Companies That Care:
Eden Foods (Clinton, Michigan)

By Jan Deremo Lundy, HGJ Senior Editor

First in a series of articles showcasing
Companies with a Conscience

It’s a success story of which fairy tales are made: a small Michigan co-op and retail store blossoms into one of the largest and most successful producers and distributors of organic foods in the world. The company goals are noble: to provide the highest quality life-supporting food possible; to have a strong impact on farming practices and food processing techniques throughout the world; to respect and nurture their employees along with the environment; to contribute to peaceful evolution on earth.

Co-founder and president, Michael Potter spins the fairy tale in his own words. “We began operation in 1968 and we were a group of people, men and women, that had learned a little bit about food production and food processing in the U.S., and what the condition of it was. At the time I didn’t have children, but I was planning a family and I was motivated, for myself and for that planned family, to find good food. The single best thing I can say about Eden Foods today is that we’re still doing exactly what we started out to do. And with 35 years experience, 35 years of relationships and resources cultivated and nurtured over that period of time, we do a pretty good job of it.”

Eden Foods creates over 200 different products and supports more than 300 family farms with 40,000 acres of vibrant, organic farm land. Michael’s passion for high quality food products is still evident today. “They’re American family farm grown. We only buy food from farmers. We don’t buy food from brokers, middle men, wholesalers, etc. We have always been very selective about the foods that we purchased from farmers. These are predominately Midwestern American farmers. And we choose the highest quality durham wheat or kidney bean or navy bean that we can possibly find.”

He continues, “You can’t just judge solely by appearance. You have to know the people that are producing it, you have to know the quality of the soil. So, to sum it up, it’s the best food available in America, grown in America, as opposed to grown in China. Our competitors in the soy milk and in the canned bean category (organic) buy all their soy beans from China and Argentina. And you wonder, is the stuff coming in organic? The truth of the matter is, nobody really knows. It’s a shot in the dark when it comes to what you’re eating.”

A stroll through the the company’s website, www.edenfoods.com, illustrates their dedication to public education and community service with articles on organic food, food safety, and food purity; free recipes; causes and charitable giving; environmental practices; and more. From energy efficient product packaging (made with non-toxic, minimal materials, with recyclability in mind) to production practices, to distribution (all the way down to the trucks used for delivery), Eden Foods’ commitment to conscious business practices is crystal clear and a beacon of light others could follow.

What are the greatest concerns of Eden Foods today as it moves into the future? “One of our biggest concerns,” Michael Potter shares, “is genetically engineered food. Another is the tons of pollutants that are being put into the environment annually, via commercial agriculture, and it’s contamination of our ground water, our air. It rains Atrozene today. These are nervous system disrupters, it’s a herbicide. There’s going to be no good drinking water before we know it. What is going on is criminal and those that are making a profit on it know that what they’re doing is toxic, is criminal, yet they control the regulatory agencies of our government that are supposed to protect the citizenry from this type of exploitation, attack and damage. I have children and grandchildren and holy cow...”

Despite global and political challenges, Eden Foods’ president still has faith in the original dream that launched this visionary company. “We can achieve health, happiness and peace on Earth by returning to a more peaceful way of growing, handling and enjoying food. We at Eden Foods will continue to do everything we can to make this a reality for everyone.”

For further information, visit www.edenfoods.com.