“Regenerative agriculture is the tide that raises all ships,” said Bob. “Growing healthier plants and healthier soils helps all of our customers for different reasons, whether they understand the cause or not. The primary concern for some customers is nutrient density and clean food. Other customers of ours are looking for flavor and shelf life and aesthetics.” Regenerative practices means The Chef’s Garden can meet the needs of all of their customers.
Bob said chefs are very consistent in their demands: “They specifically request flavor, aesthetics, flavor, shelf life, flavor, and more flavor. If you don't have flavor in the kitchen, you don't have anything.”
It was in the quest for methods of growing more flavorful produce that they encountered John Kempf. “We were trying to answer the same questions. And he was coming across ways to solve that puzzle. So we were very interested in his work and started using some of his early products.”
The business relationship blossomed into a friendship of almost two decades and is still going strong. “I want to work with people that I know are not in it only for themselves,” Bob said.
“People are tired of extractional relationships, and there's a lot of that in agriculture today: where people are only interested in the next sale. That's never been AEA's motto. They want to help the farmers that they're working with be able to grow and expand and become more profitable. . . . If people really understand that you're there to help each other and it's a mutually beneficial arrangement, then it truly is a win-win.”
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