Karen Behnke On The Beginnings of Organic Farming

Karen Behnke On The Beginnings of Organic Farming

Organic Farming is at the core of Juice Beauty’s mission…..Certified organic ingredients are produced according to federal standards set by the USDA National Organic Program  and regulated by the government. Organic standards address soil quality, animal raising, pest and weed control, and greatly limits all pesticides. Gaining certification is a rigorous process that Juice Beauty started in mid-2018. Organic farming not only protects our earth, soil and waterways but organically produced ingredients have been shown to have higher antioxidant levels which can provide amazing benefits... so Every Organic Drop Feeds the Skin.

Juice Beauty’s 20 acre farm! My family made a huge emotional and financial commitment to the company I founded and to organic farming by purchasing the farm and leasing it to Juice Beauty. We are so lucky that the ownership is all in the family! We are also appreciative that my husband Howard, who had just retired from Cardiology, agreed to donate his time and brain power to figuring out the complex conversion from sustainably certified to the highest level of certified organic. The Juice Beauty farm has acres of multiple grape varieties including Cabernet, Falanghina, Sagrantino, white grapes and more; as well as 13 varieties of olive trees.

We love Sonoma County! My husband and I spent months looking for the perfect piece of property. We scoured all of Sonoma County, zeroing in on the West Dry Creek Road area of Healdsburg not only because of the stunning views and beautiful boutique vineyards but also because the area is a mecca for sustainable and organic farming.

Healdsburg, California…The city is fast becoming known as the farm- to-table hotspot in the wine region of California and was our top choice for Juice Beauty farmland for so many reasons. Sonoma County is close to Marin County, home to our sustainable headquarters. Juice Beauty’s distribution center is located in Sonoma County and the chic town of Healdsburg fits Juice Beauty’s brand by being a wellness mecca. 

This established winegrowing region of Dry Creek Valley creates grapes and wine of superior quality thanks to the unique blend of soil, geography and climate. Dry Creek Valley is a dense concentration of vineyards, benefiting from a rocky soil that drains exceptionally well and a climate characterized by long, warm days which ripens the fruit, while coastal cooling in the evening enables the grapes to mature slowly and retain their acidity and balance. This area of Sonoma County is also a prime growing region for olives. Juice Beauty uses organic grapeseed, grape juice, grape stem cells, olive oil and olive squalene, so these crops are near and dear to our heart--or should we say skin?

In July 2018, the month we took ownership, we started farming organically following the California Certified Organic Farming (CCOF) guidelines. Juice Beauty’s new farm was already certified at the highest level of sustainability by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and the former vineyard owner had never sprayed glyphosate which was a huge plus! To gain expertise, Howard is working closely with the leading legendary California organic consulting expert, as well as some viticulture professors at UC Davis. The local USDA representatives are helping guide us on the intricacies of organic farming and we expected the Juice Beauty farm to gain certification after multiple months of following these guidelines closely!

Of course since we buy thousands of ingredients, we will continue to work with our valued organic farmers such as the organic Green Apple farm in Washington state, our organic jojoba farmer in Arizona, and the various organic farms we work with in California’s Central Valley.

At Juice Beauty, we are committed to helping the health of people, the planet and animals. Organic farming is a critical piece in this endeavor.

Fun Facts:

We'll start sourcing organic grape and olive from Juice Beauty’s Farm when we become certified. In the meantime, our Farm provides a beautiful brand immersion opportunity and a chance to experience Juice Beauty’s California wellness brand!

Instead of spraying glyphosate to control weeds we manually cut around 10,000 vines!

Instead of using synthetic fertilizers we use kelp, similar to how we use Juice Beauty’s Hydrating Mist on our faces! Kelp is a great fertilizer alternative for optimizing plant growth, development, yield and quality.

 

 

 

 

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