About Us

Rakesh M. Amin is a Member at Amin Talati & Upadhye. Mr. Amin practices Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), U.S. Customs, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and related regulatory and litigation matters. Mr. Amin regularly provides legal counsel regarding food, dietary supplement, drug, cosmetic and medical device laws, including pre/post marketing requirements, GRAS and NDI issues, otc-drug monograph and homeopathic listings, labeling, advertising, good manufacturing practices, inspections, import detentions, warning letters, 483s and recalls. Related to his FTC practice, Mr. Amin helps companies defend consumer false advertising class actions and respond to National Advertising Division (NAD) inquiries. Mr. Amin also practices heavily in patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. His practice includes the searching, procurement, maintenance, licensing and litigation related to patents and trademarks, including counseling related to freedom-to-operate and patent invalidity opinions. Mr. Amin litigates IP infringement, unfair competition and breach of contract matters in federal courts throughout the country.

My experience in the food business space is literally from field to fork! Having worked in Startups to fortune 1000 companies in a cross-section of wall-to-wall categories in all retail food space.

I believe I would be a valuable member of the Gang of Good because I am passionate about taking North American natural products brands to the global markets. Our company, Athena Marketing International (AMI), is a leading international strategic consulting, business development and export management firm serving the food, beverage, nutrition and personal care/HBC categories. We work with senior executives, entrepreneurs and Boards to develop and implement international growth strategies for their brands. In our 18-year history we have worked with category-killing brands such as CLIF Bar, Popchips, Talking Rain, Puritan’s Pride, Orgain, Peet’s Coffee, Sunkist, Swanson Health, and many others. These brands have leveraged AMI’s global regulatory and channel management experience, large database of over 17,000 international buyers, market research capabilities and go-to-market planning expertise.

Vision. Perseverance. Fortitude. Innovation. Curiosity. Adaptability. Unwavering belief in self and team. Determination to make the impossible possible. Ethics. Resilience. All characteristics central to success in entrepreneurship…and high altitude mountaineering at the top of the world’s highest peaks in the harshest conditions imaginable. Over the last decade, as the ranks of high altitude mountaineering fill with capable amateur climbers pursuing their personal adventure dreams, Benitez has quietly emerged as one of the most experienced, respected and busiest professional guides and Leadership Development consultants in the world, managing expeditions to the tallest, most remote peaks on the planet as well as speaking/consulting with a deep and varied group of clientele and most recently as serving as the inaugural Director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office.

Jeff Grogg founded JPG Resources to build food and beverage companies and brands.  JPG Resources now has three areas of practice, with focus areas of Marketing and Sales, Product Creation and Commercialization, and Operations and Quality.  The JPG Resources team is a collection of senior leaders who are results focused business people, with depth developed at leading companies and an entrepreneurial spirit that connects with companies at all stages of growth. Before launching JPG Resources in 2009, Jeff led product innovation at Kashi as the company grew from $25million to $750million in sales over 9 years.  In addition, he headed the R&D team for Kellogg’s Health and Wellness business, launching a series of Special K and All-Bran functional beverages and bars.  These experiences have given him direct insight into rapidly moving functional food concepts from blue sky to market shelf, as well as into the creation of brands and products that capture the hearts of consumers, retailers, and investors.  JPG Resources now works with companies including startups, leading natural and specialty brands, and global leaders, contributing strategic and executional expertise to enable and drive business growth.

Phil Lempert has been the Food Trends Editor for NBC’s Today show since 1991. Known as the “SupermarketGuru”, Lempert appears weekly with “New Product Hit’s & Misses” on ABC Now and hosts a weekly radio show called Good Day with SupermarketGuru. 

Lempert is a contributing editor of Supermarket News, and a content provider for SN. He has written for Newsday, Family Circle, and Meat & Seafood Merchandising, among other publications.

35 plus years in Natural/Specialty Food Industry, from working in retail stores to starting his own national Natural Foods Brokerage Company for 30 years working with numerous pioneers throughout the natural products industry. Nine years ago Tom started consulting and brand management division of his Brokerage company.   Tom has worked with brands such as BHI/Heel, Sweet Leaf Stevia, Herbal Clear, Jennies Macaroons, Yaya’s, Paleo People, and countless others. His passion for building growth for natural companies is matched only by his love of adventure on his Harley.

With over 15 years of experience in the marketing and sales of consumer goods, Angus Murray has worked on 3 continents managing cross border translation of brands, ideas and products. Originally from the UK, he worked with large media and communications agencies across portfolios such as Coca Cola, Schweppes Beverages, Sainsbury’s and Lyon’s.

After traveling the world, Angus settled in Australia where he continued his career with leaving marketing agencies before starting his own brand – Foxy’s Pash and Foxy’s Thoughtful Ice Cream. After moving to the USA in 2009 and completing an MBA he bought Foxy’s to the USA with Walmart, Fresh and Easy, 7-Eleven and Albertsons being the first customers.

Foxy’s continues to grow at a triple digit rate and Angus’ sales, compliance and manufacturing knowledge and strategic management provide solid and robust platforms to plan your brand’s transition into US Grocery. He has made the mistakes, and learned the lessons the hard way so you don’t have to. Working with Angus will accelerate your success in the US market, or assist you in accurate planning of the costs, time and energy required to enter one of the most rewarding markets on the planet.

Doug Noll is an acclaimed advanced mediation advocacy and legal negotiation skills trainer. As a mediator, he specializes in mediating difficult, complex, and intractable conflicts. Since his first meditation in 1983, he has conducted over 1,500 mediations, both litigated and non-litigated. In addition to his law degree, Mr. Noll has a Master’s Degree in Peacemaking and Conflict Studies. Mr. Noll is AV-rated and was a business and commercial trial lawyer for 22 years before becoming a full-time mediator. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators, a Distinguished Fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, a panel member of the Agency for Dispute Resolution, a panel member of the California Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, and on the American Arbitration Association panel of mediators and arbitrators. Mr. Noll was one of the first U.S. mediators certified under the international mediator standards established by the International Mediation Institute. He is listed in the Who’s Who of International Commercial Mediators. Mr. Noll is currently the president of the California Dispute Resolution Council, a post he has held since 2012. Along with his colleague Laurel Kaufer, Mr. Noll was honored by California Lawyer Magazine as California Attorneys of the Year in 2012 for their pro bono Prison of Peace project. Mr. Noll has also been honored as a 2014 Lawyer of the Year by BestLawyers.com He is the creator of Negotiation Mastery for the Legal Pro, an on-line legal negotiation training course. He is the author of Elusive Peace: How Modern Diplomatic Strategies Could Better Resolve World Conflicts (Prometheus Books, April 2011). Elusive Peace was the winner of the Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR) International Peace and Justice Book Award for 2011. In addition, Mr. Noll is the author of Sex, Politics & Religion at the Office: The New Competitive Advantage (Auberry Press 2006), with John Boogaert, and Peacemaking: Practicing at the Intersection of Law and Human Conflict (Cascadia 2002). He has written numerous articles on peacemaking, negotiation, restorative justice, conflict resolution and mediation. He is a trainer, lecturer, and continuing education panelist. Doug has been voted as one of the Best Lawyers in America since 2005 by US News & World Report and has been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer. Mr. Noll is host of the radio show The Doug Noll Show that streams live on wsRadio.com Thursday evenings at 7 pm Pacific. Mr. Noll’s teaching affiliations include:

• Adjunct Professor of Law, San Joaquin College of Law
• Core Faculty, American Institute of Mediation
• Faculty Member, Advanced Professional Skills Development Program, Straus Institute, Pepperdine School of Law
• Co-Founder and Academic Director, Prison of Peace Project
• California and Florida approved MCLE provider
• Keynote speaker and independent trainer

Mr. Noll is also a second degree black belt in Chinese kung fu and has taught tai chi for over 10 years. He has a variety of other interests and accomplishments including certification as a Level III ski instructor, instrument-rated private pilot with multi-engine and helicopter ratings, a jazz violinist, and a whitewater rafter.

Ted is a change agent, trend spotter and principal of the LOHAS Group, a strategy firm focusing on helping companies discover, create, nurture and develop their unique brand assets to access and profit from the +$300 billion Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability marketplace (LOHAS). He is uniquely positioned to have a large picture understanding of macro trends affecting the LOHAS market that can indirectly affect how a company conducts business in the future and assess new opportunities. He has been instrumental in the development of the global LOHAS concept that has spread rapidly throughout the world as an identifier of elevated and deeper connection with planet, people, profit and healthy living. Ted is renowned for leading the annual LOHAS Forum, LOHAS.com and LOHAS Journal the past 9 years. He has worked closely with executive teams pursuing environmental, social and wellness innovations at corporations including Coca-Cola, MINI, Mohawk Flooring, Jurlique, Macy’s, Ecobonus and Natureworks. Ted is a highly sought international speaker on LOHAS market insights and presents frequently to Universities, business associations, and companies. He is a contributing writer to various national and international business publications. He also serves on several boards promoting sustainability, education, social entrepreneurship, racial integration and micro-credit enterprises. Ted grew up as an outdoor enthusiast in the mountains of Colorado where his family developed a nonprofit that helps impoverished women in Vietnam and Guatemala through micro credit financing and currently has over 5,000 loans in the field. He has been involved in community outreach and nonprofit work from a young age. He has a Bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Colorado and a Master’s degree in adult education from Regis University. Ted has a strong passion for teaching and igniting the spark of insight in people. He has lived overseas in Asia where he assisted in nonprofit work and studied Chinese. He also lived in Japan and was a ski coach during the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.

I believe in what goes around, comes around. Life is too short to hang out with people you don’t like! I’m here to support sustainable efforts, commitment to excellence and fostering long-term relationships with like-minded people that are here to make a difference.

Having grown up in the business helping send faxes out at an early age, Sarah is Gillian’s youngest daughter and applies all she learned growing up in Christie & Co as a passionate non-profit executive focused on human rights and education. With experience working in Sri Lanka, Brazil, and beyond, Sarah has seen first-hand the power of entrepreneurship to transform lives and build a better world.

Founder of the Bricktown Group brings twenty-five years’ experience in General Management and Brand Building of emerging growth food, beverage, and nutraceutical companies. He has managed and owned companies in both the public and private sectors. In the past Eric served as Chairman and CEO of New Leaf Brands, a brand which he founded. In 2009 he engineered the sale of Lifetime Vitamins to Nutraceutical Inc. Served as Owner/Managing Partner of Iceland Spring Water which he exited in 2008. Prior to this Eric spent twenty years in the beverage industry working in senior-level general management, sales, marketing and distribution roles with Naked Juice, Fresh Samantha, Hansen’s and Arizona Tea. Eric began his career in the food and beverage business as a distributor in Orlando, Florida.

With extensive experience in operations and management having worked at Disney and other corporations, Cheryl serves as a the President of Bio S.I. Technology applying her management skills and passion for operations to supporting the company’s growth and mission to catalyze sustainable agriculture nationally and internationally.

Bio S.I. Technology’s organic soil inoculants’ products help to rebuild your soil naturally, making it more vigorous, more productive and able to more efficiently absorb water into the rhizosphere. Bio S.I. products help restore the carbon fraction of the soil by digesting plant and animal debris into humus, as well as through their own life cycles. Bio S.I products renew the soil life by breaking up residues that impede natural growth of soil life.

As President/CEO of the Balance Bar Company, he led the company’s growth from $1M in sales in 1995 to $100M in sales in 1999.  The company went public in 1998 and sold to Kraft Foods for $268M in 2000.  Mr. Wolfe has also held executive level positions in Marketing and Sales with Welch’s, Coca-Cola, and Seven-Up Foods.  He has consulted Celestial Seasonings, Welch’s, Gatorade and Snapple.  Born in Buffalo, NY he was one of nine children, and graduated the University of Buffalo with a B.S. in Business Administration.

Lucinda Wright has extensive marketing and innovation experience across North America and Europe and leads the marketing and supply chain practices at JPG Resources. Her portfolio includes operational start-ups, business turnarounds, creation of new brands and new business platforms, development of business-building programs and award winning advertising. Lucinda began her marketing career at Kellogg Company in brand management and consumer marketing. For nearly a decade, she served in key leadership positions on both large established global businesses, like Kellogg’s Raisin Bran and Corn Flakes, as well as led the new product innovation team from pipeline development through commercialization and launch.

At Kellogg, Lucinda was accountable for division-level acquisition strategies and assessments and played a key role in the acquisition of Kashi Company. She led the cross-functional team through the due diligence and valuation model development, crafted the acquisition recommendation and secured approval for the purchase. As marketing vice president in the natural and frozen foods division, Lucinda was responsible for innovation, advertising and the development of business and brand strategies for a portfolio of four brands across more than two hundred SKUs in seven trade channels. In this role, she significantly improved business performance including increases in consumer awareness, purchase intent, revenue, profit and margin.

Prior to joining JPG Resources, Lucinda was Director of Foods Product Development for Meijer.  In this role, she managed the creation of the innovation and product development function to support Meijer’s own brand food business. The start-up of this function required capabilities, talent and infrastructure development for: R&D, culinary, global sourcing, manufacturing procurement, regulatory and labeling.  She delivered sales growth across a multi-billion dollar portfolio of five brands and more than six thousand products. Annually, her team held project management responsibility for more than three hundred new product launches across a base of both domestic and global manufacturers.

Lucinda has both a MBA and BA from Michigan State University in Marketing. In September 2012, she was presented with the Excellence in Marketing award from Michigan State University’s Marketing Leadership Advisory Board. In 2001, Lucinda was awarded an Effie for excellence in advertising. She has also been the recipient of the Top 20 Best New Frozen Products of the Year from Supermarket Review.

Mark Haas has been helping natural and organic companies grow for more than 20 years. With a background leading high growth brands as well as founding his own contract manufacturing plant, Mark provides experienced insight and strategies to bring companies to their full potential.

At The Helmsman Group, Mark and his team help accelerate high potential food brands in several new categories, including bakery, snacks, cold-press beverages, gluten-free, and free-from. Additionally, Mark often takes long-term interim C-level assignments as coach to founder or advisor to the board to facilitate growth.

As an investor and advisor outside of The Helmsman Group, Mark supports organizations that empower the global organic and natural foods industry including the Advisory Boards of Aunt Fannie’s, a Safe Near Food cleaning and pesticide alternative, and 88 Acres, a free-from healthy snack start-up. Mark is also committed to nurturing the next generation of food industry leaders through his work with the both Christie & Co’s Gang of Good, as well as the Education Research Institute, a non-profit affiliate of the North West Food Processors Association.

Mark lives in Lafayette, California with his wife and two sons.

I’ve spent 30 years making the world safe for capitalism. I want to spend my next 30 years helping grow companies that are making the world a better place.

Tim Avila blends 20 years of experience in discovery, validation and branding of bioactive ingredients and consumer packaged nutrition products. He is the CEO of Systems Bioscience, Inc., a company specializing in providing Global Fortune 500 companies with business and product development knowledge regarding dietary supplements, natural and organic foods and consumer products and services. Tim’s client list includes Cargill, Nestle, Proctor & Gamble and Coca Cola. He also is General Manager of Zero Worries Foods Inc., the manufacturer and distributor of ZSweet brand all natural zero calorie sweetener. Tim is the inventor and developer of the ZSweet proprietary blend formulations. Before founding Systems Bioscience in 1997, Tim served with Metagenics, Inc. for five years, where he was responsible for numerous proprietary formulations. He was also advisor to Sambazon Inc. Tim passionately pushes boundaries for the nutrition and health & wellness industry and currently assists large and small companies in both consumer packaged and raw material innovations. Over the last 5 years, early stage ventures have been a focus with a raft of start-ups, incubator concepts and other industry-wide ‘farm system’ activities leading to successful new brands and companies via Tim’s ability to coach and guide entrepreneurs in all aspects of the venturing process. Tim has also worked as a Senior Executive Advisor to New Hope Natural Media Inc.

Social entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in the environmental sector. Currently International Consultant on sustainable and institutional development. All of the projects where she is involved have at its core the improvement of living conditions of rural communities and indigenous groups to foster sustainable development and the facilitation of interaction between the business and social sectors.

Highlights of her career include: International Consultant (2018 to present) leading projects such as introduction of oils and butters from the Peruvian Amazon to the US Personal Care market on behalf of CANDELA Peru and proposal development for Earth Innovation Institute. Former CEO of WWF Peru (2011-2018) launching the Dedicated Grant Mechanism for Indigenous Peoples of the World Bank in Peru; early implementation of the Peru-Norway Agreement to reduce emissions from deforestation; and first management plan for isolated indigenous peoples in collaboration with the Peruvian Government.

Ms. Leon-Melgar lived in the Pacific from 2001-2011. During this time she led a successful international consulting firm leading the creation of the Sustainable Policy Framework for the Republic of Palau; and launching The Nature Conservancy’s Micronesia Leaders in Island Conservation – a leadership learning network across the region. Formerly she was Director of Compatible Development and NGO Self-Sufficiency for The Nature Conservancy based in Virginia (1994-2001) where she led the creation and early capitalization of EcoEnterprises Fund – a venture capital fund that foster the creation of sustainable businesses in the tropics and the creation of Continuous Education Program on NGO Management with TEC de Monterrey.

James VanBrocklin

Formulating and launching a new premium supplement line or developing a natural industry best seller is puzzling, frustrating, often time consuming and expensive. With his own experience as a supplement manufacturer, James VanBrocklin knew from first-hand experience that there needed to be a better system for product development. With his brother, Dana, they started NutraLInkUSA to increase the efficiency of product development from formulation to manufacturing, branding, marketing and DTC sales platform education and management.

Working with start- ups to mid-size to large brands, James and his team handle everything from creating a formula, assisting with FDA compliant guidelines, designing and creating effective branding, helping with specialized packaging and manufactured in a FDA registered cGMP/NSF manufacturing laboratories, that provide the needed certifications. USDA Organic, Halaal, Kosher certifications are available along with all the various COA’s, CO, Free Sale Certificates and legal documentations needed internationally.

Representing dozens of US manufacturers in the food, beverage, dietary supplement, cosmetic, health & beauty industry, James is known for his passion for quality, formulating efficacious products that work, a nutraceutical operation’s expert, and providing one of the first white glove concierge services in the custom manufacturing industry.  In his spare time, James and his wife enjoy sharing their healthy lifestyle with their son, playing guitar, producing music together, and hiking with their little yorkie, Lucy.

Dana VanBrocklin

Dana has over 8 years of experience in the Nutraceutical Field, and a background of over 12 years of experience working for a Fortune 200 Insurance Company.  Dana began his career as an Insurance Agent, opening his sales agency in Salt Lake City, UT.  His mission was simple, be transparent, provide people with superior customer service, and make it a fun place to be!  His clear vision quickly paid off, making his sales agency the highest ranking revenue producing agency in his region.  He was then offered a Corporate Sales Management position in Washington State, where he recruited and mentored other start-up agents, helping them to build successful businesses.  After realizing the exciting opportunities that lay await in the health and wellness field of NutraCeuticals, Dana decided to begin a new chapter in this field with his brother and partner James to create NutraLinkUSA.  Together with James, he has carried his simple vision forward to his customers – be transparent, provide superior customer service with an environment of positivity!  Dana considers his customers to be his most valuable business partners, and providing them with a platform for success, his most important achievement.  It is his commitment to that valued partnership that drives him along with the commitment that is echoed by his dynamic team.

Matthew has more than 20 years of experience in creating applications, managing databases and web-based solutions for fortune 500 companies that include Delta Airlines, T-Mobile, and Airlines Reporting Corporation to name just a few. Matthew’s focus over the last 5 years has been primarily in e-commerce specializing in Shopify and Amazon business needs. With knowledge of Amazon PPC advertising, Ruby on Rails, Unix/Linux, and marketing technologies used across the web, he has helped launch million-dollar brands on both platforms. Matthew knows the technology and business challenges of each selling platform. Matthew’s attention to detail and responsiveness is unmatched in the industry.

Working with positive people who have a vision for making the world a better place is always a joy. I love helping people avoid all the technical gotchas and fighting back against the all-powerful tech giants.

Arjun Lalbhai is a serial entrepreneur and collaborative brand strategist, renowned for his unique approach to business. With a keen eye for innovation, he has successfully launched multiple brands in the US and global markets. What sets Arjun apart is his ability to view brands from both the brand owner’s and the trade channel’s perspective, providing a holistic and unparalleled strategic vision.

Arjun’s empathetic understanding of brand owners’ fears, anxieties, and risks allows him to build meaningful connections, ensuring the success of their ventures. Simultaneously, his insights as a trade channel partner offer a competitive edge and expand brands’ reach across diverse markets and distribution channels.

As a dynamic team, Arjun and his wife Rajvi work hand-in-hand to create captivating brand stories and drive creativity in branding and social media initiatives. Rajvi’s expertise in crafting narratives adds depth and authenticity to each brand, elevating their presence in the market.

Together, Arjun and Rajvi continue to empower brands with comprehensive solutions, nurturing them from conception to global recognition. With their collaborative spirit, innovative vision, and a common love for exploring food and culture, they make a profound impact in the business landscape, inspiring brands to reach new heights of success.