by Two Girls Go Green
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One of the things that I enjoy most about blogging is the opportunity to learn about amazing environmentally friendly companies. (Sampling and reviewing the products is a bonus.) Recently I had the chance to review an amazing organic dried mango snack on the TwoGirlsGoGreen blog, and in the process I became very interested in the story behind the company-Kopali Organics.

Co-founder Zak Zaidman became committed to a sustainable lifestyle following a battle with cancer in his mid-20s. With the help of Stephen Brooks, a gentleman he met through the Sustainable Solutions Caravan in Costa Rica, Kopali Organics was born. Its purpose: to deliver consumers a healthy, organic, USDA certified product that emphasized fair trade and labor laws. Kopali uses only Rainforest Alliance certified dried fruit and TransFair certified chocolate. In addition, all products are USDA 100% certified organic.

Zaidman was kind enough to answer a few questions posed by TwoGirlsGoGreen, and I've included our Q & A session below. (Zaidman's responses are direct quotes and have not been edited.)

1) Married? Children? Any other background information you're willing to share?

I am not married yet. But I do have the loveliest girlfriend ;-). I grew up in Mexico City. I spent many years living in California, a couple of years living in Costa Rica, and quite a bit of time living on the road, promoting sustainable solutions. I currently reside in New York City.

2) How did your battle with cancer influence your commitment to sustainable living? If willing, please share the type of cancer, if you're in remission and what type of treatment you experienced.

I had testicular cancer when I was 25 years old. I was in great shape at the time (I mostly still amJ ), I led a healthier lifestyle than most people I knew (I mostly still do J), and nobody in my family had ever had cancer. I was very fortunate to have been cured with just a couple of surgeries. And I am even more fortunate that the only lasting effect of having had cancer at a young age is my lasting deep appreciation and infinite gratitude for the miracle of life, as well as an ever-growing commitment to helping to create a healthier world for everyone.

This is definitely one reason I have become passionate about organic agriculture, where food is grown without the use of harmful chemicals, because there are so many known carcinogens in the pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers used in modern conventional agriculture all over the world.

3) Describe in detail how you met Kopali co-founder Stephen, and why you chose to create your company?

In the 90s I started and ran a virtual reality software company with two college friends. Our focus was using high-end 3D graphics technology for non-violent educational and family oriented games. After we sold the company, I spent some time figuring out how I might lead a purpose driven life, how I could truly make a difference. I was, and remain, especially interested in sustainable and compassionate business models and in the evolution of capitalism. It is around then that I met Stephen during a trip to Costa Rica. He had been living and working there for years on truly visionary sustainable community and permaculture projects. We met at Punta Mona (aka Monkey Point www.puntamona.org), an off-the-grid sustainable living center and permaculture farm deep in the rainforest that Stephen founded and lived in at the time. A few years later I myself moved down to Costa Rica to live in Punta Mona.

Living and farming in Costa Rica, we saw the unrelenting pressure faced by small sustainable farmers. We saw organic local farmers, our neighbors and friends, being driven out of business and off of their lands, and being replaced by large-scale chemically-intensive industrial farms. And at the same time, we saw shoppers in the US who we knew would embrace exceptionally delicious, pure and healthy food grown organically, especially if presented in a style and format that spoke to their cravings and lifestyle.

The food such farmers produce is vastly superior in taste as well as health, and we knew there were others besides us who would appreciate that, and who when given the choice, would choose to have a positive social and environmental impact on the world if they could do so.

The reason we founded Kopali was to support organic family farmers and their communities, and to provide an opportunity for shoppers to enjoy healthy and delicious food (packaged as appealing snacks), and join the growing number of people who care about the quality of the food they eat, as well as the environmental and social conditions under which it is grown, produced and traded. Today we directly support hundreds of sustainable organic farmers and their communities in nearly a dozen countries around the world.

4) Explain your commitment to not only the consumers who eat your products, but the farmers who grow the products?

Once upon a time most of each dollar that was spent on food went to those who grew it. Today almost none of it does...

Small organic farmers are the true unsung heroes of our time who still practice truly sustainable agriculture. That is, they are the ones who know how to grow our food in such a way that is not harmful to our own health, to their own health and the health of their families, and to the health of all life.

They should be the ones teaching the rest of the world how we might feed humanity sustainably and compassionately. Sadly, small organic farmers have gotten the short end of the stick in our current global commerce system.

It does not make sense that the very farmers who are growing the healthiest, most nutritious, most delicious foods around the world, while caring for their local communities and the ecosystems that support all life, are themselves struggling to survive. Yet they are, and something has to be done.

Fortunately more and more people are beginning to care not only about how healthy food is but also about the social and environmental conditions under which it is grown and traded.

5) What has been the response from consumers to your products? Are you seeing your sales increase each year?

It has been amazing to receive such incredible interest and support from retailers, shoppers, media, etc. Our sales are growing, even in this economic time. And just as importantly, shoppers are not only buying and enjoying Kopali Organics SUPERGOOD SUPERFOOD, they are becoming important allies and they are getting involved with our mission….visiting our website, emailing us, joining us on Facebook and Twitter, entering our contests, etc. Together, we are having great and greater positive impact upon the world with each snack.

6) What has been the most rewarding part about your business?

One of our most important business achievements is our steadfast commitment to the deeper purpose and mission behind our business, the reason we started this business. Few things are more important than food. Getting people to eat snacks that are not only delicious but also nutritious, and not only nutritious but also produced sustainably and traded fairly is paramount. Beyond producing the most delicious, nutritious and sustainable snacks, we designed a product line that appeals and competes with anything on the shelf. When people understand the value of this, they normally become big time supporters. This is very rewarding. But its even more rewarding to know the impact we are having on the lives of thousands of farmers, their families, and their communities.

7) What advice do you have for individuals looking to improve or start their commitment to the environment?

I would advise individuals to start learning where their food, clothes, energy, construction materials, etc. come from, and then to start making conscious choices that are consistent with the values they already have. Nobody wants to undermine our planet’s ability to support life. Nobody wants to hurt innocent children and adults. And yet this is happening all the time through the products and services that are sold everywhere.

8) What's your eco-wish?

I look forward to a day when people will look back in history and find it impossible to believe that people sprayed their food with carcinogens.