SPEAKERS
Lourdes Gant, Jennifer Bushman
Lourdes Gant 00:05
As a business owner of an aquaculture company, how can you take the first step to be profitable and sustainable at the same time? That’s what we’re going to be talking about in these episodes. Hello, and welcome to the Business of Agriculture podcast. This is the podcast for the Sustainable Business movement in the Aquafarming and ocean ranching industries. This podcast aims to amplify the voices of entrepreneurs addressing the United Nation global goals, aka Sustainable Development Goals number 14, to conserve and sustainably use the oceans and the seas.
Listen in to fellow business agriculturists in their journey in this new model of food production of making their business sustainable, and helping the ecology of the ocean, while also making a profit all at the same time. Get inspired to learn how even small to medium businesses can make an impact to save the seas. Leave a legacy and have a better quality of life. One of our goals is to take away a nugget of wisdom that will help your business move from the industrial revolution to business 5.0. Our vision is that of collaboration in the aquaculture industry. I’m Lourdes Gant, your host. As an aquaculture business, how do you handle reputation management and collaborative partnerships?
This episode is dedicated to answering that question. So, listen in and I hope you enjoy this episode. If you listened to Episode 13, we had Patrick Schnettler. Patrick is passionate about software and agriculture. He is the co-founder of 12 Tides, organic kelp snacks, and an ocean entrepreneur. Welcome to Episode 14 Season Two of the Business of Agriculture. In this episode, I’m proud to interview Jennifer Bushman. Welcome to the show, Jennifer.
Jennifer Bushman 02:00
Thank you so much for having me. I’m happy to be here.
Lourdes Gant 02:03
Pleasure. She is a sustainable agriculture expert, culinary talent, and author. She’s one of the food and lifestyle industry’s most respected consultants, communicators, marketers, and strategists when it comes to sustainable agriculture. She has crafted a valuable brand that resonates nationally, regionally, and locally. For more than two decades, Jennifer has worked with brands including Kvaroy Arctic. Am I saying that right?
Jennifer Bushman 02:32
Kvaroy.
Lourdes Gant 02:33
Kvaroy. Pacifical, agriculture, fair trade USA fish and seafood, reverence trout, Pacific catch Restaurant Group and many more. She has worked within the sustainable fish and seafood community for nearly a decade creating relationships between the agriculture community and with NGOs, such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. In 2014 alone, she made more than 75 television appearances, reaching 189 markets and nearly 40 million viewers.
She has been recognized numerous times by the James Beard Foundation, and the International Association of culinary professionals as one of our nation’s top culinary consultants, communicators, and teachers. In addition, Jennifer’s passion for sustainable fish and seafood has led her to sit on several influential boards, such as the board of directors for love the wild, all oceans, hatch, blue Varuna, and the board of directors for James Beard days Foundation. Welcome again, Jennifer.
Jennifer Bushman 03:37
Thank you so much. I’m really appreciative to be here. It’s nice to hear you.
Lourdes Gant 03:42
And normally, I don’t do a very big introduction of my guests. But I am just so pleased with how I ended up meeting you online. And I thought this woman has such a variety of expertise on her belt that it’s really worth mentioning. So thank you again for being on the show.
Jennifer Bushman 04:02
You’re welcome. I am five feet wide and three inches deep. I can only talk a little bit about a whole lot of things. So here we go.
Lourdes Gant 04:08
So let’s get started. And I wanted to ask you, the first question is I asked this for all my season, two guests. What is your advice to small businesses wanting to embark on sustainable agriculture, especially probably green technology?
Jennifer Bushman 04:23
I think that it’s research because what I say is that every day I’m in this field is the day that I learned how little I know. And it’s difficult when you’re talking to startups to say, oh, did you know that these things are happening? Or did you talk to this person or that person? So be curious, you know, one of the most important attributes we can have as humans is curiosity. And so be curious, listen, and schedule those curiosity conversations as much as you can, so that you really truly are coming up with either something unique and if it’s not you that you have a unique way of presenting it and bringing it to market so that you can grow.
Lourdes Gant 05:05
When I’m talking to someone interviewing someone, all these acronyms pop up in my head, and then associate that with a person. So with you, it’s CC, curiosity conversations.
Jennifer Bushman 05:15
I really do them all the time. Sometimes, I have one of those links, you know, book with me at the bottom of my email. And some days, I look at the calendar, and I’m like, I have no idea what we’re about to talk about. But it’s going to be incredible.
Lourdes Gant 05:27
Absolutely. And I also like specifically what you mentioned about also if you have nothing unique to say, say it in a very unique way, I remember early on when I was learning people have different ways of receiving messages. And so that really resonates with me as well. So with all these appearances that you did with your show and all the other things that you’re doing as a consultant, what have you seen are some of the solutions, the bureaucracy challenge that regulates the agricultural industry, so that business is not hampered by rulings, or maybe even there are some rulings that are supportive as well.
Jennifer Bushman 06:04
But I think it’s very timely, because Senator, of course, from Hawaii, Senator Schatz, just brought to the Congressional floor the Aqua act for what has been several new generations of this legislation in the United States. We have right now, advocacy and policy issues, particularly surrounding our oyster farmers in the United States. And so, there are significant things that can happen. Frankly, I always say it’s not that good work isn’t happening, it’s that we have a communications problem.
And there is something unique that’s happening as aquaculture really does develop and has developed in the future. And so aquaculture has to earn its place at the table of the future of food. And so, we have to be doing the heavy lifting as well. But we also have to be communicating what those things are. And the last thing we want is someone else to own the narrative. And so when a 137-year-old oyster farmer sits in front of a judge and then loses their concession for no other reason than people don’t like looking at the farm, that’s more of a communication problem than it is honestly a regulatory issue or, frankly, a practices issue.
So, I think that we have to do a better job telling our story. And we have to understand that advocacy and policy are often a long journey. It’s a winding road that we constantly have to be on. So as we look down the road and around the bend at this, it’s that we have to be active in this process, and not take for granted the fact that we know what we know, you know, my first years 15 years ago, you know, I sat with a group and they said, no, no, no open ocean, net Pennacchio culture will always be read the scientists, the marine biologists will never change our policy.
Well, in dialogue, we were able to change that. And it changed the way the industry looked moving forward. It was a significant change in the way in which we looked at this. So, dialogue matters, but being smart about it being well prepared and frankly, defensible bill and policy within your operations, great work sales. And so in my mind, when you have something that’s defensible, then those old policyholders have that old narrative where they’re dusting off, the old playbook just can’t stand.
Lourdes Gant 08:23
That is so true, especially in terms of how people in this industry really need to educate a lot of not just politicians, but other stakeholders. But communication has been one of the skills set that in any business is needed anyway, but as specifically really like what you talked about, in terms of having this dialogue, because these dialogues really make a big difference. And especially one you said, great work sales, and sometimes you don’t have to sell it great work just does its own thing. But what would probably be your advice, if maybe one-man agriculture, small business, how can he get started on making these effective communications happen?
Jennifer Bushman 09:10
Well, I think that it’s looking at all things that really resonate, as humans, we don’t really want to connect with the logos or the ethos, as Aristotle said, we connect with the pathos, that emotion, that passion. And as humans from the very beginning of an understanding of human nature, we understood that it was the human stories, the emotional stories that we connected with. So if you’re, for example, really keen on technology, and I have lots of farmers that I’ve worked with where they want to talk about the latest laser systems they’re using or their sea lice abatement or feed, whatever that is, there is no human connection in that story.
When I speak with Ras farmers, and I see that they’ve built out a system that frankly is probably efficiently rearing the fish or the shellfish but actually is ugly. You know, we also connect to the visual of things, chefs are very creative and visual. So it’s understanding that there is not a linear way in which we tell our story. And what I mean by that is that it does not just raise the fish or seafood, sell the fish or seafood, you know.
And then back again, it’s a circular story, where we’re telling a story of food systems and humans, we’re creating this circular chain of well-being that starts from the beginning all the way to the end. And when we can connect with the community, we can connect with water, any company that comes to me because I work as a strategic development consultant in aquaculture, I never know people will call me and say, You should do my website. And I’m like, wow, I don’t do websites.
Let’s do whiteboarding. And let’s talk about really in the end what you need as a circular system in order to get where you want to go. Sometimes that’s the right certifications and recommendations. Sometimes that’s as simple as a filtration system and knowing that the right filtration systems going into a river or waterway can be better managed, or it can be all the way in the market, what are those tools look like?
So, it’s very important to understand that it’s really about finding what is what’s going to be your connection. We talked about this when you start a business. But if you understand, for example, I worked with a tilapia farmer. And they were all they were doing was selling fish. But they were in Costa Rica, their energy was all green energy, they were surrounded by the most beautiful rainforest in the world where millions of gallons of freshwater flowed through their farms, their pond systems.
So, tilapia is thought of as dirty, it’s not thought of as a clean, bright flavor. And so we focused on the story of the water. So when you look at what it is that you’re trying to do, you’ve got to find those highlights those connections, that then I’m going to relate to when I’m supporting what you’re doing, or as a consumer, and I hate that word. But as a purchaser, I have to find in you where my dollars meet the values that I’m looking for specifically.
Lourdes Gant 12:21
I love what you just shared, I was just in an event last weekend, I think, across the board, in any business, it’s very important what stories we tell because that’s how we are weaved as a culture with the story that someone can relate to. And the connections and when you mentioned the ethos and the baffles, and the way that it was explained in that event.
I was into it when you’re talking to someone, we think that people come from the intellectual point of view, but our brain hasn’t a croc brain in which we actually can relate because of emotions. And so if a business is actually able to find a way to weave all the stories that came about on how their business got started, what was the passion, the vision behind the organization, it’s not a nun, entity, all these stories are alive. And how we tell them is how we can gain traction.
Jennifer Bushman 13:20
And then that can happen. And even technology, something that feels very cold, I always say technology is only as good as the hands that hold it. So tell the story of the hands that hold it. And then you might be thinking, well, I don’t have anything well then figure out what impact you’re going to have in the community and tell that community story.
It’s there is I can promise and you know, Simon Sinek is so brilliant at this. He says it’s not what you do. It’s why you do it, that creates the connection, it gets people motivated, it’s what gets you a higher price. People tell me all the time, why can I get a premium price for my raised fish and seafood? Well, you could if you had more value for it. Most of this sits in our why. And we don’t do a good job expressing what that why is.
Lourdes Gant 14:06
I love Simon Sinek I actually read all his books and on the practicality of things. Again, I go back to small and medium businesses. And Simon explains this in a very good way or in your why should be actionable. And so most of the values have to be in action. And know, you can have like a gazillion of lists of what your values are. But if they’re just all airy-fairy, then it wouldn’t matter.
So, what would be some of the things that you think you can recommend so that even small and medium businesses actually clarify what their values are? Because I see this happening most of the time in small businesses or in they think, “Oh, those are just for big corporations”. How can we/I guess, impart to people in the agricultural industry that this is not just for big corporations? You know, having your vision, mission and your values is part of actually sharing your story like what we talked about. So maybe you can give us some hints on that.
Jennifer Bushman 15:06
There’s always a way to give back. And I think as humans, we don’t want to think of ourselves and Alexandra Cousteau, I’m lucky enough to be on her board of directors for Oceans 2050. And I can tell you that she talks about consumers and what a negative connotation that is, for us as humans, that no one with a planet that’s insignificant depletion wants to be thought of as overconsuming or consumptive. And when we look at ourselves, even if we have to feed ourselves in the contribution of something, we are empowered, we will feel like we are giving back and that will be a motivator for us to continue to move forward.
So, when you think about living in the contribution of something, we all do that. And when I speak, when I do my public speaking appearances, I actually will say, think of the ways in which it resonates for you, do you recycle, do you give to your family, is it that you help care for a neighbor, you’ve got to do that action where you make the list of ways in which you’re in contribution. Once you figure out what that is, then you can look at the ways even in a company of two people, I mean, I’m a company of one, I can live in the contribution that may be through my work at the Marine Mammal Center, and the work we’re trying to do, obviously, to protect our marine mammals and also our ocean spaces. But aquaculture is part of that.
So, there are these red threads that I hope you can see that then will motivate you. And hopefully, it’s not so many times now we hear people say, Well, you know, if we’re going to feed 10 billion people in 2050, then aquaculture has to be a part of it. And you know, when aquaculture gets there at scale, well, you know what you need to vote with your feet.
And if you’re not thinking about your feed models, or whether or not you’re going to use green energy, like whatever, it may be expensive, but whatever your plan is to get there, you’re pretty much still not putting it into place actionable goals. And so I think even if you can articulate those, I like resolutions, one of my clients Kvaroy Arctic, we do resolutions for the company every year, and we publish them on the website on a blog.
And I think by the end of this year, some are funny, some are like our team in the US needed to learn how to speak a little Norwegian, and others are very serious around diversity and equity. But we stated that intention, and then we as a team worked towards making sure those were fulfilled by the end of the year. And we almost got there. So I think there’s something about putting it out there, be brave, be motivated, be passionate and vote with your feet.
Lourdes Gant 17:48
An area like that, too. In terms of when you were talking about resolutions and consumers. It’s funny because it was well, it’s not really funny. But the consumer has a big trigger for me this week because we were applying for a government grant. And apparently, one of the requirements is it has to be sold to consumers. And our grid accident oyster seed is actually sold to growers, and that doesn’t call it by consumers are actually what they define as an eater. So I’m like what?
Jennifer Bushman 18:18
Well, guess what? Buyers, I get into this all the time with my clients. Buyers are consumers. They go to the grocery store, and they shop and they feed their families, we are all that I would rather say is Alexandria is teaching me our contributors. And when again, we’re picking our impact. Think about a section of the grocery store where you would walk in and it would be blue foods, and you would pick your impact.
Do you want to sequester carbon? Do you want to not only have a nutritive ingredient, but you want to clean and have cleaner filtered water, and then you are picking from oysters to gooey duck to seaweed, and all of these things were also in the contribution of you feeding your family well and in a nutritive way. But you would pick your impact. And then that’s where your dollar would meet your values. So in my mind, I think we have this Pepsi in the grocery store moment at the Super Bowl where there’s this huge display, but we have to work collectively together. Again, boiling it all down to that communication problem where we started.
Lourdes Gant 19:22
Brilliant, just brilliant. Going back to the communication and circling back to that. So my last question to you is, what’s one thing you think will still stay the same in the next decade?
Jennifer Bushman 19:33
13 years ago as people were spitting out the farm salmon as I was standing in the grocery store, and 18,000 tastes later that year, still having that same conversation about how we have to learn to farm properly in a sustainable, ethical way that it has to be contributive because we cannot have this consumptive entitlement of wild resources in our oceans and I will guarantee that we will be creating a new food system through Blue foods that are economical that fight nutritional injustice that is contributed to our oceans and our planet in 10 years.
Lourdes Gant 20:13
Thank you very much. My biggest takeaway from this episode was you and you were talking about great work sales. And I got I said if someone and if all of us is doing great work in the industry, that alone is a reason for our industry to go to the next level. Thanks again, Jennifer, really appreciate your time today. Tell us where they can reach you.
Jennifer Bushman 20:35
Yes, of course, jenniferbushman.com. Also, Jen_Bushman on Instagram and of course, Twitter and Facebook as well, you just search for Jennifer Bushman. And you’ll find me and thank you so much for having me today. It’s always a pleasure to have these incredible curiosity conversations.
Lourdes Gant 20:54
Thanks again. So our subscribers do leave a review of the podcast so we can get more people to be aware of the value our guests are providing in these conversations. If you’re new to the podcast, I’d like to hear from you. Thanks, everyone. Thanks, Jennifer. I really appreciate you. Thank you for listening, and I hope you are inspired by this episode. Do take a moment and share this with your friends and colleagues and rate and review the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway from this conversation has been. What are you going to do differently? Please share thoughts across social media and tag us for links and show notes for this episode, visit our website www.sustainableaquaculture.ca/podcast. Thank you again. I hope you will join me on the next episode and together we can help create a better business in aquaculture.