Echoing Green’s Post

It's a busy one on Agri Investor's Field Notes today: ⏰ Fiera Comox Partners' Jeff Zweig tells us why the firm waited six years for olive oil business Innoliva to present itself. 📉 Agtech fundraising has fallen by more than 40% for the second consecutive year, reports AgFunder, dropping from $31bn in 2022 to $15.6bn in 2023. 💲 Australian Soil Management is looking for a cash injection into the business as its projects approach maturity and begin to generate credits. We've also got fund and deal updates from Mirova, Arable Capital Partners, and MEAG, while New Forests makes two senior hires: https://lnkd.in/eDZi-QRx #privateequity #naturalcapital #carboncredits #agtech

🚀 📈 Galileo Wheel Closes $8M Investment Round Led by Stine Seed Company We're excited to announce that Galileo Wheel has closed an $8 Million investment round led by Stine Seed Farm of Adel, Iowa. As one of the largest privately held seed companies in the U.S., Stine Seed Farm brings over 40 years of expertise in corn and soybean genetics 🌽 🌱 Brandon L. Danielson, CFO of Stine Seed Farm, expressed his enthusiasm:  “We are excited to be part of a company that will have a big impact on sustainable farming practices and the farming communities we serve. Galileo’s CupWheel is the once-in-a-generation technology leap operators of farming machinery have been waiting for.” CEO of Galileo Wheel Armin Schon remarked, “There can be no greater encouragement of our work to make modern agriculture more sustainable than Stine Seed Farm joining our investor community. The partnership between Galileo Wheel and Stine Seed Farm heralds a new era in sustainable farming innovation. With Stine Seed Farm’s expertise in genetics and Galileo Wheel's revolutionary CupWheel® tire technology, we are poised to advance modern agriculture, improve crop yields, and foster a more sustainable future for farmers.”  Read more: https://bit.ly/44NbaOK #Investment #SustainableFarming #AgricultureInnovation #CupWheel #StineSeed #GalileoWheel

This is encouraging! Regenerative Agriculture has so many benefits to fighting the climate crises with the ability to become carbon negative as well.

I deeply believe that transitioning to Regenerative Agriculture needs committment and investment from the whole value chain and farmer-centric innovation.

At Impatience Earth, we've been working with innocent drinks for the last two years, and are really proud to see them re-launch their Farmer Innovation Fund. Through the fund, we're trying to show (and learn!) what it really looks like to run a farmer-led fund, to derisk an agricultural transition, to have trust in and collaborate with your suppliers, and that it is possible to be driven by carbon reduction aims, but do so more holistically and centred on justice. I'm biased, of course, but think it's a really exciting opportunity to experiment with how philanthropic capital can be used as risk capital within a business, and work towards a longer term vision of creating a model of how to source produce that is low in carbon, high in biodiversity, and supportive for farmer livelihoods.

The Young Farmers' Enterprise Challenge Fund was established to empower young farmers, fishers, pastoralists, and forest users in building sustainable agri-forest-based businesses. Farming, fishing, pastoralism, and forest-based activities have long been the backbone of our communities, sustaining both our people and our environment. However, young people in these sectors face challenges including access to finance, grants, and subsidies, making it difficult for them to invest in and grow their livelihoods. Many lack the necessary resources to advance their enterprises. Supported by the Forest and Farm Facility project, the Young Farmers' Enterprise Challenge Fund addresses these challenges by providing financial and technical support to young farmers, fishers, pastoralists, and forest users. This support enables them to establish and strengthen their own enterprise initiatives, with the backing of their family farming organizations. Watch this video to see how our partner young farmers were able to grow their enterprises with support from the Young Farmers' Enterprise Challenge Fund. #AFA #youngfarmers #youthinagriculture #supportfamilyfarmers #FFF https://lnkd.in/gtwvbfFr

WE'RE GIVING UP TO £1 MILLION IN GRANTS TO OUR FARMERS In case you haven’t noticed, we’re big fans of fruit and veg. Huge. Can’t get enough of the stuff. If fruit and veg put on a concert, we’d be getting escorted off the premises for trying to get on stage.     As a B Corp business who squishes, juices and blends loads of it, we know we’ve got a responsibility to make sure there’s plenty of it for generations to come. That means growing it in a way that’s better for us, our farmers and the planet.  Drumroll at your desk, please. In comes our Farmer Innovation Fund.    It’s a £1 million pot of money, and it’s here to help the heroes growing our ingredients switch to regenerative farming. In other words, funding projects around things like low-carbon farming, more biodiversity and better livelihoods.  Our farmers pitch clever projects and if their pitch wins, they use the fund to trial practices that protect and improve soil health, cut emissions or the amount of water we use. All the good stuff we need to keep fruit and veg coming for years and years (and years and years. You get the picture).     We’ve set our sights on a pretty lofty target - halving the carbon footprint created by growing and moving the stuff we put into our drinks by 2030. And we’re hopeful the Farmer Innovation Fund plays a big part in getting us there.     We’ll be announcing the winners in June, so keep your eyes peeled and head to the page below for more. https://lnkd.in/eF_ffGti

Thank you Max Goldberg for breaking the news and you continued support. I've been reflecting on what this moment means, not only for GoodSAM, PBC, but for the broader impact-driven CPG community. As we announce our Series A financing, I’m both proud and contemplative. Here’s what we’re celebrating: 🚀 A Win for Impact-Driven CPG Brands  In a space where some investors doubted our potential, we found unwavering support from forward-thinking impact funds, our new partners, ALIVE Ventures and Desert Bloom Foods. Their belief in our vision empowers us to build a bridge between global farming communities and one of the most powerful consumer markets, through a brand committed to ethical practices and sustainability. 👥 A Victory for Our Global Team and Farmer Network This funding ensures we can continue our mission of protecting and expanding regenerative farming, guaranteeing fair wages, building essential infrastructure, and fostering growth in communities that have long been overlooked. Together, we are helping to drive real, systemic change in global agriculture and economic justice. But here’s where I’m still grappling: ⚠️ Severe Underfunding of Diverse Founders The underrepresentation of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ founders in funding is staggering. In 2022, only 1.1% of the $214 billion in venture capital funding went to minority founders, and startups founded solely by women received just 2% of the total capital invested in U.S. venture-backed startups in 2023 (McKinsey & Company)(Rutgers Business School) (Pitchbook). This needs to change if we are to see true diversity in business leadership and innovation. 🌱 The Co-Opting of Regeneration  The concept of regeneration is being hijacked. Instead of uniting behind meaningful solutions, we still face an industry divided. Colonial systems of agriculture persist, with organizations from the global north exerting control over farmers in the global south, dictating who gets to participate and how far we can truly go. But at GoodSAM, we believe regeneration knows no limits — it regenerates forever. 💵 The Pricing Barrier of Sustainable Products  There's still little evidence that the majority of consumers are willing to pay the premiums most brands charge for regenerative, sustainable products. Without more accessible pricing models, we risk alienating the very consumers who could help drive this movement forward. So what’s next?  After taking a moment to celebrate this achievement with the team, we went right back to work. There’s a lot more to do. We remain committed to tackling these challenges head-on, because the future of regenerative agriculture — and the health of our planet and communities — depends on it. #SeriesA #ImpactInvesting #RegenerativeAgriculture #Sustainability #DiverseFounders #GoodSAM #ConsumerProducts #FairTrade #EconomicJustice Marcia Bell Kari Janapareddi Saida Abdala Joe Jessup, CFA Shafia Naima Abdala Gallego Javier Vasquez Greg Krupa

Good Nature Agro Secures $8.5 Million Series B Good Nature Agro is thrilled to announce the closure of its $8.5 Million Series B round. The equity raise includes new investor Oikocredit in partnership with previous round participants Goodwell Investments and Global Partnerships Social Venture Fund. From our establishment in 2014, we have been pursuing an ambitious mission of moving Africa’s small-scale farmers from poverty and into the middle-class. Good Nature Agro provides personalized training, access to inputs localized to farmer needs, input finance, and a guaranteed market for farmers’ high-value legume seeds and commodities. With this capital, the company will invest in deeper engagement and reintegration of whole farm income, growth in the Southern Africa region, development of new genetics that deliver greater yields and resilience, and AgriTech innovations that keep farmers at the center of agricultural supply chains. Learn more from these elaborate press releases: Goodwell: https://bit.ly/3QmvjUY Oikocredit:  https://lnkd.in/dp7VRFWv #smallholder #farmers #Zambian #agritech

AgriWebb Secures $7.2M in Funding to Enhance Digital Beef Cattle Management Founded in 2014, AgriWebb has become a prominent figure in digital beef cattle management, recently securing an additional $7.2 million in funding. This recent investment round includes participation from new investor Munters Group, a listed Swedish climate solutions firm, and continued support from existing backers such as Germin8 Ventures, Grosvenor Food & AgTech, and Telus Ventures. This funding marks another significant step in AgriWebb’s growth, previously having raised substantial amounts in its earlier funding rounds. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/gFkJzDiP #igrownews #agriwebb #climate #food #agtech