Last night, on behalf of our family, our farm, and everyone at Lundberg… | Brita Lundberg | 62 comments (original) (raw)
Brita Lundberg’s Post
Fourth-Generation Farmer Telling My Family's Story
4d
Last night, on behalf of our family, our farm, and everyone at Lundberg Family Farms my dad, Suzanne Sengelmann, and I were honored to accept the award for Organic Company of the Year! ✨ While this award is for Organic Company of “the Year,” it also feels like it’s 50+ years in the making. In 1969, Bob Kennedy from a macrobiotic company called Chico-San asked Eldon, Wendell, Harlan, and Homer Lundberg to grow organic rice for him. Bob had asked something like 150 farmers and they all said no. But the principles of organic farming seemed to align with the advice Albert Lundberg had given his sons: “Leave the land better than you found it.” The four brothers decided to give organic farming a go. It was a hard and lonely road that got them kicked out of the local co-op. People called them “those crazy Lundbergs” for trying to do something different, and I don’t think they meant it kindly. So, to receive this kind of recognition from the organic community is so meaningful. And to be nominated with monumental brands like Organic Valley, Straus Family Creamery, and Once Upon a Farm? An honor! Straus Family Creamery milk is a staple in our family. My dad even uses the empty bottles for his home brewed black rice tea. He thinks the Straus bottle gives it something extra. He’s right. Straus is an icon—and so is Albert Straus. Nobody fights harder for organic than he does. For years, my mom’s fridge was stocked with Once Upon a Farm pouches for my nieces and nephews. Further afield than our family’s fridge, Cassandra Curtis, Ari Raz, John Foraker, and Jennifer Garner have elevated organic, shining a light on the importance of nourishing the next generation with easy, delicious, and nutritious organic food. And it might sound crazy, but farmers are often left out of conversations about farming, food, and climate. So I’ve always appreciated how Organic Valley—farmer-founded, farmer-owned, and farmer-run—constantly and consistently amplifies the stories of organic farmers and all the good work they’re doing for our plates (or glasses!) and the planet. Thank you to each of these organic giants for feeding our family and so many others. For creating a market for organic farmers like us. For continuing to forge ahead. Like Adele to Beyonce, your brands are monumental. You are the brands of our lives. Thank you to ORGANIC VOICES, The Organic Center, the Organic Trade Association, and the entire organic community. I wish my grandparents, great-grandparents, great-uncles, and great-aunts were here to see it. They would laugh and clap their hands in disbelief. They would be so grateful. We are so grateful.
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