity to partner with who might be addressing other barriers to accessing fruits and vegetables. So one of the partnerships that we’re really proud of is our partnership with

Lori Taylor:

Yeah, PHA, yeah.

Sarah:

Yeah, so we’re working closely with PHA to help advance their mission of ensuring equitable access to good food for all, which is absolutely

Lori Taylor:

Totally.

Sarah:

in alignment with our own mission.

Lori Taylor:

Yeah, I love that. All right, well, Sarah, this has been a great episode. Lots of, we’ve talked about a lot of very scientific things, but we’ve been able to communicate them in a way where I think that anyone can understand it. So when I come back to like your role at Pairwise, you know, leading those stakeholder communications, I’m like, they’ve got the perfect person spearheading that. So you did a great job. because sometimes I can really get lost in the weeds when it comes to highly scientific conversations. So this has been enlightening, it’s been enjoyable.

Sarah:

Oh, it’s been great. It’s been great fun, Lori.

Lori Taylor:

yeah, thank you. You did a wonderful job introducing me and our listeners to the products that are coming forward, whether it’s through CRISPR and the conscious foods brand and the conscious greens that are now in market, the upcoming. you know, blackberries and cherries and who knows what else is next. But I want to thank you for being our guest. And I want to remind all of our listeners, thank you so much for being here week after week. Please help us keep this show going. Ratings, reviews, sharing the show with your friends, it goes a really long way. So thank you very much for your support and tuning in. I want to remind everyone that you can visit consciousfoods.net to learn more about conscious greens and everything that The parent company, Pearwise, is up to all the innovations and the way that this product is going to make us all have superfoods right at our fingertips with all of the characteristics that we want with fruits and veggies. As Sarah’s been talking, I’m like, these are things that… we need that we didn’t know we needed, like a seedless blackberry. So with that though, Sarah, you’ll get closing remarks and opportunity to tell anyone about what’s coming next or any final thoughts that you’d like to share with our audience and say goodbye and sign us off from the show.

Sarah:

Thanks, Lori. As a Produce Moms listener, it was a real honor and pleasure to be on your podcast today. So thanks for that invitation. I think, you know, the wave of innovation is just beginning. And so one really great way to sort of stay abreast of what’s happening and learn about where our Conscious Foods products are and where they’re coming next and what’s in the pipeline is to go to that consciousfoods.net website and sign up for our. for our news, right?

Lori Taylor:

Yeah.

Sarah:

You’ll get an occasional email that will let you know what you can look forward to feeding yourself as well as your family and neighbors. So consciousfoods.net is the best way to stay tuned in.