The Background
Regenerative agriculture and organic farming are transforming how our food is grown, emphasizing environmental regeneration, community enrichment, and human health. Supply chains are being built and brands are making claims that their products are “regenerative organic,” “organic,” or “regenerative.”
Merge Impact is guiding food brands and farmers through the nebulous maze of this evolving space and the rules that are coming to define it.
Merge Impact’s overarching goal is to help create a transparent, global food network that melds sustainability, farmer empowerment, and community enrichment by activating regenerative agriculture practices and providing visibility of its impact on the planet and human health.
Merge is working towards this goal by partnering with brands and farmers to provide a raw material sourcing platform, verified farm-level sustainability data, and opportunities to market and monetize ecosystem benefits like carbon and biodiversity.
A New Playbook for Brands
Consumers are no longer content with the status quo. They seek transparency, environmental consciousness, and brands that value the planet. For brands, these expectations turn into opportunities to demonstrate verified reductions in scope 3 emissions, quantifiable long-term investments in biodiversity, and a real investment in their regenerative farmer partners and supply chains.
The leading regenerative brands of today and tomorrow are focused on the following playbook:
3 Core Brand Values:
- Education: Discern between conventional, regenerative, and organic farming.
- Support: Prioritize products emphasizing regenerative and organic practices.
- Transparency: Utilize platforms like Merge Impact to offer supply chain traceability.
Practical Strategies:
- Investment: Transition toward regenerative practices for ecological benefits, better farmer livelihoods, and product marketing advantages.
- Farmer Collaboration: Forge long-term partnerships for mutual benefits and enhanced product quality with producers.
- Transparency: Partner with entities like Merge Impact to provide shared data accessibility from farmer to brand to consumer.
- Consumer Education: Highlight the merits of regenerative and organic practices and give consumers clear signals to determine when a brand employs them.
First Steps:
- Assessment: Map the existing supply chain, understand current environmental footprints (baseline), and chart a sustainable improvement trajectory.
- Partner / Tech Integration: Harness platforms and partners like Merge Impact for supply chain building, improvement, and insights.
- Consumer Engagement: Advocate for products aligned with regenerative and organic standards with transparency.
One Brand’s Journey
Dave, the Brand Manager for Dalebrook Distillers, has been losing sleep over the future of his brand. A consumer shift is upon us, as they are now more discerning, curious, and values-driven. To consumers, it isn’t enough to merely sip on a drink. They desire to be part of a story - one that celebrates environmental regeneration, community enrichment, and farmer empowerment.
Dave is facing some difficult questions:
- What has changed about what consumers are demanding from products?
- What do brands need to do to meet the growing demand for sustainability?
- What happens to the perception of “quality” for a 12-year spirit when the consumer expectation has become about more than just a reputation for taste and legacy?
Inspired by these questions, Dave starts sketching out a plan. He envisions a new product that leverages regenerative agriculture's holistic approach. He imagines a spirit that tells a story of soil health restoration, biodiversity enhancement, and ecosystem resilience. An exquisite 12-year spirit that is not just a testament to exceptional distilling but also to a deep respect for the land it came from.
But Dave also knows he needs a partner to help him build a reality that matches this vision.
So Dave engages with Merge Impact, leaders in leveraging data and technology to create verifiable, transparent supply chains in the food industry from farm gate to food plate.
Merge supports Dave with raw material procurement, farm-level sustainability data & reporting, and shaping a marketing narrative that resonates with consumers. Partnering with Merge Impact allows Dave and Dalebrook to craft an unparalleled product rooted in sustainability.
Collective Vision & Action
We must embrace a framework where all stakeholders—farmers, brands, and consumers—collaborate in harmony. The ethos is clear: to advocate for practices that prioritize ecosystem regeneration & clean food. Central to this mission is the understanding that consumer choices, backed by transparency and education, are powerful drivers for change. Let’s craft a world where each product is not just a testament to quality but also to the values of the planet and human wellbeing.
Regenerative brands, your actions are reshaping the future of our planet. Embrace transparency, for it's your strongest ally in building trust. Using platforms like Merge Impact, show the world your authentic journey towards sustainability. Consumers are watching, ready to support those who truly prioritize ecological and human welfare. Stand firm, be transparent, and lead the way.
Hi, I’m Ben Adolph 👋. I'm an ex-farm kid and AgTech entrepreneur based in Illinois. I helped found Merge Impact, a comprehensive, technology-driven data solution to help farmers, food brands, and consumers work together to create a more transparent, verifiable, sustainable food chain.
Editor's Note: The views expressed in this article are the author's alone and do not necessarily represent those of the ReGen Brands platform or team.