Tim Heydon started at Shenandoah Growers via an unusual route: along with a few classmates, he wrote a case study on the company while doing his MBA nearby at James Madison University.

This was 1998. Tim joined the company as CEO and has grown Shenandoah into 350 employees across 300,000 square feet of growing/packing facilities in Virginia, Texas, Indiana, and Georgia.

Today, Shenandoah is the leading organic herbs supplier in the Eastern United States.

How did they get here? To start, Tim is a fantastic leader. People like to work for him. Listeners will pickup on this quickly. Strong on innovation, culture, and vision, we talk about the ins and outs of Shenandoah and the keys to their success:

• Why Tim decided to join a herb company with no prior experience in agriculture
• Keys to their impressive employee retention rate
• On staying afloat in the often harsh and unforgiving agriculture market
• Their amazing content website - FreshHerbs.com (check it out!!)
• Cutting edge technology and how it helps their bottom line
• Keys to developing retailer/buyer relationships
• How they plan to transform the food system
• Why the BIG opportunities are in logistics

Selected links from the show:
Shenandoah Growers
FreshHerbs.com

In today's interview we talk about the paradox of choice and the power of data.

As Sam Slover mentioned in the interview: "If you think of a grocery store with a huge aisle of 60+ yogurts to choose from, but each of those yogurts has a slightly different (nutritional) profile", how do you choose the healthiest yogurt to eat?

Sam's company, the Sage Project, is working to make in-store recommendations based on your dietary needs and help to decipher product transparency to the end consumer. Food product labels have it's limitations. Think of a "smart wikipedia for food data".

What do "all-natural" and "made in small batches" mean in terms of nutrition and the preparation of a food product?

They are working with a number of retailers in Whole Foods to bring the project to reality. Listen and learn how a data-driven company is on the path to transform our shopping experience:

• Personalized nutrition - why it matters
• Sam's personal journey and how the idea for Sage came about
• How self-tracking has had a positive impact in Sam's life (see Wrap Genius)
• The positive benefits of personal tracking
• How we can get started on data tracking
• Why transparency and nutrition can be overwhelming at a grocery store
• Buzz words and the confusion of customers
• Ways for food startups to get involved
• Empower consumers to be healthier

Selected links from the episode:
The Sage Project
Wrap Genius
The Rational Optimist
Shaping Things by Bruce Sterling

Self-driving cars, IBM's Watson, and Google's search algorithm are just a few examples of AI (Artificial Intelligence) .. it is already here. And it is rapidly becoming a bigger part of our lives. AI will change food.

Listen to this quick overview as a starting point for AI Awareness, how you can start thinking about AI business ideas and some examples of AI in food startups. We'll interview some of them in the next few weeks.

Don't worry, you can learn about it even if you're not technically inclined.

Photo Credit: CC Sarah Wheeler

Selected links from the show:
Inevitable by Kevin Kelly
Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell
Nuritas
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN AGRICULTURE. PART 1: HOW FARMING IS GOING AUTOMATED WITH ROBOTS
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN AGRICULTURE. PART 2: HOW FARMING IS GOING AUTOMATED WITH ROBOTS

Kristen Hawley is a San Francisco-based freelance writer and editor focusing on chefs and restaurants + digital and social technology. Like a lot of freelancers, she leads a fascinating life.

She has worked on creative projects with OpenTable, the National Restaurant Association, TechTable Summit, SF's Nopa restaurant, SALIDO, Upserve, and more and has a background in traditional magazine publishing (Country Living, Delish).

In 2013, she started the Chefs + Tech newsletter to share news, ideas, and trends in the restaurant+tech space combining her love of lifestyle, food, and restaurants with an understanding of the current technology landscape.

And her newsletter has an unprecedented open rate of over 50%! It has opened up opportunities for her in the ever-evolving digital content and communications space. Kristen answers host and listener questions:

• What makes an interesting story?
• Why does a great story become mediocre after 6 months?
• How do you standout and be a leader in your industry?
• What is the best way to start a content strategy for your food startup?
• Does an article or mention in the New York Times matter in 2016?
• What questions can I answer about my food biz that will create valuable content (Hint: don't forget the small stuff!)?
• How do I educate my audience about why my product is better than the competition in a ethical way?
• What was it like working at Twitter?

Selected links from the show:
Chefs + Tech
Kristen on Twitter
Pop Sugar Tech