It’s only October, and already the Organics and Naturals club has organized two student treks to learn about the industry of organic food! Club Presidents Electra Guerra and Mary Hamilton have a passion for the organic and natural space and are motivated to help create opportunities for students to explore the industry

Farmer Wyatt gives Leeds students a tour of the Red Wagon Farm Farmer Wyatt gives Leeds students a tour of the Red Wagon Farm

The first trek was a visit to the soup company Boulder Organic, where MBA student Juliane Katz Leckey interned over the summer in a marketing role.

Julie explains:

“I was thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the Organic & Naturals Club to visit the Boulder Organic Foods facility for a Trek. Boulder Organic has supported the Leed's community by hiring interns and graduates from the program since 2012- the CEO is even an alum! I have loved my experience working with their team and was really proud to bring my classmates to see for themselves why it is such a great company.

The purpose of the Trek was to expose students to a local company and learn the ins and outs of a small, organic food manufacturing facility. Greg, the CEO, toured us around the facility to observe production and then answered the group’s questions about the industry. I think it was really valuable for new members to learn more about the industry first-hand.”

Check out photos and student testimonials on the Boulder Organics blog!

For the second trek, the club took a tour of Red Wagon Farm in Boulder. O&N President Electra explains:

“The Red Wagon Farm Trek was a visit to a small/medium sized organic farm located just 15 minutes outside of Boulder. We were interested in visiting a farm to learn about the farming business and to gain insight into supporting local farms. We were given a tour by the owner, Wyatt Barnes.

I think we all got a cold dose of reality of how hard it is for farmers to make money, and how removed shopping at the grocery store truly is. For me, shopping local is my highest priority and I learned that if I really want to support my local farmers, Farmers Markets are the crucial way to do so. It was interesting to hear about the struggles associated with having such a perishable product. Wyatt has been a farmer for over 15 years and clearly loves growing high quality produce.”

The O&N club is an excellent example of the student-driven opportunities that make the Leeds MBA program engaging and rewarding.