Workshops

Join Dr. Bronner’s, Organically Grown Company, and PCC Community Markets for a participatory conversation about the growing interest and focus on regenerative agriculture. Come share your experiences and learn from others in the community about what regenerative agriculture means, how the term is showing up on our grocery store shelves, and why it is important to address regenerative marketing claims. Note: This workshop will include a survey through the Provender Alliance Conference mobile app, so be sure to install it [Read More]

Join us as we plant seeds of knowledge with a vibrant bouquet of experts from the medicinal herb industry. Our panel blossoms with discussions on cultivating a thriving, sustainable herb supply chain right in our own domestic backyard! From farm to shelf, we’ll dig into the rich soil of domestic, organic, and regenerative practices to grow a greener future. Whether you’re a curious consumer or a rooted retailer, come nurture your understanding of the essential herbal supply chain that enhances [Read More]

“Oregon’s food scene should be proud to be at the forefront of the regenerative aquaculture movement. Come learn about regenerative aquaculture and the story of seaweed as a “climate cuisine”. Get a look into how sea vegetables are being grown around the Pacific Northwest and what makes them so special. Discover the versatility of Pacific dulse seaweed and how it can be introduced to consumer packaged goods and retail shelves all while tasting some samples of seaweed prepared in various [Read More]

How can mission-driven business founders retire while ensuring company intent and values live on? How can they honor the people who are creating the value, including workers and communities in which they operate, also share in the benefits? How can they invest in growth without “selling out,” and enshrine their values for the long-term? A growing number of retiring business owners are deciding against “business as usual” and instead pivoting to an innovative model for business transition: Perpetual Purpose Trusts. [Read More]

In the U.S., retail food co-ops have often been synonymous with natural and organic products. That’s changing. Many 1970s-era food co-ops are carrying more conventional foods and there is a notable revival of interest in the co-op model from a wider diversity of people. This year marks the most active in recent decades of food co-op openings and ground-breakings, and many of these efforts are in rural communities with zero access to grocery stores or in Low-Income, Low-Access (LILA) food [Read More]

Kim will take you on a journey from her farming roots to her role as CEO of Coconut Bliss and beyond. Experience stories and shared tools of change management within the patchwork of a multi -generational family business, through the lens of female leadership in the natural foods industry. Kim is grateful for the opportunity to share her story with the Provender Conference, and will be encouraging vocalization of your curiosities, comments, and change management tools. BIO: Kim Gibson Clark [Read More]

A guided conversation about how Provender Alliance can manage our own changes to thrive into the next age. This meeting led by The Board, the current Executive Director  Joe Wade, and facilitated by Conference MC Annie Hoy. The meeting takes place after the final Conference Workshop. Please come with your best hopes and help co-create our shared future. Meet the current Board here , and Executive Director Joe Wade here

Staying Relevant – The Evolving Story We Tell Ourselves and Our Customers Skagit Valley Food Co-op (SVFC) in Mount Vernon, WA has been serving good food at a fair price to the Skagit Valley area for 50 years! With over 13,000 active members and thousands of non-member shoppers, SVFC has found a way to remain relevant in the ever-changing landscape of grocery retail. In this workshop you’ll hear from Skagit’s General Manager Tony White and Community Marketing Manager Leigha Staffenhagen [Read More]

How we communicate with one another is fundamental to how we work together. Communication is the root of all decisions and actions. And yet, at the earliest age, schools ask children to work together in groups without providing any guidance on how to best talk with each other. The absence of this guidance continues into college or university and into the workplace. We just hope for the best that the group will be able to communicate well with one another. [Read More]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Welcome to yet another new frontier.  There are a lot of fantastical stories and buzzwords around AI.  It seems AI is everywhere and is being utilized with mixed results.  If you are like most businesses working hard already to keep up with software, privacy, digital threats, marketing, analytics/KPIs, and social, you want to face this beast head on while also avoiding skating the bleeding edge.  Let’s take a look at AI, some common terms and applications [Read More]

Using the framework outlined in his book Beloved & Dominant Brands: The Brand Ecosystem that drives better-for-you brands from One of Many to Category Prominence, David Lemley will facilitate a hands-on exercise where participants will have the opportunity to evaluate and improve upon Seven Marketing Essentials of three Provender Allianace member brands while they are in the room. This practical exercise will provide valuable insights and actionable strategies for anyone attending this Workshop who is responsible for stewarding and growing [Read More]