Niman Ranch Founding Hog Farmer Paul Willis Receives Leadership Award at Fancy Food Show
2024年6月28日 - 3:43AM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
Iowa Pasture Pig Farmer Honored as
Sustainability and Animal Welfare Leader, Champion for Small Family
Farms
This week at the Fancy Food Show, Niman Ranch’s Founding Hog
Farmer Paul Willis received the esteemed Specialty Food Association
Leadership Award for Sustainability. Paul grew Niman Ranch from his
one family farm to a network today of over 600 Certified Humane®
independent family farmers and ranchers raising pork, beef and lamb
sustainably and with no antibiotics, hormones or crates. Niman
Ranch meats are served at many of the country’s finest restaurants,
at values-driven fast casual chains and in specialty grocers
nationwide.
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Paul Willis grew Niman Ranch from his one
pasture-based pork farm to a network today of over 600 Certified
Humane® independent family farmers and ranchers raising pork, beef
and lamb sustainably and with no antibiotics, hormones or crates.
(Photo: Niman Ranch)
“Paul Willis shows how the specialty food industry can drive
change and build a better, more sustainable food system,” shared
Phil Robinson, SVP, Member Development at the Specialty Food
Association. “Thanks to Paul’s vision and tenacity—and the support
of Niman Ranch customers looking for the best-tasting pork—hundreds
of family farmers can make a living raising pigs humanely and
sustainably. These qualities are what earned Paul SFA’s 2024
Leadership Award for Sustainability.”
Paul’s involvement in sustainable agriculture began after he
graduated from the University of Iowa and joined the Peace Corps
where he served in the Northern Region of Nigeria as the Young
Farmers Club organizer. He returned to the United States in 1975 to
start his own farm in Thornton, Iowa, continuing his family’s
legacy as a fifth-generation farmer. As demand for his pork
grew—starting in the California Bay Area at restaurants like Chez
Panisse and quickly expanding nationwide—Paul added like-minded
farmers to the network to help grow supply. The rest is
history.
Over the past thirty years, Paul has been and continues to be
active in dozens of organizations supporting animal welfare and
small farmers. He is a co-founder of Food Democracy Now and was
co-author of the country’s first pork animal welfare certification
standards. He has worked with organizations ranging from the United
Nations to Drake University in Des Moines to improve the lives of
animals and the viability of independent family farmers, both in
the U.S. and abroad. He is a friend and mentor to many.
It is not uncommon for farmers to tell Paul that were it not for
him and Niman Ranch, they would have lost the family farm. Paul is
particularly proud to see today second and even third generation
Niman Ranch family farms.
Today, Paul continues to be a key voice for Niman Ranch and the
initiatives it pursues. He spends his spare time bird watching on
his 160-acre native tall-grass prairie, tending to his garden and
beloved heirloom tomatoes and advising others hoping to build a
better food system. As Niman Ranch’s Farmer #1, he has no plans to
stop. “I want to continue to be a spokesperson and an advocate for
this type of production, for the farmers and the animals,” shared
Paul.
Photos of Paul Willis for media use can be downloaded here.
Please credit Niman Ranch.
About Niman Ranch
Niman Ranch is a community of over 600
independent family farmers and ranchers who raise pork, beef and
lamb traditionally, humanely and sustainably to deliver the
Finest-Tasting Meat in the World®. Niman Ranch is the largest
farmer and rancher network in North America to be Certified
Humane®. The protein of choice for America’s most celebrated chefs,
Niman Ranch is also the premier option for discerning home cooks
looking for meats Raised with Care®, with no crates, antibiotics or
added hormones—ever.
About the Specialty Food Association
The Specialty Food Association (SFA) was
founded in 1952 and is the not-for-profit trade association of the
$207-billion specialty food industry. Representing more than 3,600
businesses worldwide, SFA champions industry participation and
success for a diverse community of makers, buyers, importers,
distributors, and service providers by developing resources,
information, education, and events that celebrate innovation and
inclusivity.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240627915195/en/
Alicia LaPorte Niman Ranch Senior Communications & Impact
Director 860-869-9788, alicia.laporte@nimanranch.com