Seeds of Change


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Welcome to Seeds of Exchange Blog - A blog for the discussion of biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and incredibly delicious organic food

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Sowing the Seeds of Change

Mark Koide, President

Welcome to the first installment of the new Seeds of Change Weblog. We’ve come a long way since our founding in 1989 as an organic seed company, eventually expanding to offer not just seeds but also a wide range of garden tools, plants and a full line of gourmet, certified organic foods. Call me nostalgic, but as I sit down to write this first blog, I’m reminded of a similar milepost for our little company: Our very first seed catalog.


Maybe catalog isn’t the right word. Sure, it was made of paper and it contained a 17-page list of organic seeds for sale. But that’s where the resemblance to anything you’d call a catalog ended. Packed into the other 25 pages – by far the majority of the booklet – were essays decrying the fouling of the earth by petrochemicals, Ph.D.-penned research papers laying out a wholesale reorganization of the plant kingdom, scholarly articles on bioremediation, and throughout, a passionate call for gardeners, farmers and society as a whole to embrace organic principles, preserve biodiversity and restore the symbiotic relationship between mankind and the soil.

Heavy stuff. True, it’s not the kind of catalog most companies produce, but Seeds of Change has never really been like most companies. The brainchild of a group of organic gardeners, plant explorers and seed collectors who also happened to have acquired a Ph.D. or two in microbiology and botany, Seeds of Change didn’t begin so much as a commercial enterprise as it did a crusade.

First mission: Foster biodiversity worldwide by creating the largest organically grown seed stock in existence, thereby reintroducing countless traditional and heirloom fruits, grains, herbs and vegetables back into the food chain – varieties in danger of being lost from cultivation forever. Second mission (not necessarily in that order): Through education, research and hands-on consulting, help gardeners and farmers to convert to sustainable, organic methods of cultivation, eschewing chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.

Digging deeper in that first catalog, one quickly sees that the early Seeds-of-Changers didn’t stop there. They conducted field trials on their research farm to identify the tastiest, most nutritious and hardiest strains of organic crops (something we still do with vigor today). They researched the nutritional composition of traditional and heirloom varieties, identifying which yielded the most amino acids, vitamins and minerals. They even instructed gardeners on how to save their own seeds, further cementing their business-as-unusual model.

The craziest thing of all might be this: It worked. Who in their right mind, back in 1989, would have predicted the sea change we’ve experienced 18 years later? Now, don’t get me wrong, Seeds of Change can’t take credit for such a monumental shift in world consciousness. And there’s still so much work to be done, especially in light of the current state of the world.

Nonetheless, we are proud of the role we’ve played thus far, and of our continued dedication to the preservation of biodiversity and the advancement of sustainable farming practices. To this day, we’re still the only company to offer both organic seeds and organic foods. And one of the only organic food companies to operate our own research farm. Not surprisingly, the knowledge we gain from these enterprises helps fuel our passion and our ability to make the most delicious certified organic foods available.

To help tell the deeper story about these and our other endeavors, I’ve asked a variety of members of the Seeds of Change family to contribute to our new blog. In the coming months, you’ll hear from Karen Castiello about how we go above and beyond USDA organic standards in sourcing the ingredients for our products; Erica Renaud, the manager of our research farm, will report on the latest developments at the farm during the early-fall harvest; and Marc Cool, the head of our seed division, will chime in with news from the seed front. Naturally, over time, they’ll be joined by plenty of others.

Most importantly, we want to hear from you. About the topics discussed here, about your experience with Seeds of Change products, and about the issues of biodiversity, sustainability and organic farming that are near and dear to our hearts.

The picture we hope to paint for you over time reflects our philosophy on what it means to truly be an organic company. Suffice it to say, it’s a journey and not a destination. Once that USDA Organic logo goes on the package, the work is far from over. We need to keep pushing beyond current organic standards, beyond current sourcing and production models, and beyond what we’ve accomplished thus far as a company. Ever evolving, ever pioneering, ever seeking true sustainability and all that goes with it.

Which brings us full circle, back to that very first Seeds of Change catalog. It contained a sentiment that I think still captures the essence of what we at Seeds of Change believe today:

“Seeds of Change is about healing the planet and ourselves. It is a celebration of the astonishing diversity from which we all spring. It is about good food and good friends. And it is about the truly wondrous biosphere we inhabit together, a threatened world that today remains a mysterious and fragile dance of linked life forms. The seeds of the future are in our hands. May we plant them wisely and well.”

Thanks for reading.

Join the discussion by posting a comment below. Only comments specifically addressing issues discussed in the Seeds of Change blog post will be posted. If you have a question or comment for Seeds of Change that is unrelated to this blog, please use either our Organic Foods Contact Us page or our Organic Seed and Gardening Contact Us page so we may respond to you accordingly. Business propositions sent to this blog will not be reviewed.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

...i really miss your old boxed soups - any chance ever of bringing them back?..

Anonymous said...

...i also lament the change of focus in your food product lines over this decade from all-organic all-natural-ingredient staples to nominally-organic additive-laden epicurean offerings...

...it's been a shame to watch big financing coopt the organic food industry into turning its back on the ideals by which it was founded, for the sake of mass-market growth...

Staratio said...

Few companies share the Seeds of Change philosophy, and I commend the company for promoting biodiversity and sustainability while at the same time providing products I can enjoy at my table every day.

Tiny Dancer said...

I'm Elsa Pong, Marketing Manager for Seeds of Change. Thank you very much for your comments.
I wanted to address one of the comments posted here regarding the quality and organic standard of our products. To clarify, all Seeds of Change Foods are certified organic. In fact, we try to go above USDA organic standards. Our newest blog posting "Going Beyond Organic Standards" will have more details around our efforts. Thanks for your support and please, keep writing! We'd love to hear from you.

Anonymous said...

Two years ago, I fell in love with Seeds of Change! You see, every year I do container (EarthBoxes) gardening and absolutely love it. But the available transplants from our local nurseries and garden centers were limited and none offered organic transplants. I was just getting on the 'organic bandwagon' and it was through my online search for organic seeds that I discovered Seeds of Change and I was thrilled! Now over the past couple of years I have started most of my own transplants from SOC seeds and use all natural and organic growing medium as well. The outcome has been fantastic! SOC and its vision have inspired me to venture into my own business, offering 'organic' transplants and produce to local consumers who are seeking to live more sustainable lives, naturally and organically.

Anonymous said...

i need to know the name of sage the native americans burn ,i would like to purchace some seeds.

Pattie Baker said...

I believe in and support what you are doing at Seeds of Change. I grow mostly heirlooms in my garden and like yours best. However, I have had nothing but bad customer service experiences. Are you growing too fast? Are you outsourcing service too much? If someone at your company truly wants to hear about my experiences (I've already talked to several people in customer service at your Sante Fe headquarters and have gotten nowhere), please let me know who to contact. I sincerely want to be helpful.

Anonymous said...

I still have an early Seeds of Change catalog around the house. I have fond memories from the early nineties of ordering seeds and tools and reading the articles.