Eco-preneurs 2015
Co-Owners, Hip Chick Farms
Serafina Palandech and Jennifer Johnson are the hip chicks behind Hip Chick Farms, a company that produces all-natural, free-range, organic chicken meals sold at Whole Foods, Safeway and grocery stores across the country. The idea came about as a result of Johnson′s other job, working for a family in San Francisco as a private chef. (She has also cooked at Chez Panisse, the famed California restaurant founded by Alice Waters.) “Jen′s passion for food was combined with our belief in creating sustainable food systems,“ says Palandech. “The field chose us—natural foods are our way of life.“ The couple, who will be in Food & Wine this month, credit many mentors for their success, including folks at Amy′s Kitchen, Cowgirl Creamery and Three Twins Ice Cream. (“Everyone has been so generous with their time,“ notes Palandech.) But Palandech and Johnson are generous, too, giving back some of the money from their sales to non-profits and participating in their community whenever possible. And while they admit being a lesbian-owned business has exposed them to some discrimination, they don′t let it get in their way: “No matter what happens, we believe in our vision and our family and know that we will succeed.“ Their advice to others? “Always say yes, but never take no for an answer!“
These out entrepreneurs embrace a greener business model.
Jasmin Singer & Mariann Sullivan
Co-Founders, Our Hen House
“I went vegan 20 years ago when I looked at my dog and couldn′t see the difference between him and the animals on my plate,“ says Mariann Sullivan. These days, she—along with wife Jasmin Singer—are trying to convince others to adopt that same diet, become more knowledgeable about animal cruelty in general, and work on behalf of animal rights via Our Hen House, a nonprofit multimedia hub featuring podcasts. “We started Our Hen House as a reaction to how the mainstream media largely ignores the very dire truth about the suffering of animals, particularly in the food industry,“ Singer says. In addition to being board president and program director of Our Hen House, Sullivan is a lawyer, writer and adjunct professor of animal law at Columbia Law School, while Singer, OHH′s executive director, is a contributing writer for VegNews Magazine and a memoirist. (Always Too Much and Never Enough drops in February.) What motivates these two—besides the animals themselves, of course—are natural allies also working to change the world, like environmental activists. Singer says: “More and more environmentalists are recognizing that animal agriculture is the main culprit in climate change, and—thanks to documentaries like Cowspiracy and advocates like Al Gore, who are finally making the connection between what′s on their plate and what′s devastating the planet—the tide, quite literally, is shifting.“
