New Foundation Farms: The Radical Natural Podcast (New Foundation Farms)

Caroline Mason is Director, Innovating Healthy Food Systems at New Foundation Farms. She has had a distinguished career in the food system including being head of food supply chains at the 2,400-store UK Co-op supermarket group.

In this episode, we talk to Caroline about her incredible career deep within the global supply chain of fresh foods and her desire to work towards helping to create an alternative to this global system that is radically natural.

Caroline is utterly fascinated by how we collaborate to transform the way we shape our planet for future generations and has always fostered collaborative relationships from farm-to-fork at the Co-op and before that at Waitrose.

Clare Hill is Director of Farming With Nature at New Foundation Farms.

In this episode, we talk to Clare about what has brought her to this point and what she brings to NFF.

Glen Burrows explores Clare's background working on animal welfare standards as well as being 'client side' as a buyer for Sainsbury's before joining FAI Farms where she researched regenerative production methods for brands such as Ikea, Arla, and, perhaps surprisingly, McDonalds.

We explore the moments that led Clare to rethink the current standard farming system and consider an alternative that offers 'deep regeneration' as she brings this knowledge and mindset to New Foundation Farms.

The episode in which Mark Drewell, co-founding collaborative CEO of New Foundation Farms, talks to Glen Burrows about why supermarkets are a thing of the past.

Starting with his involvement as a young manager in a steel company and the creation of the prototype of the peace committees which hailed the end of the Apartheid regime in South Africa, Mark reflects on a career at the edge of business and society, how enterprise becomes institutionalised and why disruptive change always comes from the edge. His fundamental conclusion is that change is made by unreasonable people who have a vision of a better future and who get on with the work of making it happen. 

Step away supermarkets: New Foundation Farms is coming.

In  this conversation with Glen Burrows, Ali Murrell explains his journey from studying biological sciences to working in finance at both Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan before becoming disillusioned with the lack of purpose beyond profit inherent in the system.

Sailing across the Pacific Ocean provided the space for realisation of his future which led, ultimately, to bringing a holistic mindset and purpose to his financial career and to New Foundation Farms.

The discussion also touches on how a business designed from the ground up to have real purpose written into its Articles of Association can not just generate profit but can pay forward positive impact in the process.

Glen Burrows talks to Kevin Wissett-Warner, Director of Estates Management and Senior Non-Executive Director at New Foundation Farms.

Kevin reflects on a long history in farming and land management having advised on more than one million acres in the UK, Europe and the USA over the past 35 years.

Having asked questions about conventional practice already as a boy, Kevin eventually found answers during a Holistic Management training - which is also how he met Mark Drewell and Marcus Link, the founders and collaborative CEOs of New Foundation Farms.

Glen Burrows talks to Dr Annie Rayner, Head of Research and Development at New Foundation Farms about how to think regeneratively about animal welfare in farming.

Annie reflects on how recent family illness brought home her own mortality and focused her mind on bringing about change at the pace demanded by the scale of the challenges we face; "we do not have time for slow incremental changes".

She has joined New Foundation Farms to show that an alternative system can exist.

Glen Burrows talks to Marcus Link, co-founder and collaborative CEO, about the origins of New Foundation Farms. In a wide ranging conversation, they talk about the possibility of human beings as a beneficial keystone species and what it has to do with New Foundation Farms.  The discuss software models that optimise for the symbiosis between economy and ecology, the operations of purpose-built meat processing facilities, holism and reductionism, and how philosophy without action is meaningless and action without purpose can be deadly.

They also discuss the mindset needed to create a truly regenerative food system and predictions for the future growth of this type of nature based farming as New Foundation Farms sets out to offer a new foundation for society based in a regenerative approach to food and farming, at scale.

Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.

https://groundswellag.com/

This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.

Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.
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Episode 01 - Pete Russell - Ooooby

Ooooby provides software and support for farms and local food retailers to sell online and deliver to homes

Pete explains how Ooooby is  shortening the food supply chain to allow farmers to be able to sell directly to the public creating a local food system though a software platform

Contacts for Ooooby

https://ooooby.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKPjO82lr-aSBS4MejpDeA

https://www.facebook.com/oooobyuk/

https://www.instagram.com/oooobyhq/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ooooby/?originalSubdomain=nz

Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.

https://groundswellag.com/

This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.

Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.
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Episode 02 - Nikki Yoxall - Pasture For Life

Nikki Yoxall has joined the team in the capacity as Research Group Coordinator. Nikki is a small-holder in Aberdeenshire and studying for a Masters in Sustainable Food & Natural Resources.

Before moving up to Scotland, Nikki was Head of Landbased Studies at a college in the South East of England overseeing delivery of a range of rural programmes. She now primarily works for the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Nikki and her husband have a herd of native Shetland Cattle, which they are expanding to include other native breeds.

Pasture For Life  is and organization that certifies farmers who are committed to grazing animals on 100% pasture for their entire life. Grazing animals on 100% pasture brings positive impacts for biodiversity and carbon, human health and wellbeing, and animal health and welfare. Pasture for Life works on the ground, every day, to restore ecosystems, implement positive change in our food and farming systems, and demonstrate the benefits of 100% pasture fed.
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Contacts for Pasture For Life

https://www.pastureforlife.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/pasture-fed-livestock-association/

Nikki's Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/nikkiyoxall/?hl=en

Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.

https://groundswellag.com/

This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.

Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.
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Episode 03 - Koen van Seijen -  Host  / Owner of Investing In Regenerative Agriculture podcast

Since 2011 Koen has been following the regenerative agriculture and food space when he stumbled upon the carbon sequestration potential of regenerative farming. Under “Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food” he has published more than 250 podcast interviews with impact investors, fund managers, farmers and many others. Regenerating soils and ecosystems by putting money (big and small) to work is the central theme that drives him. He is also manager at the Impact Investor community nonprofit Toniic.

Mark Drewell, was interviewed on Koen's highly influential podcast back in 2021, to go deeper into their discussion click link below.

https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/2021/03/16/mark-drewell/

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Contacts for Koen van Seijen

https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/koenvanseijen/?originalSubdomain=it

https://medium.com/@koen_73445

Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.

https://groundswellag.com/

This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.

Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.
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Episode 04 - Anthony Davidson - Owner / Founder of Big Barn

Big Barn is the UK’s no1 local food website and has been building a better way to buy food for 20 years!

Our mission is to reconnect consumers with their local producers and encourage trade and communication. It’s a win win. Our producers get a better deal and customers discover authentic, top quality, fresher, sometimes cheaper, locally sourced food and drink with a clear provenance.

Attracting the attention of the biggest names in food Gordon Ramsay declared that Big Barn is his “Favourite Food website”

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Contacts for Anthony Davidson & Big Barn

https://www.bigbarn.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/bigbarncic/

https://www.facebook.com/bigbarnlocalfood/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5h-d495NuDzccRNH_KZdIQ

Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.

https://groundswellag.com/

This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.

Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.
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Episode 05 - Andrew Voysey, Head of Impact and Carbon at Soil Capital

Andrew is Head of Impact and Carbon at Soil Capital, the regenerative agronomy firm that launched Europe’s first certified, multinational carbon payment programme for farmers in 2020.

Andrew led the development of this programme, called Soil Capital Carbon, which has now enrolled more than 500 British, French and Belgian farmers. The programme has recently paid out nearly 1 million Euros to farmers for their first year’s performance, with two thirds of those payments coming from food and agri businesses within the supply chain.

Soil Capital began life as an independent agronomy firm specialised in helping farmers improve farm profitability through transitions to regenerative agriculture. This activity continues through a separate entity, Soil Capital Farming, now with a track record across more than 200,000 hectares and 21 countries.
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Contacts for Andrew Voysey & Soil Capital

https://soilcapital.com/about/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-voysey-68385213/?originalSubdomain=uk

Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.

https://groundswellag.com/

This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.

Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.
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Episode 06 - Emma Chow, Regenerative Food Systems Transformer

Emma's biog reads as: 
For the past decade, I dedicated myself to protecting nature. I started my career in consulting, then went on to co-develop and lead a global food systems transformation initiative. I dove deep into the world of food and regenerative systems design. I dedicated myself to this work. In 2021, I burnt out. I entered a period of pause. I embarked on a journey of self-regeneration. There, during the unraveling, I realised that to create a truly regenerative future, we need to start with ourselves. This is the message I am carrying. 

She's a truly deep visionary thinker who brings a holistic and polymath approach to subject of regeneration and held morning meditation sessions at Groundswell.
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Contacts for Emma Chow

https://www.emmacchow.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmachow1/?originalSubdomain=uk

Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.

https://groundswellag.com/

This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.

Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.
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Episode 07 - Filipe Salbany, Wild Bee Expert & Conservationist at the Blenheim Estate

Filipe's biog reads: I had my first my experience with honey bee colonies in the forests of Portugal as a 6-year-old. Hundreds of ‘cortiço’ (cork) bee hives spread out through the pine and eucalyptus forests in Paião, a small village in Portugal.

Beekeeping was the responsibility of the older generation and I was fascinated by the simple methods of handling the bees, gentle smoke, the waft of pine smoke, talking to the bees, careful movements, bare hands and often no veils once the temperament of the bees had been assessed.

My grandfather was one of the first in the region to move to Langstroth hives and I would watch in awe as the cork hives would be gently held between a person’s legs, tapped and rasped until the whole colony would leave the top of the cork hive (abandoning brood) and enter the entrance of the Langstroth hives.

These early adventures helped me manage African bees (Apis mellifera scutellata and adansonii) from the age of eight and for the next 40 years.  This has expanded my knowledge of not only traditional bees but various species, non as fascinating as Apis mellifera capensis where the workers can produce a queen from unfertilised eggs. 

I have worked with honey bees in Africa, Europe, North America and now the UK. Observation has been enhanced by reading and the assimilation of science as I have had to adapt to the changing environments and species of bee as well as the limitations of equipment in many of the poorer regions of Africa.

This lifelong experience has allowed me to be able to notice changes in bee temperament, development, and the problems associated with unrestricted movement of species around different regions.

Filipe is a truly deep thinker who brings a deep systems approach to his work with Britains native bees


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Contacts for Filipe Salbany

https://beeportals.co.uk/about/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/07/no-one-knew-they-existed-wild-heirs-of-lost-british-honeybee-found-at-blenheim

Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.

https://groundswellag.com/

This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.

Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.
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Episode 08 - Alex Godfrey - Savills

Joint Head of Natural Capital, Rural Management at Savills

Alex was one of the original founders of New Foundation Farms before moving on to Savills.

Alexander Godfrey has ten years of experience in investment banking (fixed income), a BSc in Economics and an MSc in Global Energy and Climate Policy, focusing on regenerative agriculture and climate finance, from SOAS University.

Alex consulted on a silvopasture enterprise in the Bolivian Amazon, stacking enterprise and engaging with indigenous people whilst developing an effective nature-based solution to mitigate climate change.

Alex has worked as an analyst in the UK’s agricultural space with a focus on natural capital and carbon markets.

Alex Co-founded New Foundation Farms, a disruptor in the agricultural sector, establishing a large-scale regenerative agri-food enterprise in the UK. Creating a nexus between agri-food business, ESG capital and society. 

Last but certainly not least, Alex works on a mixed farm in the Cotswolds with Aberdeen Angus cattle and arable rotations. He describes himself as a “systems-based thinker and a firm believer in a world that believes in people, planet and profit” – not just the third one!


Podcast - Sustainable AF - "A blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030”

Our goal is to give you the information you need about one of the world’s great attempts to make the planet a better, cleaner, fairer place- the Sustainable Development Goals. They’re intended to tackle some of our biggest system challenges from health, education, inequality and even climate change. This year the pandemic has been dramatic but it was a huge challenge that affected everyone and the world worked together to tackle it. The bigger problems we face in the 21st century are around inequality, political polarisation, climate and environmental challenges, technology that’s evolving ahead of our ability to understand and our natural human tendency to fail to look ahead. 




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Contacts for Alex Godfrey

https://www.savills.co.uk/people/savills-oxford/alex-godfrey.aspx

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-godfrey-817644152/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sustainable-af/id1556484313

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1608616

Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.

https://groundswellag.com/

This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.

Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.
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Episode 09 - André Tranquilini, Biodynamic farmer

André Tranquilini is the estate manager at Waltham Place, a 220 acre organic and biodynamic farm and garden in Berkshire, UK. Originally from Brazil, he has worked extensively as a market gardener and outdoor teacher, and is a founding member of the biodynamic seed company, Living Seeds, in Portugal. André has worked on farms in Brazil, Portugal and the UK, and has travelled widely, teaching workshops and lecturing on biodynamics. 

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Contacts for André Tranquilini

https://www.walthamplace.com/

https://wheretheleavesfall.com/explore/article-index/biodynamic-by-nature/

https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/ep-17-andre-tranquilini-copper-tools-and-biodynamics/id1574051515?i=1000564413549

Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.

https://groundswellag.com/

This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.

Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.
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Episode 10 - Amy Chapple - Redwoods Farm

Amy Chapple was farming regeneratively before her 20th birthday having worked with The Cherry's on the site of Groundswell Festival before returning to the home farm in Devon. Amy has independently produced pork of the highest quality using a rotational grazing system to bring positive change to the land the pigs live on restoring biodiversity through their actions and has developed a soy-free supplement to top up their nutrition.

The farm that she shares with her father Mark Chapple is a truly beautiful regenerating space on the edge of Dartmoor.

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More about Amy Chapple

https://www.redwoodsfarm.co.uk/about-us/

Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.

https://groundswellag.com/

This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.

Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.
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Episode 11 - Rebecca Mayhew - Pasture for Life & Old Hall Farm

Rebecca is not just the Regional Facilitator at Pasture For Life but is also a hard working farmer as Owner, Manager, Innovator, at oldhallfarm.co.uk disruptor, regen farmer, Cow with Calf Dairy, (Savoury Trained), 100% pasture fed, East Anglia Regional Facilitator for the PFLA, and CLA National Committee for Ag Land Use.
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Contacts for Pasture For Life

https://www.pastureforlife.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/pasture-fed-livestock-association/