Sacramento Region Food System Collaborative

11/23/2017

Thank you, Farmers!

While California boasts some of the highest numbers of female farmers in the U.S., at 33 percent of the state’s total ...

09/23/2017

"The food movement has been instrumental in educating consumers about the problems in our system. It’s time to focus on fixing them."

UNEARTHED | They can play a part in the solution, but not a big one.

07/03/2017

05/13/2017

Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Junk food in school has got to go!

Is a resolution to end McTeacher’s Nights in the nation’s second-largest school district a promising sign of things to come?

04/21/2017

It’s one thing to know what questions to ask in an interview for a top fundraiser. It’s equally important to know the answers you should be looking for.

04/21/2017

Inspired by my discussion with women leaders today about how we can bring more women into leadership positions in Sacramento.

04/20/2017

There seems to be little in the way of a guiding federal strategy on food.

01/19/2017

No, low-income people aren't quaffing huge amounts of soda on the taxpayer dime.

12/26/2016

From a new GMO labeling bill to an uptick in institutional purchasing and an increase in city-level food policy positions, here’s what you might have missed. The FDA Just Banned These Chemicals in Food. Are They the Tip of the Iceberg? By Elizabeth Grossman FDA banned three toxic food packaging chem...

12/07/2016

12/04/2016

Dear CEO,

Please give us a moment to share something we hope you will find very valuable.

Our customers come from all walks of life. The kindness of cooks knows no borders or divides. In the aftermath of the election, seeing the intentional damage inflicted on so many outside the white heterosexual male world, we raised our voice. We felt we had to. We did this because we are Penzeys. The Spice business is so intertwined with history that it's not really possible to have one without the other. It became clear to us that we are now in a moment history will long have its eyes upon. For the sake of our customers, and for the sake of future generations, we felt the time had come to stand on the right side of history.

And while the reasons for why we took a stand might be specific to our unique outlook, what we learned actually applies to all commerce in the United States. What we learned is that President-elect Donald Trump has no real support. Voters, sure, but no constituency. Running a campaign on "that horrible-terrible-woman who should be locked up," while at the same time working to raise fear of minorities among white voters with limited access to education, clearly achieved its goal. But none of it left Americans with any sense of connection to the candidate they actually voted for.

Willing to take a hit for what is right, we did what we did. In the two weeks since, online sales are up 59.9%, gift box sales up 135%. And we didn't have a catalog arrive in this window this year, while last year we had 1.1 million! Yes, maybe for the moment we have lost 3% of our customers because of the so-called "right wing firestorm." And, yes, they send emails of rage, and ALL CAPS, and bad language with the hope of creating the perception that they are bigger than they really are. But what we learned is that, in terms of retail spending, Donald Trump simply has no one supporting his views for America. He has no constituency.

America's Values, on the other hand, have a really sizable constituency, and that constituency moves quickly to support those that stand up for the values of America. If, as a company, you have values, now is the time to share them. You may well lose a chunk of your AM radio-listening customers, but if you really are honest and sincere, don't be surprised to see your promotions suddenly, finally, find active engagement with the Millennial generation.

And the time for this really is now. We understand all too well that, with the holidays, December is a tough month to get things done. We understand that a change in direction will not be easy, but you are where you are because you don't need things to be easy. If you wait until after the wheels come off the track for the incoming administration, this moment will have passed. And while there's no bad time to do the right thing, to do the right thing at the same time as others in your industry will work so much better than waiting until someone else has shown the way.

In this moment there is finally the real chance to unite our nation in our shared rejection of sexism, homophobia, and racism. This is your chance to stand up for America's values and make January a tent pole in your company's history. Opportunities to do the right thing at the time when doing the right thing makes all the difference come once in a lifetime. Make your history proud.

Thanks for reading,

Penzeys Spices