Why I'm Here or

Several years ago I quit a great job at a company called SPINS. It had good benefits (insert sobbing sound here), with good co-workers and even four freaking weeks of vacation, but after eight years I realized I needed to do something more than make marketing muckety mucks able to track the sales of all their consumer packaged goods.

So I started a a website on the natural and organic products industry to acknowledge those companies that actually are doing more than just selling stuff and to raise a stiff middle finger, of the literary kind, to those who believe that just because they sell natural or organic means that they are doing something for the planet.

So I'll be posting items from the website and other news as well. We also have, if I do say so myself, a terrific a humor section .

In the meantime here is a quick test. You can usually find me:

a) Shoplifting in the vitamin aisle at Whole Foods

b) Fondling artisan goat cheese at Whole Foods

c) Fondly my privates with EO Body Lotion at Whole Foods

d) Eating a Tofutti Cutie from the box and returning the package to the freezer section at Whole Foods

e) On the information superhighway calling people on their crap and acknowledging others for their principles.

The answer is e. At least on our good days.

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.