{"id":5137,"date":"2012-01-13T17:34:28","date_gmt":"2012-01-13T22:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/?p=5137"},"modified":"2012-02-13T15:43:37","modified_gmt":"2012-02-13T20:43:37","slug":"qa-outgoing-stonyfield-ceo-on-the-organic-business-model-his-political-future-and-agent-orange","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/01\/13\/qa-outgoing-stonyfield-ceo-on-the-organic-business-model-his-political-future-and-agent-orange\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&A: Outgoing Stonyfield CEO on the Organic Business Model, His Political Future and Agent Orange"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Stonyfield<\/p>

For years, Gary Hirshberg has been a prominent public face of the organic food movement<\/p><\/div>\n

Gary Hirshberg has spent half his life at the helm of Londonderry-based Stonyfield<\/a>, growing the brand from a small dairy farm to the world’s top organic yogurt manufacturer, employing 470 people.*<\/p>\n

Now, after 28 years, Hirshberg’s stepping down from his position as CEO (or “CE-Yo,” as the position’s been dubbed at Stonyfield).<\/p>\n

StateImpact took the opportunity to talk with the well-known organic foods crusader about how the growing organic food market has changed, the challenges it faces, and his plans once he leaves his long-time post later this month.<\/p>\n

Q: <\/span>First off, what was the impetus for stepping down from the CEO position?<\/p>\n

A: <\/span>Well, I think 28-and-a-half years in one job is a good run.\u00a0 It\u2019s a really good time for the company now.\u00a0 I think change is often healthy.\u00a0 I\u2019m not really leaving Stonyfield.\u00a0 I\u2019m moving into the Chairman\u2019s role, where I\u2019ll be frankly a lot more active on policy issues and pursuing a lot of the food, ag, and energy policy issues that we\u2019ve been speaking about for years, but now I\u2019ll be able to focus on them.<\/p>\n

Q: <\/span>And what will that focus entail?<\/p>\n

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BASF-The Chemical Company<\/p>

Hirshberg is one of the leading public figures voicing concerns about genetically modifying crops<\/p><\/div>\n

A: <\/span>I sit on a number of advisory boards on the national level, and then of course, there\u2019s some local issues as well.\u00a0 From the local side, I\u2019ve been engaged in helping to convert this very large farm over in Canterbury over to organics.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been helping with a number of issues with the Forest Society, working, for example, on Northern Pass<\/a>.\u00a0 At the national level, my main focus these days is trying to push for a labeling law for genetically engineered foods\u2026Our major trading partners, China, Russia, all of the EU, give consumers the right to know [if their foods are genetically modified].\u00a0 We just don\u2019t have that law here in the US, and I think it\u2019s high time for that.<\/p>\n

Q: <\/span>Could you delve a bit more into your national roles, including your work as a presidential advisor?<\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 <\/span>The president also appointed me as an adviser on trade.\u00a0 That is, to look at ways that the notions that Stonyfield has advanced–promoting organic and sustainable agriculture, more regional agriculture, and supporting fair trade and good ecological practices–[can] become part of the fabric of US trade policy.\u00a0 And to be perfectly honest, as I\u2019ve been running the company, sitting on a couple of these boards, it\u2019s been very difficult to put the kind of time in.\u00a0 I\u2019ve really been pulled in multiple directions.\u00a0 So by hiring Walt Freese [as Stonyfield CEO], and moving into the Chairman\u2019s role, I\u2019m opening up time to concentrate on these larger issues.<\/p>\n

Q: <\/span>And why is knowing whether food is genetically modified important?<\/p>\n

A: <\/span>

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