Irwin Simon of Hain Celestial Fires Nspired Foods President

Unconfirmed word from Natural Products Expo West is that the day after the ink dried on the Hain-Celestial purchase of Nspired Foods, none other than Hain CEO Irwin Simon himself called the California Headquarters of Nspired to summarily dismiss CEO Gordon Chapple.

We're told he left that same day. Read more here .

Either way, there isn't anything really wrong with the move. After all, it is a new owner's prerogative, to make such decisions. However, given the conventional wisdom that a Hain purchase means a consistent and steady decline in sales, one is surprised that a new owner wouldn't utilize the experience of the acquired company's upper management.

Clif Bar's CEO Gary Erickson Gets Industry Top Spot

Well it took us almost a year to relaunch the great new site design
NaturalBusinessNews and as part of that effort we just unveiled our list of the Natural and Organic Products Industry Top 50 Leaders.

For too long we've been the best written but least read site on the growing interest in this area and we're sure we've reversed that trend.

Okay so now back to the Top 50 list. There was some debate that Whole Food's John Mackey should get the top spot--he was number 2--or the even acquisition Irwin Simon of Hain Celestial Foods but we thought, hell those guys are operating in a business as usual format. What we mean is that Whole Foods revolutionized retail and now it is business as usual.

And Hain Celestial's Irwin Simon well he just acquires and acquires and although the companies make brands we like, he is about as innovative, as well, lets just say as putting up a Starbuck's in a shopping mall.

So hat's off to Clif Bar. They continue to expand their product line, with more and more organic items, and create ways to inspire people to change the planet. Seriously folks, that ain't just corporate bull.

And check out the list. We think you'll find it interesting, with some surprises along the way. Amy's Kitchen, Seventh Generation, Nature's Path, Solgar and some companies that you know are there and other folks who you don't know about but will want to.