Health food entrepreneurs gather to advise and learn

Boulder conference draws hundreds to help startups

Joyzelle Davis, Rocky Mountain News

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Some 360 natural and organic foods entrepreneurs will gather in Boulder today to help turn fledgling startups into the next Celestial Seasonings or Horizon Organic.

This is the third-annual Naturally Boulder Days conference, which brings together business leaders like WhiteWave founder Steve Demos and Chipotle Mexican Grill founder Steve Ells to give advice to new companies. The event has more than doubled in attendance since its 2005 debut.

The conference is intended to provide information to make businesses "greener, more principled and more inspired," said Seleyn DeYarus, vice president of Compass Natural, which is organizing the event.

Boulder has long been the epicenter of the natural foods industry, home to Wild Oats, Izze soda and Horizon Organic. But in the wake of the dot-com collapse and nationwide recession, Boulder in 2003 undertook an economic development initiative to promote and nurture natural foods startups in the region.

Building the city's base of natural and organic foods businesses creates jobs that typically employ an educated work force, said Boulder City Manager Frank Bruno, who created the Economic Vitality Advisory Board.

It's also a sector that's likely to grow as the aging U.S. population becomes more concerned about their diet and health, he said.

"We were looking at some of the icebergs out on the horizon and sensing that our economy is going to shift," Bruno said.

The natural and organics industry has been on a growth tear in recent years, generating an estimated $57 billion last year. The Boulder region is responsible for contributing as much as $4 billion of that, said Steve Hoffmann, president of Compass Natural.

In addition to Ells, the conference will feature local leaders such as New Belgium Brewing CEO Kim Jordan, Celestial Seasonings founder Mo Siegel and Hunter Lovins, president of Natural Capitalism, which helps companies and governments implement environmental initiatives.

One of the event's highlights is a 60-second pitch slam, where entrepreneurs give a brief summary of their business plan to a panel of experts. Participants range from people entertaining an idea to businesses that are well under way but might need some polishing.

Phil's Fresh Foods was already a $1 million company distributing organic burritos and sandwiches in some 400 stores across the country when founder Phil Anson made his pitch at last year's Naturally Boulder conference.

The advice he received from the panel, and later working with the nonprofit Boulder Innovation Center, helped hone plans for his growing business.

"We wanted to clarify what we wanted to be when we grow up," said Anson, who started his business six years ago selling his burritos at the Eldorado Market. "I was grabbing every single opportunity without picking and choosing."

Details on Naturally Boulder Days

·  Days: Today and Friday

·  Location: St. Julien Hotel & Spa, Boulder

Roots in the Boulder area:

·  Celestial Seasonings: Started in 1968, bought by Kraft in 1984. Management and Vestar Capital bought it back in 1988 in a leveraged buyout, then went public in 1993. Merged with Hain Food Group to become Hain Celestial in 2000.

·  White Wave: Started in 1977, sold to Dallas-based Dean Foods in 2002

·  Horizon Organic Dairy: Started in 1991, sold to Dean Foods in 2004

·  Rudi's Organic Bakery: Started in 1976, acquired by Charter Baking Co. in 2005

·  Izze: Started in 2002, acquired last year by PepsiCo Inc.

·  Mountain High Yoghurt & Ice Cream Co.: Started in the early 1970s, sold to Beatrice Foods in the mid-1980s

·  Wild Oats Markets Inc.: Started in 1987, acquired by Whole Foods Markets this year

davisj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-25144