March 16, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nutiva ® John W. Roulac President, Founder 800-993-4367 ext 701 www.nutiva.com

 

Nutiva Receives Fast Company Award

March 16, 2005 - Sebastopol , California - The California hemp foods company Nutiva has received an honorable mention in the “Milestones” category of Fast Company magazine’s 2005 Fast 50 Awards. Nutiva was selected from among thousands of entries for its David-and-Goliath victory over the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, which had planned to classify foods made from hempseed as Schedule One drugs. Fighting a heroic legal battle, Nutiva’s founder, John W. Roulac, and other industry leaders including Dr. Bronner’s and Nature’s Path, appealed the DEA’s ruling and won their case, with the DEA’s last appeal expiring in September 2004.

Nutiva has previously won the best new supplement award at the Natural Products Expo for its Organic Hemp Protein Powder.

Nutiva CEO John Roulac commented, “We’re honored to be selected by Fast Company as one of two companies (the other is IBM) to be recognized in the Milestones Honorable Mention category. It’s highly satisfying to receive this honor after the battle for survival that we and our industry fought and won. I was also delighted by the many wonderful comments we received from people around the world who viewed our entry page < www.fastcompany.com/fast50_05/profile/index.html?roulac401> at Fast Company.”

Roulac further reflected, “Our victory in court has taken the last brake from our growth potential, and sales are now accelerating. Last week I was in Sacramento to support the Hemp Farm Bill, AB 1147, which, if passed, will permit California ’s farmers to grow hemp for food and fiber. This new source of revenue for farmers will lower Nutiva’s costs and allow us to pass along these savings to our customers. Thirty-two countries, including Governor Schwarzenegger’s home country of Austria as well as Germany , France , and the United Kingdom , allow hemp farming. Nutiva is encouraging its customers and retailers to write to the governor in support of the bill so we can buy our hempseed from California farmers.”

About Fast Company and the Fast 50

Fast Company magazine is an idea-driven business journal, providing today’s businesspeople with the best thinking, best tools, and best practices to outsmart and outperform the competition. Fast Company is about innovation, creativity, leadership, and vision. Every issue is filled with innovative solutions and smart technologies that companies can use to gain the strategic advantage. Owned by Gruner + Jahr, a unit of Bertelsmann AG, the award-winning magazine has a circulation of 725,000.

The Fast 50 is Fast Company’s annual readers’ challenge: a worldwide search for ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Fast Company’s goal in naming the Fast 50 is to remind the world of all the good created when passionate people with important ideas and strong convictions are determined to make a difference.

 

Nutiva Nourishes People and Planet

Nutiva is dedicated to a healthy and sustainable world for all, demonstrating its mission to nourish people and planet by using the healthiest organic ingredients available, enriching the soil, and supporting worthy causes by donating 1 percent of sales to groups that promote sustainable agriculture. Founded in 1999, Nutiva offers nutritious organic hemp and flax food bars, hemp protein powder, hemp oil, shelled hemp seed, and extra-virgin organic coconut oil nationwide through more than 2,500 natural food retailers, including Whole Foods Markets and Wild Oats. Call us: (800) 993-4367 • Email us: inquiries[at]nutiva.com • Visit us: www.nutiva.com

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