Overview

The Earth's Best Story tells how Ron and Arnie Koss succeeded in creating the first nationally distributed organic foods company to sit next to its mainstream competition on supermarket shelves-a step that revolutionized and empowered the organic-foods movement as a whole-and benefited hundreds of farmers as well as the millions of babies whose very first foods have been organically grown, thanks to Earth's Best. The Koss brothers, Ron and Arnie, had been sprout growers, broommakers, tool restorers, butlers, and natural-foods clerks, yet raised millions of dollars to start the first organic baby food company in the United States. How unlikely was that? The Earth's Best Story is a bittersweet tale about the founding of Earth's Best Baby Foods twenty-five years ago. Told through the dual narrative of each brother, this is not a business tome, although it is rich in entrepreneurial lessons and know-how. Rather, it's more like a ""how to,"" ""how not to,"" and ""how they did it"" memoir. It's personal, it's intense, it's inspirational, and it's full of reflections and tales of wonder and woe. People of every imaginable background and station in life want to make a difference with their lives. But how do you effectively do that? How does an idea successfully journey across the wastelands separating fantasy and reality? The Koss brothers take the reader on this journey. Theirs is a tale of idealism, naivete, and possibility that reflects the quest to find a place in this world by somehow changing it for the better.

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9781603582391

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Reviews

""A fascinating look into the minds of two entrepreneurs interested in more than the bottom line.""--John Seabrook, author of ""Flash of Genius"" ""Environmentally and socially responsible businesses don't just happen--they are created by passionate and persistent people. Arnie and Ron Koss's pithy account of birthing the nation's first organic baby food company is an intimate, no-holds-barred look at what it takes to launch a transformative business. It's an entertaining and enlightening textbook for anyone who dares to live their green dreams.""--Joel Makower, Executive Editor of GreenBiz.com and author of ""Strategies for the Green Economy"" ""For parents concerned about health and the environment, and organic consumers, this is an enjoyable and uplifting book. I highly recommend ""The Earth's Best Story"".""--Ronnie Cummins, Director, Organic Consumers Association ""It is always enlightening to read the inside stories of the development of new ventures, but Ron and Arnie's story about the unfolding of Earth's Best Baby Foods is particularly compelling because it traces the experiences of a couple of guys (twins) who invite us into their thinking, the evolution of their personal and professional lives and how it all wove together into the evolution of an incredibly successful company.... The story as a whole is remarkable. And the philosophy to which they subscribed to make it a successful company is, to say the least, unconventional, but one which, I suspect will make it resilient.""--Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and President, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture ""The Washington Post-""Let's eat! No two words could be more universal or -- according to three new books -- more controversial. These authors have different stories to tell, different flags to wave, but they're all marching forward in agreement on one thing: The food we eat is in danger, and so is our environment. Readers who open these covers will hear the shouting on every page: It's time to take action! It's time, in short, for a food fight.When twin brothers Ron and Arnie Koss launched their business in the mid-1980s, they found themselves on the front lines of a brand-new movement. Their weapon of choice? Baby food -- the first organic baby food in the United States. ""Our goal was to make the world a better place,"" writes Ron Koss, ""nothing less. This is how we would define 'success.' This was our bottom line."" A rip-roaring entrepreneurial tale, ""The Earth's Best Story"" is packed with drama, from exploding equipment and workers drenched in apple juice to relentless financial cris ""A fascinating look into the minds of two entrepreneurs interested in more than the bottom line.""--John Seabrook, author of Flash of Genius ""Environmentally and socially responsible businesses don't just happen--they are created by passionate and persistent people. Arnie and Ron Koss's pithy account of birthing the nation's first organic baby food company is an intimate, no-holds-barred look at what it takes to launch a transformative business. It's an entertaining and enlightening textbook for anyone who dares to live their green dreams.""--Joel Makower, Executive Editor of GreenBiz.com and author of Strategies for the Green Economy ""For parents concerned about health and the environment, and organic consumers, this is an enjoyable and uplifting book. I highly recommend The Earth's Best Story.""--Ronnie Cummins, Director, Organic Consumers Association ""It is always enlightening to read the inside stories of the development of new ventures, but Ron and Arnie's story about the unfolding of Earth's Best Baby Foods is particularly compelling because it traces the experiences of a couple of guys (twins) who invite us into their thinking, the evolution of their personal and professional lives and how it all wove together into the evolution of an incredibly successful company.... The story as a whole is remarkable. And the philosophy to which they subscribed to make it a successful company is, to say the least, unconventional, but one which, I suspect will make it resilient.""--Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and President, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture The Washington Post-Let's eat! No two words could be more universal or -- according to three new books -- more controversial. These authors have different stories to tell, different flags to wave, but they're all marching forward in agreement on one thing: The food we eat is in danger, and so is our environment. Readers who open these covers will hear the shouting on every page: It's time to take action! It's time, in short, for a food fight.When twin brothers Ron and Arnie Koss launched their business in the mid-1980s, they found themselves on the front lines of a brand-new movement. Their weapon of choice? Baby food -- the first organic baby food in the United States. ""Our goal was to make the world a better place,"" writes Ron Koss, ""nothing less. This is how we would define 'success.' This was our bottom line."" A rip-roaring entrepreneurial tale, The Earth's Best Story is packed with drama, from exploding equipment and workers drenched in apple juice to relentless financial crises and complex boardroom battles. Who knew baby food would be such treacherous terrain? Writing in a sort of back-and-forth, journal-entry format that some may find too detailed and confessional, the Koss brothers offer a candid account of their start-up venture, from the moment of inspiration to the bittersweet end. Although the brothers wound up losing control of the company (and leaving even before it was sold to Heinz in 1996), their efforts helped forge a new organic path through the mainstream food wilderness, and that's a lasting victory.

It is always enlightening to read the inside stories of the development of new ventures, but Ron and Arnie's story about the unfolding of Earth's Best Baby Foods is particularly compelling because it traces the experiences of a couple of guys (twins) who invite us into their thinking, the evolution of their personal and professional lives and how it all wove together into the evolution of an incredibly successful company.... The story as a whole is remarkable. And the philosophy to which they subscribed to make it a successful company is, to say the least, unconventional, but one which, I suspect will make it resilient. --Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and President, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture

A fascinating look into the minds of two entrepreneurs interested in more than the bottom line. --John Seabrook, author of Flash of Genius Environmentally and socially responsible businesses don't just happen--they are created by passionate and persistent people. Arnie and Ron Koss's pithy account of birthing the nation's first organic baby food company is an intimate, no-holds-barred look at what it takes to launch a transformative business. It's an entertaining and enlightening textbook for anyone who dares to live their green dreams. --Joel Makower, Executive Editor of GreenBiz.com and author of Strategies for the Green Economy For parents concerned about health and the environment, and organic consumers, this is an enjoyable and uplifting book. I highly recommend The Earth's Best Story . --Ronnie Cummins, Director, Organic Consumers Association It is always enlightening to read the inside stories of the development of new ventures, but Ron and Arnie's story about the unfolding of Earth's Best Baby Foods is particularly compelling because it traces the experiences of a couple of guys (twins) who invite us into their thinking, the evolution of their personal and professional lives and how it all wove together into the evolution of an incredibly successful company.... The story as a whole is remarkable. And the philosophy to which they subscribed to make it a successful company is, to say the least, unconventional, but one which, I suspect will make it resilient. --Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and President, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture The Washington Post- Let's eat! No two words could be more universal or -- according to three new books -- more controversial. These authors have different stories to tell, different flags to wave, but they're all marching forward in agreement on one thing: The food we eat is in danger, and so is our environment. Readers who open these covers will hear the shouting on every page: It's time to take action! It's time, in short, for a food fight.When twin brothers Ron and Arnie Koss launched their business in the mid-1980s, they found themselves on the front lines of a brand-new movement. Their weapon of choice? Baby food -- the first organic baby food in the United States. Our goal was to make the world a better place, writes Ron Koss, nothing less. This is how we would define 'success.' This was our bottom line. A rip-roaring entrepreneurial tale, The Earth's Best Story is packed with drama, from exploding equipment and workers drenched in apple juice to relentless financial cris A fascinating look into the minds of two entrepreneurs interested in more than the bottom line. --John Seabrook, author of Flash of Genius Environmentally and socially responsible businesses don't just happen--they are created by passionate and persistent people. Arnie and Ron Koss's pithy account of birthing the nation's first organic baby food company is an intimate, no-holds-barred look at what it takes to launch a transformative business. It's an entertaining and enlightening textbook for anyone who dares to live their green dreams. --Joel Makower, Executive Editor of GreenBiz.com and author of Strategies for the Green Economy For parents concerned about health and the environment, and organic consumers, this is an enjoyable and uplifting book. I highly recommend The Earth's Best Story. --Ronnie Cummins, Director, Organic Consumers Association It is always enlightening to read the inside stories of the development of new ventures, but Ron and Arnie's story about the unfolding of Earth's Best Baby Foods is particularly compelling because it traces the experiences of a couple of guys (twins) who invite us into their thinking, the evolution of their personal and professional lives and how it all wove together into the evolution of an incredibly successful company.... The story as a whole is remarkable. And the philosophy to which they subscribed to make it a successful company is, to say the least, unconventional, but one which, I suspect will make it resilient. --Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and President, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture The Washington Post-Let's eat! No two words could be more universal or -- according to three new books -- more controversial. These authors have different stories to tell, different flags to wave, but they're all marching forward in agreement on one thing: The food we eat is in danger, and so is our environment. Readers who open these covers will hear the shouting on every page: It's time to take action! It's time, in short, for a food fight.When twin brothers Ron and Arnie Koss launched their business in the mid-1980s, they found themselves on the front lines of a brand-new movement. Their weapon of choice? Baby food -- the first organic baby food in the United States. Our goal was to make the world a better place, writes Ron Koss, nothing less. This is how we would define 'success.' This was our bottom line. A rip-roaring entrepreneurial tale, The Earth's Best Story is packed with drama, from exploding equipment and workers drenched in apple juice to relentless financial crises and complex boardroom battles. Who knew baby food would be such treacherous terrain? Writing in a sort of back-and-forth, journal-entry format that some may find too detailed and confessional, the Koss brothers offer a candid account of their start-up venture, from the moment of inspiration to the bittersweet end. Although the brothers wound up losing control of the company (and leaving even before it was sold to Heinz in 1996), their efforts helped forge a new organic path through the mainstream food wilderness, and that's a lasting victory.

The Washington Post- Let's eat! No two words could be more universal or -- according to three new books -- more controversial. These authors have different stories to tell, different flags to wave, but they're all marching forward in agreement on one thing: The food we eat is in danger, and so is our environment. Readers who open these covers will hear the shouting on every page: It's time to take action! It's time, in short, for a food fight.When twin brothers Ron and Arnie Koss launched their business in the mid-1980s, they found themselves on the front lines of a brand-new movement. Their weapon of choice? Baby food -- the first organic baby food in the United States. Our goal was to make the world a better place, writes Ron Koss, nothing less. This is how we would define 'success.' This was our bottom line. A rip-roaring entrepreneurial tale, The Earth's Best Story is packed with drama, from exploding equipment and workers drenched in apple juice to relentless financial cris

Author Information

Arnie Koss honed his business skills by founding and operating a number of small entrepreneurial companies in Vermont. He was actively involved in the development of organic certification standards, which eventually led to the Organic Foods Act of 1990. Arnie has served as a consultant to several prominent natural products companies and is presently the Managing Partner at aio Food Group, a Hawaii-based product development company that has created patented nutritional supplement products and also owns the Punalu'u Bakeshop and Visitor Center on the Big Island of Hawaii. He lives in Kula, Hawaii, with his family. Ron Koss and Arnie Koss founded Earth's Best Baby Food in 1985. In addition to baby food, Ron Koss is a natural foods product innovator. During his long-term employ with the aio Food Group, Ron has secured patents for his work on complete meal supplement ice cream and has also introduced specialized complete meal supplements for people in health recovery situations. Presently, he is working on nutritional products for a global relief aid project. Ron enjoys working as a consultant for socially responsible enterprises and has a special interest in group dynamics, organizational development, and conflict resolution. He lives in Montpelier, Vermont, with his family.

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