Core Chapter

Ryan Black

After eating his first Açai bowl, Black saw an opportunity to create nutritious, Açai-based products to share with people all over the world while committing to a socially- and environmentally-conscious business model. This was before buzzwords like social responsibility and entrepreneurship existed, and from day one, Black has ensured that SAMBAZON stays true to its founding principles and commitment to doing good. In addition, Black paved the way in helping create the current organic and fair trade certification standards for wild-harvesting the Açai crop where they did not previously exist. SAMBAZON continues to operate under the Triple Bottom Line philosophy, which measures success economically, socially and environmentally. This progressive, forward-thinking culture is thread through the fabric of SAMBAZON today.

Black is also the co-founder of the tri.org, a non-profit organization working to empower and educate millennials into mobilizing and building a more conscious future, socially, in sustainability and economically. Together, with like-minded partners, SAMBAZON, Thrive Market, Numi Tea and Dr. Bronner’s, Black and the tri.org are working to build a community of activists, conscious warriors and change makers.

Prior to co-founding SAMBAZON, Black received his BA in Finance at the University of Colorado at Boulder, then played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and in European Football Leagues. Now, Black lives near the beach in San Clemente, CA and his passions include travel, music, and surfing. He speaks multiple languages, and credits his time in Boulder and his international football career as the stepping-stones to building a socially-responsible, international business.

Ryan and Sambazon joined OSC2 as a community Member in 2018.

Don Buder

Don is a strategic legal advisor and corporate counsel to emerging growth and middle-market Food & Beverage, Food Tech, and Ag Tech innovators and investors. His clients are based in the major U.S. food hubs, including the Bay Area, Boulder, Brooklyn, Austin and Los Angeles. His law firm, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP (DWT), has one of the largest food & beverage practices in the United States, with over 40 attorneys serving food venture entrepreneurs, emerging brands, larger food companies, and the private equity firms that invest in them, at every level of the food chain from “Farm to Label”. Don is a Founding Faculty Member and member of the Advisory Board of the Food Business School at the Culinary Institute of America (Napa Valley). He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the board of Directors of KCETLink TV, the public television station in LA, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Technion Society – San Francisco Chapter.

Andrew Burke

Kristie Cerutti

Kristie Cerutti is the Vice President of Retail Marketing and ESG for Ancient Nutrition. She is a 20-year veteran in the Nutritional Supplement industry, and a driving force behind Ancient Nutrition’s R.A.N.C.H. (Regenerative Agriculture, Nutrition, Climate Health) Project. Not content with mere sustainability, her passion is to see regeneration infused into every area of the company. She is a certified zero-waste advocate, permaculturist and lover of water buffaloes.

Timothy Childs

In 2006, Timothy founded TCHO Chocolate in San Francisco and was the driving and creative force behind the company’s vision and strategy and including TCHO’s flavor­driven approach to chocolate making and TCHOSource, an innovative project to improve farmers’ livelihoods and generate prosperity throughout the cocoa value chain. Working in partnership with USAID, TCHOSource has become a model for sustainably focused programs in South America and beyond.

Timothy is a participant in the Google Innovation Lab for Food Experiences, a global collaborative network for leading thinkers and doers in the food space who apply their knowledge and passion towards imagining and shaping the future of food. He also is the founder of World Headquarters, a 73,000 ­square­ foot curated design, art and food innovation lab on Treasure Island and home of Treasure8 and the Future Food Center.

Before he brought his Silicon Valley start­up mentality to the food industry, Timothy founded a company that developed machine­vision systems for NASA’s Space Shuttle program. His background in technology is deeply rooted in the pre­web internet and early real­time computer graphics fields. Timothy was directly involved in many early stage internet/computer graphics and virtual reality companies, and co­founded the non­profit, community­building organizations VeRGe (Virtual Reality Education Foundation in 1991) and the infamous Web3D RoundUP. He continues to embrace advanced visualization tools in all his businesses.

Timothy is a founding member of the board of Illuminate the Arts—presenting organization of The Bay Lights—and a founding member of other advisory boards, such as OSC2. He is an internationally sought­after speaker and has been featured in hundreds of print, broadcast and online stories by major media outlets, including The Economist, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wired, Time and NPR

Kristel Corson

Kristel joined Traditional Medicinals in 2022 to focus on building the brand for its next phase of growth, rooted in purpose and delivering high quality products that harness the power of plants and their many wellness properties.

Prior to Traditional Medicinals, Kristel spent more than 30 years helping beloved brands like Clover Sonoma, LeapFrog, Jamba Juice and Clif Bar & Co. meet or exceed business objectives through a combination of innovative new product launches, strong retail presence and marketing programs that create positive, lasting consumer connections. In her last role at Clover Sonoma as Chief Revenue Officer, Kristel led the transformation of the brand from a values based regional brand to a national conscious consumer brand through mission driven branding and innovative new products. Kristel earned a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from San Francisco State University. She lives in Sonoma County with her husband and two children and proudly supports her community as a Bay Area native.

Brenna Davis

Caroline Duell

Caroline received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont and a Certification in Neuromuscular Reprogramming from California’s Institute of Conscious Bodywork.  Caroline and her husband, Ryan Rich, All Good’s VP of Sales and Marketing, love to be outdoors; mountain biking, skiing, kite surfing, climbing and growing food.  They live on their organic farm with their equally nature loving daughters, Kalia and Allegra.

Brian Durkee

Brian currently serves as CEO for Numi Organic Tea, where he has been instrumental to the company’s growth and organizational development for several years. In addition to leading the Numi team and driving overall company strategy and culture, Brian has been an active decision maker in all areas of the business. He has managed strategic partnerships, financial planning and execution, sales and marketing initiatives, global supply chain developments, and product innovation. He travels abroad frequently and has worked intimately with customers and suppliers from more than 35 countries.

Vicki Isip

Ken Lee

Since 1995, Ken Lee has pioneered the introduction of heirloom and specialty rice to the food trade in North America. Lee has specialized in creating supply relationships with smallholder farmers in developing countries who had no previous export experience, playing a key role in capacity building and promoting more inclusive value chains. A member of Social Venture Network, Lee is a frequent speaker at trade and educational events such as the National Cooperative Grocers, International Association of Culinary Professionals, Culinary Institute of America, Clinton Global Initiative, Global Philanthropy Forum, and Yale Global Health & Innovation Conference.  Prior to founding Lotus Foods, Lee worked in the insurance industry and as a financial consultant. He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island.

Caryl Levine

Caryl Levine is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO behind Lotus Foods, one of the most innovative, organic and fair trade specialty rice brands in the country. After a 17-year career fundraising in higher education Levine now leads Lotus Foods marketing and sales and is primarily responsible for the image and positioning of the Lotus Foods brand, the development of all packaging and merchandising materials. Recipient of the 2014 Specialty Foods leadership award for vision, Levine has been an invited speaker around the world and most recently at the 2015 World Food Prize, the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative mid-year meeting, the 2013 Social Venture Network Conference and the 2012 Bioneers Conference.  Levine is a founding member of the Whole Grain Council and a member of the Social Venture Network. She holds a MPA in Public Administration from the University of Hartford.

Ben Mand

Ben Mand is the CEO of Harmless Harvest, a pioneer and leader in U.S. refrigerated premium coconut water and plant-based dairy. Harmless has been built on a fundamental belief in “constructive capitalism” – an ecosystem-based approach to business that integrates all the stakeholders to deliver better products and outcomes for all.

Over the past 20 years, Ben has built his career building and leading responsible businesses. Ben’s career started in the late 90’s when he took a sabbatical from consulting to volunteer at an organic coffee farm in Costa Rica, where he discovered a passion for the food he grew by working closely with local farmers. Since then, Ben has worked in various brand marketing and innovation roles at leading companies including General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, and Interbrand. He has made an impact as a change agent, driving improvements in health, sustainability, and social impact while delivering consistent sales and profit growth. Prior to joining Harmless, Ben oversaw all marketing, innovation and creative strategy for Plum Organics, a leading organic baby food brand. Under Ben’s tenure, the brand quickly accelerated from #3 to #1 in the category. Ben is a seasoned speaker and has been featured at industry events including SXSW, Natural Products Expo and Advertising Week – speaking about everything from socially minded business practices to marketing with empathy.

Chris Mann

Chris got his BA in Economics from Harvard University, but quickly realized that economics conveniently forgot about sustaining the environment and protecting people. Through his experience with Guayaki and previously with Natural Flavors, a 100% organic, vegan restaurant that employed 25 people and 60 local farmers, Chris is finding that by recognizing common purpose, seemingly disparate groups can integrate social justice, environmental restoration and economic success.

Erin Mittelstaedt

Steve Naccarato

In the 20+ years of experience, Steve’s evident ability to develop strong businesses, client relationships, and products has culminated in the development of 400+ new products and packaging, including private label items for such companies as Loblaws (Westfair Foods), Canada Safeway, Overwaitea Foods, Costco, Sobeys, 7-11 Convenient Stores, Interprovincial Cooperative (Federated Co-op) and other retailers, distributors, and health and nutrition brand owners. Results-oriented, he also successfully negotiated custom packaging contracts with major multi-national companies.

Steve is grateful to be apart of the health and wellness community offering organic sustainable foods.  When he isn’t traveling around the world he enjoys spending time with his four boys in Canada.

Sheryl O’Loughlin

From 2015 to 2019, Sheryl was CEO and “Chief Love Officer” of REBBL, the first plant-based, super herb adaptogen beverage company. In partnership with Not for Sale, a nonprofit dedicated to creating a future without human trafficking, REBBL works to create regenerative and just supply chains.

Sheryl is co-founder of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (J.E.D.I) Collaborative. She is also co-founder and board chair of the Women on Boards Project, a nonprofit with the mission of empowering women business leaders and improving diversity and inclusion at the board of directors’ level across consumer brands. Both non profits are focused on supporting and advocating for a more inclusive industry and economy to drive innovation, growth, profitability and justice.

Earlier in her career, Sheryl served as the CEO of Clif Bar and Company. There she led the concept development and introduction of Luna, the first whole nutrition bar for women, which became a $70 million business in three years and continues to be a core brand in the company’s portfolio. She went on to co-found and serve as CEO for Plum, Inc., a healthy, organic food company that aims to nourish kids “from the high chair to the lunch box.” In 2013, Plum was successfully sold to Campbell Soup Company.

After Plum, Sheryl was the Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and she held a faculty position at Sonoma State University, where she taught hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs and other professionals.

Sheryl currently serves on the board of directors for Pet IQ Inc. (NASDAQ: PETQ) and the board of non-profit One Step Closer (OSC) as well as the advisory board of S. Martinelli and Company, a family-owned company. She is also a member of the Forbes San Francisco Business Council. Previous boards include Zuke’s Natural Dog Treats, thinkThin Nutrition, Sugar Bowl Bakery, Gardein Plant-based Nutrition, FoodStirs Junk Free Bakery, Once Upon A Farm, American Sustainable Business Council, and the Harvest Innovation Summit. Sheryl supported Zuke’s, Gardein and thinkThin to successful exits.

Sheryl earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and her Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. An avid camper and traveler, she lives in Santa Rosa, California, with her husband, Patrick, and their two sons.

Learn more at www.sheryloloughlin.com

Ricardo Perdigao

Ricardo joined Sambazon in 2017 from over 25 years of experience in multiple industries and global enterprises such as Coca-Cola, British American Tobacco and SHV Energy. Ricardo is an experienced international and commercially driven finance executive that held CFO position in different countries such as Italy, South Korea and Brazil. Ricardo led transformational agendas in the areas of cost effectiveness, factory footprint, supply chain finance, pricing & taxation, M&A and held, for 3 years, the role of Chairman of Taxation Group of the European Chamber of Commerce in South Korea.

Ahmed Rahim

Ahmed is an advisor to entrepreneurs running sustainable businesses with innovative products in the CPG marketplace, and is in service to those caring for their community and creating positive change for the planet. Ahmed co-founded Numi, one of the largest premium, organic, fair trade tea companies in North America. He creates all of the unique Numi blends and travels the far corners of the world building partnerships with farmers. Ahmed chairs Numi Foundation, serving Numi’s communities around the world with gardening & art education, clean water and healthy nutrition programs. Ahmed co-founded OSC, One Step Closer, a community of sustainable natural products business leaders, working together in collaborative and innovative ways toward positive change for our food industry, planet and people.

Reem Rahim

Reem Hassani is Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Numi Organic Tea. After earning her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, Reem shifted disciplines to pursue a Diploma d’Arte in Drawing and Painting from Lorenzo di Medici Art Institute in Florence, Italy and then a M.F.A. from John F. Kennedy University in the department of Arts & Consciousness Studies.

Reem oversees Numi’s brand identity, including all packaging design, brand voice and marketing. An artist by trade, Reem’s original artwork inspired Numi’s brand vision. Reem is proud of the company’s sustainable values, including its new plant based, compostable tea wrappers and Numi Foundation’s initiatives which include providing clean, safe drinking water to 10,500 tea farming family members and delivering over 600,000 lbs. of fresh produce to 7,500 low-income residents in Oakland, CA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reem has received numerous awards including: 2018 Professions World Awards’ Female Executive of the Year; 2019 inductee into the Specialty Food Association’s Hall of Fame; 2019, one of Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Business; 2020, Climate Collaborative’s award for Outstanding Influencer of the year; 2020, NEXTY Gold Award, which recognizes the pinnacle of excellence in the natural products industry.

Reem continues to create art in her studio in Petaluma, California, is a proud mom and is fluent in English, Italian, Spanish, and Arabic.

Ryan Rich

Ben Ripple

Ben Ripple is the Founder and CEO of Big Tree Farms, Inc and PT Bening Big Tree Farms. With over 20 years of experience in creating scalable business models that provide social impact to marginalized producers through regenerative agriculture, Ben has become a leading figure in the industry. Under his leadership, the company operates a vertically integrated supply chain with nearly ten thousand small farmers across the Indonesian archipelago, with a purpose-built manufacturing facility in Java, Indonesia.

In addition to his work at Big Tree Farms, Ben has a passion for supporting small businesses and has served as a senior advisor to social enterprises in both Indonesia and the US. He was also a founding member of Slowfood Indonesia and a founder of an Angel Investor network in Bali, Indonesia.

Ben’s work in sustainable supply chains has received international recognition over the past two decades, and he has spoken at numerous events in the US, EU, and Southeast Asia on the topics of Sustainable Agriculture, Supply Chains, Social Impact, and Triple Bottom Line Business. With his extensive experience and expertise, Ben is dedicated to driving positive change in the industry and creating scalable business models that provide social impact through regenerative agriculture.

Edouard Rollet

Prior to launching Alter Eco in the US, Rollet was a Senior Trade Attaché at the French Embassy in New York where he specialized in foreign investment, new ventures, media, marketing and mass retail. He has also consulted for the communications department of the UNICEF in Dakar, Senegal. Rollet holds an MBA from The European Institute of Business (IEA-Paris) and an MA in Mass Communications from the University of Florida.

Born in Lyon, France, Rollet moved to the US two decades ago. He enjoys traveling, the outdoors and exploring street food and restaurants around the world. Rollet resides in Mill Valley, Calif. and is married to Ilse Keijzer, founder of Alter Eco Pacific, which serves the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Jordan Rubin

Jordan Rubin is the co-founder and CEO of Ancient Nutrition, a supplement company with its focus to restore our health, strength and vitality by providing history’s healthiest whole food nutrients to the modern world. An eco-entrepreneur and lecturer on health and nutrition, Jordan has shared a message of natural health in five continents and 46 states in the U.S. He owns and operates Heal the Planet Farm, an organic permaculture farm and regenerative retreat center is located in the base of the Ozark Mountains in Missouri. He also owns Beyond Organic Ranch in Missouri and The Center for Regenerative Agriculture in Tennessee – with over 4000+ acres of regenerative organic farmland combined. Jordan is the founder of Garden of Life®, a leading whole food nutritional supplement company, and Beyond Organic, a vertically integrated organic food and supplement manufacturer, and has formulated hundreds of dietary supplements, functional foods and beverages, including many No. 1 top sellers in the Healthy Foods channel. Jordan holds several patents spanning the categories of nutritional science, biomedical applications and regenerative agriculture.

Susan Shields

Jeffrey Sanfilippo

Elizabeth Stein

Les Szabo

Christina Volgyesi

Lee Wallace