Firm Buys $425 Million Stake in Whole Foods

"A Los Angeles-based private equity firm has bought a $425 million stake in Whole Foods Market Inc., giving the organic food grocer a cash infusion as it struggles to grow its sales during a tumultuous economic time.

Leonard Green & Partners will receive preferred stock that — if converted to common shares today — would give the firm a 17 percent stake in Whole Foods. The move was cheered by Wall Street, and Whole Foods shares shot up 19 percent in after-hours trading.

The news comes as Whole Foods reported one of its worst quarters ever, as same-store sales growth slowed in the company's fiscal fourth quarter to 0.4 percent and profit dropped 96 percent from the same time last year to $1.5 million. Only 2 and a half years ago, Whole Foods regularly posted double-digit sales increases and was the darling of Wall Street. But in the past year, its stock has sunk about 75 percent."

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Tizane Beverages to Make East Coast Debut

"Washington, D.C. (Vocus) November 6, 2008 -- In spite of the recent economic downturn, Washington, D.C.-based Tizane Beverages, the nation's first line of premium organic botanical drinks, is expanding into Massachusetts and Pennsylvania next week, and will be available throughout New England this January. The company, which has sales throughout the metropolitan area, is exhibiting at Green Festival at the Washington D.C. Convention Center Nov. 8-9 (booth 761).

"When times get tough, people appreciate the smaller pleasures even more," said Tizane co-founder Charlie Pucciariello. "Tizane's premium quality and beneficial properties keep purists coming back for more. "

The Tizane beverages will also be highlighted at the D.C. Central Kitchen's "www.capitalfoodfight.org [Capital Food Fight" fundraising event November 11 and are already on the organization's new high-quality "Capital Cart" vending cart at 8th and H Street, NW in Washington, D.C., just launched in October, 2008."

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Organic Farming on White House Grounds?

"After this epic election, it’s hard to focus on anything else besides the new president-elect. So I will write about my hopes as a farmer and a food advocate for what this historic election might bring. I am a localist; therefore, I believe we must be cautious in putting too much hope in national politics. However, presidents set a tone for the nation, for the local places all around the country and even the world. And there are important policy questions that the next president will face that will have a great affect on the future of our food system, determining in many ways whether it will be a good one or a bad one.

As Michael Pollan wrote in an Open Letter to the next president, “You, like so many other leaders through history, will find yourself confronting the fact — so easy to overlook these past few years — that the health of a nation’s food system is a critical issue of national security. Food is about to demand your attention.” This is because, as Pollan writes, unless the next president addresses the food system, “[He] will not be able to make significant progress on the health care crisis, energy independence or climate change.” Food and how we grow it is central to all of these questions because we have been running since the Nixon administration on a food system that depends on fossil fuels to produce low quality and high quantities of food. This system has produced a great deal of food, but it has also produced obesity, an increasing prevalence of type II diabetes, and an agricultural system that depends on a horribly polluting substance—oil."

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Will A Declining Economy Cause Organic Companies to Suffer?

"According to Nielsen, sales volume of organic and natural products were recently growing at 20 percent a year. But as the economy declines, it seems consumers are bypassing organics, which typically cost twice as much as the conventional stuff, New York Times reports.

For the four-week period that ended Oct. 4, Nielsen Company reported that organic product’s sales volume rose only four percent compared with the same period last year. In addition, a survey of 1,000 consumers conducted by Information Resources earlier this year showed that nearly half of respondents said they were purchasing fewer organic products because they were too expensive."

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Yummy in My Tummy Offering Organic Baby Foods

"Like many parents, Karen and Michael Stanley wanted to give their daughter the best when she was born 17 months ago.

Then they went a little crazy.

Michael, a partner in Brasserie Las Olas and manager of other restaurants including Tequila Ranch at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, and Karen, a political consultant, decided to feed Sophia only organic food. They started out buying packaged, but found their choices too limited. When they started cooking it themselves, countless pots of peas, squash and parsnips left them feeling overwhelmed. There had to be an easier way.

What they did was start their own business, Yummy in My Tummy, an all-organic baby food store at 13770 West State Road 84 in Davie's Shenandoah Square."

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Yes To Carrots Launches Yes To Carrots Seed Fund

"LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., Nov 03, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Yes To Carrots(TM), a line of natural personal-care products, has announced the creation of the Yes To Carrots Seed Fund, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded to make a difference in people's lives by providing under-served communities with the resources to develop and sustain an organic food source and access to healthy nutrition. Together with partner organizations, the Yes To Carrots Seed Fund will donate a portion of its proceeds to help local communities purchase equipment, seeds, and related supplies; acquire the technical know-how to grow their own fruits, herbs and vegetables; and transform urban and suburban land for farming and gardening purposes.

Yes To Carrots is excited to share news about its latest Seed Fund collaboration with Chicago-based Growing Home, Inc. This unique organization provides job training for homeless and low-income individuals in Chicago through a social enterprise business based on organic agriculture. Program participants work to plant and harvest the gardens, sell the organic produce in local markets and gain valuable job experience that helps reintroduce them back into the workforce."

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Farmers Training on Organic Farming Held

"Kohima, November 3 (MExN): A day long farmers training on organic farming and its inputs was organized by the Department of Soil & Water Conservation, Nagaland funded by NCOF and held at Jotsoma Village Council Hall. Rongsenlenzung, JSCO and Myansao Lotha, ASCO, Sechu were the resource persons at the training.

Rongsenlenzung at the training mentioned the significant role of chemical fertilizers in Indian agriculture facilitating green revolution and thereby making the country self reliant in food production. He, however, lamented that continuous, concentrated and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers disturbs the soil health leading acidification, micro nutrient depletion, soil degradation, reduction in the activity of micro flora and fauna, poor crop health and lower crop yield and quality. The soil living population of microbes and others organisms are significant contributors to its fertility on a sustained basis and must be protected and nurtured at all cost. The role of vermin compost offers immense scope to meet the organic manorial resources of farmers and also ways for income and employment."

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