Member Spotlight: Keith Bearden, CEO of Alter Eco

Member Spotlight: Keith Bearden, CEO of Alter Eco, takes five to reflect on 5 simple questions. Enjoy!

OSC: Where do you call home (hometown or wherever you feel most at home)?
KB: Winchester, Tennessee

OSC: What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
KB: My wife and I have been married 36 years and have moved 16 times – twice to Europe and back.

OSC: What part of your work gives you the most energy right now?
KB: Our commitment to our customers and our farmers. It’s rewarding having such a strong foundation as Alter Eco.

OSC: What’s a favorite childhood memory, funny or formative, that helped shape your path?
KB: My grandmother was instrumental in my childhood. One day when I was 14 years old, I was talking about working with my uncle, who owned a body shop and used car lot. My grandmother said, “absolutely not, you are going to school and you’re going to get the hell out of here and make something of yourself”.

OSC: What’s something you’re fired up about that needs a whole new way of thinking?
KB: Regenerative agriculture and food tech are absolute requirements to feed the world and we at Alter Eco are on the forefront of this and have been driving the narrative for years.

About Alter Eco
Alter Eco is one of the best tasting, cleanest snack brands in the world. We source cacao beans directly from farmers in Ecuador, Dominican Republic and Peru and our chocolates are manufactured by our Swiss partner. We are very focused on supporting our farmers to convert to regenerative agriculture and making sure everyone in our supply chain is treated and paid fairly. We tell our customers that you’re improving the planet one chocolate bar at a time!