Collaborative community organization Naturally Los Angeles formally launched last week with the goal of increasing access to education, resources and capital for natural product companies based in Los Angeles in order to promote sustainable business practices and conscious growth.
Alongside its launch, Naturally Los Angeles announced its inaugural board members which include co-founder of Health-Ade Kombucha Vanessa Dew, co-founder of Country Archer Eugene Kang, CEO of Coolhaus Natasha Case and Greg Fleishman, Investor & co-founder of Foodstirs Junk-Free Bakery.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the leadership team for Naturally LA,” Natasha Case, CEO of Coolhaus, said in a press release. “It’s very evident that there has been a true coming of age for the CPG food scene locally in the past decade, and so it’s really meaningful that we can build an organization to reflect that blossoming community in a way that is inclusive and represents all of the delicious innovation LA has to offer.”
The activation of Naturally Los Angeles marks the seventh chapter of Boulder-based, non-profit Naturally Network’s local, natural products communities across the U.S. which includes cities such as Austin, Chicago, New York and San Diego. The broader organization’s goal is to guide the future of the industry by facilitating business coaching, advocating for industry issues, coordinating economic development activities, among other activities, distinct to each local community it operates in.
According to its website, Naturally Los Angeles aims to connect entrepreneurs, investors, brands, retailers and industry experts in order to drive entrepreneurship and innovation within the natural products industry in Los Angeles. The organization operates a range of private social media groups which host forums and facilitate collaboration between members and are live on platforms including Facebook and LinkedIn.
The organization informally began operations in October, according to its Facebook profile, and has already held multiple informal networking and informational events. On November 10th Naturally LA held its first educational forum focused on “how to build and grow a brand in an omni-channel world,” led by Amanda Sains, Marketing Director at Joolies, Steve Vigilant, New Business Development for Olipop, Lauren Gropper, co-founder and CEO of plant-based plastic product company Repurpose and Erica Buxton, president of e-commerce baby products company Hello Bello.
The new chapter is currently looking to bring in new members, according to a press release. Annual individual memberships for Naturally Los Angeles begin at $65 and include 12-month access to forums and events, networking opportunities, a living CPG industry resource library, membership directory, among other resources.
In addition to individual memberships, the organization offers a wide range of tiered partner and sponsor memberships which are intended for larger corporations and allow multiple, individual memberships under each subscription which start at $500. Higher-tiered subscriptions include wider access to the organization’s resources, additional individual memberships under the subscription and promotional opportunities.
“Through our unique and powerful resources, we will be able to effectively serve the needs of LA’s vast ecosystem of local consumer brands, agencies, investors, and retailers in a way that perfectly aligns with their missions to help make the world better,” said Greg Fleishman, Investor & Co-Founder of Foodstirs Junk-Free Bakery in a press release.