Kyle Krull & Anthony Corsaro
A Deep Dive Into Our Inaugural State of Regenerative CPG Report
On this episode, Anthony and Kyle unpack the recently released State of Regenerative CPG Report. The report synthesizes ReGen Brands' proprietary learnings from almost three years of studying regenerative CPG, including 80 podcast episodes interviewing brand founders, executives, and other key ecosystem stakeholders. The report is designed to help brands, retailers, investors and other stakeholders understand the successes and challenges faced by regenerative brands.
Anthony and Kyle give a special thank you to Katey Finnegan, the lead author of the report. They also thank Jellyshot for the incredible report design and Krstina Tober for copyediting.
Why We Wrote It
The State of Regenerative CPG Report was created to bring together key insights gathered from hundreds of hours of conversations with regenerative brands on the podcast. The idea was to create a report that makes it easier for time-starved decision-makers to understand how regenerative brands are winning, the challenges they face, and the opportunities that lie ahead.
Creating the report brought an unexpected level of clarity and clear direction for ReGen Brands. It validated recurring themes Anthony and Kyle had observed while shining a spotlight on critical problems that could no longer be ignored. By consolidating these challenges and opportunities into a single document, the team has created a foundation for accountability. With plans to release future iterations, ReGen Brands can now measure progress year over year, identify which challenges have been addressed, and track which issues remain unresolved.
“When you articulate the problem, you have a responsibility to try to find a solution. This is a big part of the work we're doing now in the ReGen Brands Coalition and Institute. Now we can focus on the top three challenges and really try to move the needle and create some potential solutions for these issues.” – Kyle
How ReGen Brands are Winning Today
Kyle and Anthony recap the first section of the report which describes how regenerative CPG products win over consumers, drive profitable businesses and deliver impact for people, climate and nature.
1. Regenerative brands bring increased value to farmers.
By offering price premiums, technical support, and expanded market access, regenerative brands help farmers transition to and sustain regenerative practices. The impact is even more powerful in the Global South where brands are creating equitable, fair supply chains, increasing economic opportunities for smallholder farmers. In meat production in particular, brands take on the aggregation, marketing and sales work that enables small-scale regenerative ranchers to be profitable.
“If regenerative ranchers had to all go direct to consumer on their own or they had to figure out some sort of other route to market, they wouldn't have as profitable or even a profitable channel at all.” - Anthony
2. Regenerative product innovation creates markets that boost biodiversity.
These brands consider farm diversity and environmental impact during product development. They ensure greater diversity of offtake and they create markets for underutilized or nontraditional products.
3. Regenerative products are insanely delicious.
Regenerative ingredients are more nutrient dense which leads to more flavor. Many brands also use improved processing techniques that enhance flavor and deliver a higher-quality product. Kyle highlights how brands like Zack’s Mighty and Long Table didn’t focus on regenerative to begin with but landed on regeneratively-grown ingredients in their pursuit of creating category-leading product performance.
“I love that part of regenerative ag and regen CPG - that you don't have to be trying to save the planet. You can be solely focused on taste and flavor and still end up with a regenerative product.” - Kyle
4. Regenerative products win over consumers with health and wellness benefits.
Regenerative products often use healthier, cleaner ingredients, making them an easy choice for health-conscious consumers. Brands can engage consumers not only on the additional benefits of their products, but also highlight what’s not in the products, like glyphosate and other agrochemicals.
5. Regenerative is inspiring a new class of young and diverse brand founders.
Many regenerative brand founders are inspired by personal or family health challenges, driving them to create meaningful, mission-driven companies. The movement is attracting a more diverse group of entrepreneurs, including women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ leaders. This new wave of founders is bringing fresh ideas, cultural influences, and relentless dedication to scaling regenerative agriculture.
6. Regenerative brands drive retailer and consumer awareness which is essential for the regenerative movement.
Brands are doing the lion's share of work educating consumers and have successfully gained buy-in from key retailers like Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Jimbo’s. While large-scale retail programs are still emerging, early wins include end caps, signage, and prioritized assortments.
7. Regenerative brands challenge business as usual.
Brands are building regenerative principles into their entire business model. Beyond sourcing regeneratively, brands like Tree Range Farms and Sol Simple are creating unique, multi-entity corporate structures that drive greater social and economic benefits for farmers. Founders like Kyle Koehler at Wildway are taking a stand by challenging industry norms, calling out inefficiencies and hypocrisies in our conventional food system.
8. Regenerative brands pioneer new routes to market
Regenerative brands are succeeding beyond traditional retail, leveraging food service and direct-to-consumer channels to build scale and profitability. Partnerships in food service allow brands to reach economies of scale, which help fund growth in retail. Vertically integrated brands invite consumers to visit farms, providing a tangible, visceral connection to regenerative agriculture. Transparency and storytelling, particularly through farm visits and content, deepen consumer trust and loyalty.
9. Regenerative brands prove that regenerative agriculture can feed the world
Regenerative farms are achieving quantifiable results, including higher yields, increased profitability, and better resource use. Brands like Lundberg Family Farms, Lotus Foods, and Applegate are scaling regenerative supply chains to meet significant demand. Products grown regeneratively often deliver more nutrition per calorie, addressing both hunger and health. These successes challenge the myth that regenerative agriculture cannot scale to feed the global population.
Key Challenges and Calls to Action
Kyle and Anthony recap the second section of the report which dives into six sticky challenges that regenerative brands face and thoughts on how brands, retailers, investors, and support organizations, like ReGen Brands, can build creative solutions.
While regenerative is gaining momentum, it still remains incredibly challenging for brands and farmers to survive and succeed in a system that favors low costs over quality and quick profits for a small minority over long-term benefits for human and planetary health.
1. Regenerative is not (and will not be) the main reason why a consumer buys a product
Consumers prioritize taste, price, and convenience when making food purchasing decisions. Regenerative brands need to focus on communicating tangible, self-serving benefits like superior taste, health, and wellness, rather than relying solely on environmental or altruistic messaging.
“We have spent way too much time defining regenerative to consumers, and we need to move to marketing regenerative to a consumer. We've also spent way too much time trying to sell altruistic benefits. We need to start selling self-interested benefits that are very tangible to the individual person consuming the product.” - Anthony
2. Regenerative product claims are contentious within the industry and confusing to consumers.
Competing definitions, certifications, and claims create confusion for consumers and retailers, making it harder to identify and trust regenerative products. Unlike binary claims (e.g., organic, non-GMO), regenerative agriculture is complex, varied, and not easily standardized, which hinders clarity in messaging. This lack of cohesion creates barriers for retailers trying to support the regenerative movement with clear in-store identification and messaging. The industry must work toward greater harmony, consensus, and codified tools that enable consistent, credible communication to consumers.
3. Regenerative brands invest in transforming supply chains without receiving proper incentives or rewards.
Certifications, reporting requirements, and supply chain investment add financial and operational burdens that aren’t offset by retailer incentives. For farmers, transitioning from conventional practices can involve temporary yield reductions and increased costs without guaranteed premiums during the transition period. Creative solutions are needed, such as innovative retailer partnerships, alternative funding models, and creating incentive systems that reward brands for their regenerative efforts.
4. Regenerative products are priced at a premium and not widely accessible.
While some brands achieve price parity with conventional or organic products, many regenerative products require a price premium or are marked up by retailers as premium offerings, limiting accessibility to a broader consumer base. Retailers can play a role by rethinking margin structures, offering promotional support, and finding creative ways to lower costs for consumers while maintaining brand profitability. Collaboration and innovation are key to increasing velocities and ensuring regenerative products become affordable and accessible for all.
5. Regenerative brands are often supply-constrained.
Many brands find it difficult to source regenerative ingredients due to limited availability which stems from multi-year farm transition timelines, annual crop cycles, lack of processing and identity preservation infrastructure, and the usually high cost of production in regenerative systems. Certification and verification processes also take time, slowing the transition and scaling of regenerative supply. Increased investment in supply coordination, farmer education, and certification infrastructure is essential to meet the growing demand for regenerative products.
6. Financing for regenerative brands is insufficient and misaligned.
Traditional funding models prioritize short-term returns and rapid growth, which often conflict with the long-term, mission-driven goals of regenerative brands. Innovative financing solutions, such as inventory loans with reduced interest rates or alternative equity structures, can help brands stay mission-aligned while scaling their businesses. Investors, funders, and policymakers must recognize the unique financial needs of regenerative brands and provide tools that support their long-term success.
“There's so much hope in regeneration and we have to solve some of these really nitty gritty hard problems of how we make the economics work and how we make these businesses work better, because they're working on our behalf for our nutrition and the health of the planet” - Anthony
Call to Action
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This ReGen Recap was written by Katey Finnegan
You can check out the full episode with Kyle and Anthony HERE
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