Appreciation for eating local

This week, my Family and I are spending vacation in Connecticut (which is why I have been less active with my blogging).  It's great to see how the community supportive agriculture and the local food movement is growing and becoming mainstream.  The other night we had dinner at The Dressing Room, an absolutely magnificent restaurant that they position as 'homegrown', located next to the Newport Playhouse.  All ingredients used are from local farms and producers.

 

The next day, we went to The Hickories Farm in Ridgefield for blueberry picking. For our daughters, it's wonderful that they can pick fruits, take them home and help mom bake a pie.  It helps them have a greater appreciation for how things go from farm to table.

At Whole Foods, there are banners throughout the store showcasing some of their local suppliers  signed "food from around here".

It's clear that there is a growing segment of the population who love the idea of eating local food. People who are interested in supporting their local farmers and communities.  People who are looking for the simple tastes and aromas of more natural and organic eating.... close to home. Wasn't this how our grandparents used to do?  

It will be interesting to see how food marketers will leverage this trend at a broader scale.

Biodiesel

It was very nice to see a Petrobras advertorial in Fortune magazine last week covering its development of biodiesel from organic vegetable inputs (cotton seeds, castor beans, soybeans, sunflower seeds), animal input (bovine, swine or chicken fat) or residual waste (residual oils from food-frying processes).  The article explains that, in the case of vegetable inputs, Petrobras is purchasing from approximately 55,000 farmers in order to obtain the Social Fuel Seal granted by the Ministry of Agrarian Development.

I have been a huge fan of Petrobras' leadership in sugarcane-based ethanol which is a benchmark globally and has placed Brazil at the forefront of a cleaner renewable energy model. So, it's great to see how they are researching and developing a second generation of biofuels. 

An organization helping Brazilian companies go organic

Yesterday I met with Ming Liu, from OrganicsBrasil - an organization that is dedicated to promoting Brazilian organic products in the International market, an ambitious project of bringing together organic growers, manufacturers and accredited certifiers.  I had already noticed a strong presence of Brazilian organic producers at some of the food trade shows I've visited lately (which made me particularly happy since my wife has been an organic fan for years).  Brazil, which is already an agricultural superpower with it's amazingly rich biodiversity and vast natural resources, has all the elements to become a major player in the growing market for organic products.  The companies participating in the OrganicsBrasil initiative cover a wide range of categories from the açaí superfruit, to coffee beans, cosmetics, sugarcane products, to whole grains.   

So, next time you shop at Whole Foods, expect to see more organic products Made in Brazil.

A Love for Potatoes

We spent Sunday in London on our way to a week vacation in Barcelona. We went to visit the Marylebone Farmer's Market (a great way to get a feel for the relationship of local farming with its community) and we met this potato farmer with a stall called The Potato Shop. Because I'm in the potato chip business, I couldn't resist to speak to him. It turns out that this guy has developed 22 varieties of potatoes, from family favorites like King Edwards, Desiree to the organics Nicola, Lady Balfour to the rare Pink Fir Apple or Blue Kestrel (he needs to update his sign that mentions only 12). He has traveled through the Andes to find unusual varieties. It made me think about the trend of specialization and how, different than large corporations that benefit from scale and productivity, little companies have a wonderful opportunity to offer variety and be the very best in a very specific niche. To become the absolute, undisputable authority in a defined micro-segment. From gourmet chocolates, to rare beers from microbreweries, to oriental teas... the world is seeing a proliferation of hyper-specilaized retail concepts that build their positioning on this trend.

Brazil Has a Clear Advantage in Biofuels

Recently, there have been several attacks in the media on biofuels and how ethanol is posing a risk to agriculture. The Brazilian Government has been quick to establish the differences between Brazil’s successful sugar-cane ethanol program and the U.S. corn-based model. Sugar-cane is 2.5 times more productive in terms of use of land. While Brazil produces 7,500 liters of ethanol per acre, the U.S. produces only 3,000 liters.  Improved productivity comes from agro-technology, ideal soil conditions and lower operating cost. The end result is that Brazil’s ethanol costs US$0.20 per liter with no federal subsidies, while it costs US$0.47 for the American corn ethanol with US$ 6 billion a year in federal subsidies.  The U.S. taxpayer is contributing to an unsustainable model. Another important difference is that 15% of Brazil's sugar cane crop is being rotated with soy or beans, which eliminates the argument that ethanol takes land away from agriculture dedicated to food production. In fact, the country is expanding its agricultural footprint.  Brazil is expected to set another record grain production this year: 140 million tons. So, no matter what the critics might say, decades of research and development has proven that Brazil has taken a leading role in developing a renewable source of fuels and should continue leading the way.

Soy!

Last night, hearing the sound of carnival drums in the background, I read a fantastic article in Fortune Magazine (Jan. 21 Edition) titled "How Brazil Outfarmed the American Farmer". The article explains how Brazil, in less than two decades, became a global agricultural superpower (#1 in soybeans, beef, poultry, pork, coffee, orange juice concentrate, sugar and ethanol) resulting in US$ 27.5 billion in farm trade surplus in 2006. The article focuses more on soybeans. Brazil has developed a competitive advantage with soybeans, outplacing U.S.'s traditional dominance. The reason is a combination of the cerrado's ideal climate yielding two to three crops a year, lower production costs, abundant farmland and government investment in crop breeding and soil science. Embrapa (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária), a network of state-run agricultural research agencies, played a pivotal role in securing Brazil's rising position in the global soy trade.

I always knew that soybeans are widely used for animal feed, as a food ingredient with good source of protein, in the formulation of healthy beverages and in the production of soaps. I was blown away by the amazing number of other uses that soy has. Soy is also used in building materials such as flashing tape, caulk, waterproof membranes that reduce mold, outdoor paint and wainscoting... in the production of candles, shampoos, deodorants, dishwashing liquids, after-shave lotions, disposable wipes... even in the production of lingerie!

Click here to read the article that also raises an important question... what other crops will gain importance in Brazil's growing agribusiness... corn... wheat?