On this episode, we’re joined by Brady Barnstable, Co-Founder and COO of Seven Sundays.

Seven Sundays is a breakfast brand on a mission to restore human and planetary health, one cereal bowl at a time.

Brady takes us back to the early days of muesli inspiration in New Zealand, which inspired him and his wife, Hannah, to leave fast-paced careers in NYC and bootstrap a new CPG brand.

We get deep into the hard realities of sourcing regenerative and upcycled ingredients, the missing middle of processing infrastructure, and what it takes to scale a direct trade program at the farm level. Brady also shares how Seven Sundays has resisted the temptation to “certify and shout” — instead focusing on building long-term, meaningful grower relationships and systems-level impact.

You’ll hear why they’re bullish on sunflowers, oats, and sorghum in the Midwest, how they're navigating club and conventional retail, and what their new “Come Afield With Us” campaign is doing to bring consumers along their regenerative journey.

This episode is packed with candid insight, supply chain wisdom, and big-picture optimism.

Episode Highlights:

🥣 Honeymoon to whole grains – how a bowl of muesli sparked a new cereal brand.

🌾 The cereal aisle of 2011 vs. today – and why Seven Sundays had to evolve to survive.

🔄 Why pivoting from product purity to consumer familiarity was key to growth.

🧑‍🌾 Building regenerative supply chains by starting with the processor, not the farmer.

🚛 Truckload volumes = regenerative scalability. Why size matters in supply planning.

🧼 Food safety friction – an underdiscussed barrier to more direct trade, regen sourcing

🌻 The Midwest sunflower model – 2,000+ acres and growing around a regional processor

🥄 Why Seven Sundays avoids certification-led regen claims on-pack (for now)

📦 Channel mix strategy – how club retail like Costco helped unlock profitability

🚜 “Come Afield With Us” – the brand’s new campaign to share their regenerative journey

Links:

Seven Sundays

Whole Grain Milling Co.

Lakewinds Food Co-op

Sustainable Food Lab

Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI)

Kiss the Ground (Film)

Practical Farmers of Iowa

Heavenly Hunks / E&C Snacks

Quinn Snacks

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What’s up, y’all - welcome to a very special episode of the ReGen Brands Podcast. This isn’t just another episode—it’s episode 100. That’s right… triple digits.

And today, Kyle and I are taking a moment to reflect on everything this show has become since that first conversation back in 2022. We’re talking about where the regenerative CPG space was when we started and just how far it’s come—more brands, more awareness, more momentum.

We’ll share the behind-the-scenes stuff too… the quirks, the laughs, the chaos, and the little rituals that have shaped our journey.

We’re giving out some fun awards—like grittiest guest, sweatiest guest, best background, and most listened-to episode—and yes, we roast ourselves a bit too.

We’ll also be sharing the regen products we’ve been loving lately and making some bold predictions about what’s going to happen between now and episode 200.

But most importantly, we’re taking stock of what we’ve learned, where the industry’s headed, and why we’re still all-in on this work.

Whether you’ve listened to one episode or all one hundred, we’re so grateful you’re here.

Episode Highlights:

🎉 100 episodes in! Our journey from “do we even have enough brands?” to a thriving regen CPG ecosystem.

🌱 Regen CPG growth: From curiosity to conviction — how the landscape has transformed since 2022.

🧠 Learning out loud: Reflections on building expertise while staying humble and accessible.

🛠️ Industry transparency: Nearly every guest has said, “we’re an open book,” and that’s helped shape the show’s impact.

📈 Consumer trends are strong: People want better, healthier food — and regen products are gaining ground.

😂 Funniest podcast moments: From tree-climbing kids to backdrop bloopers and breakfast on air.

🧂 The Roast Is On: Self-aware burns, verbal quirks, podcast habits — and all the inside jokes.

🏆 Regen Awards: Toughest guest, coolest background, sweatiest guest, and even best facial hair.

🌍 Global reach: From listeners abroad to farm visits on honeymoons—this show’s community is wide and deep.

🔮 What’s next: Predictions, hopes, and big questions for the next 100 episodes and the future of regen CPG.

Links:

All Podcast Episodes (Searchable)

Alexandre Family Farms Kefir

Kalona Supernatural Sour Cream

Big Picture Foods

El Nacho Tortilla Chips

Philosopher Foods

Little Sesame Preserved Lemon Hummus

Wild Idea Bison Filet

Maui Nui Meat Sticks

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On this episode, we’re joined by Carolyn Gahn who is the Senior Director of Mission & Advocacy at Applegate.

Applegate has just announced that they’ve achieved their ambitious goal to source 100% of the beef in their beef hot dogs from certified regenerative grasslands. By implementing this change, Applegate is helping to transition 10.8 million acres of grasslands to certified regenerative.

Carolyn leads Applegate’s regenerative agriculture initiatives, and she joins us to share how the brand has gone from a single experimental product to transforming its entire hot dog portfolio to be certified regenerative.

We explore what made Applegate double down on regen even when consumers didn’t fully understand it, and how this shift reflects the brand's long-standing mission of “changing the meat we eat.” Carolyn gives us a transparent look at the supply chain complexity, the multiple certifications chosen, and how Applegate’s position within Hormel is actually helping move regen efforts forward at scale.

We also dig into Applegate’s nutrient density testing and human health trials, their efforts to create true market signals for farmers, and how storytelling is evolving to make regen accessible and meaningful for everyday consumers.

Episode Highlights:

🌭 Applegate went all-in: The entire beef hot dog portfolio is now certified regenerative—ROC and a custom standard for non-organic lines.

🤯 Consumer confusion ≠ deterrent: Despite low consumer understanding of “regen,” Applegate committed to the transformation anyway.

💡 Do Good Dog learnings: Applegate's first regen product provided critical consumer insights—even if the SKU itself wasn’t the final solution.

🧬 Nutrient density & health trials: Applegate is conducting a human health study to compare regenerative vs. conventional beef on health biomarkers.

🧠 Consumer education strategy: The team is shifting toward messaging rooted in proxies like grass-fed and biodiversity—not soil science lectures.

🏆 Hormel backing regen: Carolyn confirms Hormel is fully supportive—proving big food can be part of the regen solution.

🧩 Collaborative supply chain: From aggregators to fashion brands, Applegate is working across sectors to support whole-animal utilization.

🌱 Farmer-first mindset: The team is focused on building systems that work with long-term supplier relationships and localized solutions.

🔍 Certification clarity: Applegate requires third-party certifications for all claims—driving integrity while acknowledging standard complexity.

📈 Beyond beef: Applegate is carefully evaluating pork, poultry, and feed systems to expand regen thoughtfully and meaningfully.

Links:

Applegate

Applegate Beats 2025 Regenerative Goal, Transitions All Beef Hot Dogs to 100% Certified Regenerative Beef

Hormel Foods

Regenerative Organic Certified

Land to Market

Hickory Nut Gap

Kettle & Fire

EOV (Ecological Outcome Verification)

Bionutrient Food Association

The Hormel Institute

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