Workshops

  Enter the distant realm of those who harvest plants with reverence and care… In this session, voices from Mountain Rose Herbs, WishGarden Herbs, and FairWild will share the stories of Wild Land Stewards—past and present—and introduce FairWild certification as it takes root in North America. Together, we’ll explore how transparent, ethical harvesting sustains both plant populations and the people who tend them, with living examples like Yerba Santa Leaf, Oregon Grape Root, and Yerba Mansa Root. Designed for those [Read More]

Internationally renowned hemp industry leader Joy Beckerman is thrilled to bring Gregg Gnecco of Montana’s IND Hemp to the stage to share the uplifting fountain of raw materials and products being produced by IND Hemp and its manufacturing customers. Hempen dreams have become reality and the future is here! IND Hemp, a Certified B Corporation, supports farm families and rural communities by producing and supplying natural hemp materials to make products and industry more sustainable, while regenerating the earth with [Read More]

“Sustainability” has had a huge transformation in the last 20 years, maturing from a mission and impact-based practice to risk management in a burgeoning regulatory environment. Is this a good thing? Yes! Is this a bad thing? Also yes! Does it impact you? Yes! Attend It’s Official to learn about the relationship of Sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance), and the shape that ESG regulations are taking across the globe. Discussion will cover the trends of ESG regulations in Europe [Read More]

Industry veterans Cheryl Bottger and Chris Linzey share their years of experience in retail, distribution, and sales in an interactive session focused on how education, solution selling, and relationship building are the keys to growing business and job satisfaction. The session includes practical ideas for education programs and how to implement solution selling.   Chris Linzey I was fortunate enough to have traveled at an early age to satisfy my curiosity and interest in culture and language, and travel continues [Read More]

Join Michelle for a colorful presentation of the latest food trends to inspire your product development and infuse your menu with new and exciting ideas. From flavor inspirations to programs that POP this workshop will have you walking away hungry to stay ahead of the curve, delight your customers and keep your offerings bold and relevant. Michelle O’Connor Michelle O’Connor is a chef, recipe costing expert, customer service specialist, and deli operations maven with an infectious enthusiasm for good food [Read More]

Grassroots advocacy has played a significant role in many social and environmental movements, including the organic sector, yet engaging in advocacy often feels intimidating or out of reach for many organic shoppers. Learn how to become an effective advocate by hearing from the Oregon Organic Coalition, the Organic Farming Research Foundation, and the Organic Trade Association. Organic advocacy has been a cornerstone of the industry’s growth at the state and federal levels, helped maintain the National Organic Program and other [Read More]

  Where do plants and the body meet most profoundly? In this workshop, a circle of renowned herbalists, aromatherapists, and educators will explore the physical realm as sacred ground for healing and presence. Through panel dialogue and hands-on experience, participants will discover how plants nourish, protect, and awaken the body’s innate wisdom. Featuring Catherine Hunziker (WishGarden Herbs & Herbiculture Project), Liza Docken (Pranarōm), Blaire Edwards-Maschotta (Herbs, Etc.), and Sanja Oropeza (Kevala Wellness & Ayurveda), with moderation by Lauren Nichols-Sheffler (Senior [Read More]

Keep the good conversation going with Rosalinda in a smaller, conversational setting!   Rosalinda Guillen                 Rosalinda Guillen (she/her) is the founder of Community to Community and a lead strategist and visionary within the non-hierarchical ecofeminist leadership of C2C. Her perspective is fundamentally influenced by her introduction to the multi-racial, working-class community organizing model of the Rainbow Coalition, the Cesar Chavez house meeting model, The World Social Forum, the Landless Workers Movement (MST) [Read More]

Join the entire Provender community for a dynamic, all-attendee workshop designed to celebrate our history and envision our future. Together we’ll honor Provender’s roots, reflect on where we are today, and imagine the vibrant, fruit-bearing alliance we can grow for years to come. Facilitators: Mark Mulcahy (He/Him/His) – Regenerative Retail specialist Mark was born on Long Island, NY and moved to Northern California when I was 2 years old. He moved to Sonoma County 28 years ago to [Read More]

Buyers, merchandisers, and department managers have a unique position in the global supply chain; they have the power to manipulate the marketplace, to bend the future toward a more sustainable and resilient food system. During this workshop, participants will be encouraged to reflect on where they can leverage their agency to increase impact. This workshop will focus on strategies retailers of any size can use to increase support for local PNW farmers and producer groups positively impacting small farming communities [Read More]

This interactive workshop equips participants with tools to engage employees and supply chain partners in reducing food waste, using resources like the open-source Employee Engagement Toolkit and real-world examples from companies such as Bob’s Red Mill and Fresh Del Monte. Attendees will explore insights from Whole Chain pilot projects—such as those targeting waste in the plum, strawberry, and potato supply chains—which identify food waste hotspots from farm to retail and offer scalable solutions across the entire value chain. By combining [Read More]

Megan from Café Mam and Fernando Rodriguez Lopez from the Chiapas coffee cooperative Union Majomut (joining via Zoom), present the work of SPP Global, el símbolo de pequeños productores. Taller bilingue. This is a bilingual workshop. SPP is both an intercontinental network and a label belonging to small-scale organic fair trade producers organizations from Latin America, Africa, and Asia, with its own independent certification system. Offering many of the agricultural products consumers purchase daily, the SPP mission is to empower [Read More]

Building on last year’s successful presentation on using AI in natural foods businesses, this session will focus on practical use cases. Whether you are a distributor, retailer, manufacturer, or budding entrepreneur, we aim to host an interactive and engaging session with our audience. Join professionals who use AI every day in the areas of food safety and operations, and let’s see what we can learn together. Note that this session is geared towards people that want to deepen their proficiency [Read More]

The organic and natural products industry is at a pivotal moment. Rapid change and the challenges of our time—whether due to climate change, supply chains, politics or the economy—also opens the door to opportunity, innovation and resilience, and calls for new ways of leading. This roundtable gathers three inspiring CEOs—all of them women—who are guiding their companies with purpose and creativity. Together, they’ll explore how: Resilience creates opportunity, enabling businesses to adapt with agility and thrive in evolving markets. Inclusion [Read More]

In an era where customers are seeking authenticity, how do small businesses stand out without compromising their values? This workshop explores the art and strategy of building a brand that is both impactful and true to its mission. We’ll cover how to identify and communicate your core story, create brand consistency across all touchpoints, and use marketing to build lasting customer relationships rather than short-term sales spikes. Using real-world examples from the natural products industry, participants will learn how to [Read More]