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IFOAM Trade Symposium 2007 |
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IFOAM Trade Symposium 2007
The organic marketplace is constantly evolving, continually
confronting challenges and taking advantage of new opportunities. All
around the world, organic is growing at double-digit annually. Growth
continues via traditional channels, but at the same time is entering
the mainstream. New players from big conventional businesses are
stepping up to take an active role in pushing organic markets in to
unknown dimensions, thus presenting new challenges and opportunities
for everyone involved, including the consumer.
IFOAM is
organizing an trade symposium to discuss the implications of
large-scale conventional businesses entering the organic marketplace.
The conversation will address both the challenges as well as the
opportunities provided by the mainstreaming of organic. This trade
symposium will be a pre-BioFach event. BioFach clearly brings the
world leaders on organic trade together and provides the ideal
environment to hold this important symposium.
The event is
called “In–between discount and premium: Friend or foe?” and will be
held Wednesday, February 14, 2006 from 14:00 to 18:00.
The
symposium will consist of a reception from 14:00 to 15:00. From 15:00
to 18:00 there will be four presentations and open discussion. The
IFOAM Trade Symposium will address a wide range of issues, including
ethics, economics, opportunities and risks involved in the organic
sector’s development. In addition, invited experts will discuss the
‘war on resources’, pricing and keys and breakthroughs for accessing
new consumer groups. IFOAM has invited leaders in trade to have an open
and meaningful conversation on these topics.
Dr. Götz Rehn, - Director, Alnatura
The
founder and managing director of Alnatura, Dr. Rehn received the
distinguished Ernst & Young entrepreneur of the year award in the
trade category among 350 competitors. Alnatura manufactures
approximately 600 organic products under its brand and operates 21
organic supermarkets throughout Germany. Dr. Rehn attributes his
success to the demand of consumers, which results in an increasing
number of jobs with Alnatura. Maximization of profit is not his goal;
profit is a condition that must correspond to the needs of consumers,
who are searching for high-quality organic food for the long term.
“Meaningful
for humans and nature” is the credo of Alnatura; ethics, ecology and
economy are not contrasts, but go hand-in-hand with the impressive
development of Alnatura. Dr. Rehn represents the federation of organic
supermarkets in the executive committee, the central association for
agricultural producers, processing plants and dealers of organic food
in Germany.
Mr. Bruno Fischer, - Director of International Procurement, Europe and South America, The Hain Celestial Group
Bruno
Fischer was born 1958 as the son of a master butcher into a family of
generations of master-butchers. In the late 70’s he started the
production of meat-alternatives and other vegetarian healthfoods in the
family meat-processing-plant.
Over the past 10 years, he
developed and produced more than 15 lines of organic and vegan food
products including hearty breadspreads, vegan sausages, vegan
mayonnaise, tomato ketchups & tomato sauces, burger mixes, soup
stocks, sugar free jams, sweet nut-spreads, salad dressings and much
more.
He then sold the company and founded Natumi after more than
a decade of research into dairy alternatives. Natumi soon became a
leading producer of dairy alternatives, and was aquired by
Hain-Celestial in 2004.
Today he works as the Director of
Procurement for Europe and South America for The Hain Celestial Group.
His function encompasses consolidation and sourcing of ingredients for
manufacturing plants in the US and Europe with an emphasis on organic
ingredients.
He is alsothe founding Member and long-time
director of the Organic Processors Association BNN-He in Germany. He
also aided in the development of the the IFOAM Accreditation System as
a member of the Evaluation Committee.
Thomas B. Harding, Jr., - President of AgriSystems International
Mr.
Thomas has spent over 33 years as an international consultant to
agriculture, forestry, fisheries and the trade, both public and private
sectors, in developing certified organic production and value added
systems and markets for organic products in over sixty (60) countries.
Mr. Harding is a specialist in the preparation for Organic/Fair
Trade/Humane Care inspection and certification, linking strategic
market partnerships, and international regulations, global standards
development and organic product labeling, import and export
requirements. He works in the area of sustainable and organic aquatic
systems development, state-of-the-art organic processing and
manufacturing systems, organic product ingredient sourcing,
due-diligence, audit trail and traceability systems as well as
alternative energy and resource management systems. He has assisted
many foreign governments and worked with public sector development
programs (USAID, European Union, FAO, ITC, UN, Codex Alimentarius,
World Bank and GTZ) and significant private sector development
throughout North, Central and South America, Asia, Australasia, Africa
and Europe.
Mr. Harding is Past President and Founding Member
of the Organic Trade Association (OTA); Founder & Past President of
OCIA International; Founder & Past President of Institute for
Alternative Agriculture, and Past President and World Board Member of
the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM),
(Germany).
He speaks throughout the world on sustainable
business and organic agriculture systems and food development and
fair-trade – the importance of market access, incentive-based market
mechanisms and real cost (internalization-of-the externalities)
price-based farm commodities and food.
Mr. Harding was appointed
by the Executive Office of the President to the Trade and Environment
Policy Advisory Committee (TEPAC), U.S. Trade Representative,
Washington, D.C.
Biography
Matthew J. Miller, - Vice President of Marketing/Brand Strategy & Development Consumer Brands/Safeway, Inc.
Matthew
J. Miller is primarily responsible for setting the strategic direction
of the branded business in term of brand management strategy, channel
and consumer marketing strategy and the development of integrated and
comprehensive marketing plans that build preference for our brands
among consumers.
Safeway has recently introduced O Organics™; a
line of over 200 USDA certified organic products that have quickly
become one of the most successful organic brand introductions in the
United States. Offering consumers great tasting organic food as nature
intended and making it available to the widest audience for the
greatest value is the O Organics brand mission.
Prior to
Safeway, Mr. Miller was a Vice President, Head of Business
Excellence-Generating Demand at Nestle , the world’s largest food
company at its Switzerland office. Matt spent four years with Nestle
Purina Pet Care Company as Director of Marketing and three years as
Vice President Managing Director Western Region in its’ Customer
Development Group.
He received his Bachelor of Science in
Economics and his MBA from Arizona State University. Matt resides in
the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children.
Safeway
Inc. is a Fortune 50 company and one of the largest food and drug
retailers in North America. The company operates 1,767 stores in the
United States and Canada and had sales of $38.4 billion in 2005. The
company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under
the symbol SWY.
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