Andrew Watman’s Post

You may have had a Tractor Beverage Co. drink when dining at Chipotle, but the brand is about to enter an entirely new chapter.... Launching Jan 1 - Tractor's brand new haymakers will be in all Sprouts Farmers Market locations - partnering with the expanding natural grocer for a three-month educational endcap promotion so that customers can learn about the beauty of the haymaker - the farmer's tonic blessed with ACV and ginger - and the mission behind Tractor. Cofounders Griffin Barkley and Justin Schneir have farming in their blood and were always out on a mission to launch haymaker, but took the opposite route of entering food service for the first decade, including its fundamental partnership with Chipotle - but now feel ready, at the helm of CEO Kevin Sherman, "the reluctant CEO" who comes to Tractor after years in education - to make the Tractor brand more visible - which in turn will help support farmers and encourage organic farming for our soil and our soul. Calling Tractor a beverage company is the tip of the iceberg. Tractor is really embodied in the nonprofit it created, The Farmhand Foundation - lead by Whitney Clapper. Whitney is in the midst of a listening tour with farmers to understand what they need. Instead of pointing the finger, she grabs a coffee with them and drops any and all judgement. It was an honor spending time with the Tractor team at their Farm Camp in Ojai last month, where we connected deep with the earth and each other, really immersing myself to better understand what Tractor stands for. Many thanks to Sprouts' Chief Forager Kim Coffin to the insights on this special partnership - Duke Stump - for being the first person to greet me at Farm Aid 40 in Minneapolis where the haymaker made its entrance into the world - and to Chrystie Heimert - for being a comforting presence in this journey of connecting to Tractor and the spiritual haymaker. Please take a moment to read this important story today on Forbes: https://lnkd.in/gWuXXvHV