We genuinely believe that. Because our food system is broken—but we can fix it with regenerative agriculture. This means bringing proactive solutions to the table and streamlining the stakeholders. It means looking to Indigenous communities for the answers—because they’ve been there all along. And it means prioritizing innovation and creativity, too. Because these qualities are core to our human spirit.

“WE CAN’T SPEAK ABOUT REGENERATIVE ORGANIC AGRICULTURE WITHOUT SPEAKING ABOUT INDIGENOUS AGRICULTURE.”

Sarela Herrada

SIMPLi Co-founder

Don't Sustain, REGENERATE.

Think about it this way: Conventional agriculture is all about take, take, take. Regenerative agriculture is about giving back—to the land and our farmers—and receiving more as a result. Let’s break it down.

CONVENTIONAL
Agriculture

  • Lack of sourcing transparency
  • Degrades soil health through monocropping
  • Less nutritious
  • Convoluted or undisclosed practices
  • Unknown animal welfare or farmer treatment

REGENERATIVE ORGANIC
Agriculture

  • Highest certification standard
  • Restores soil health through crop rotation
  • More nutrient-dense
  • Preserves indigenous knowledge
  • Supports farmers & top-tier animal welfare

Regenerative Agriculture Is IMPERATIVE

Agriculture contributes a third of the world’s human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. But we can paint a different picture. When we use regenerative farming practices instead of conventional, we can keep up to 15 tons of carbon per acre per year in the soil.

Which means more crops, farming opportunities, And food—and less climate impact.

Regenerative Agriculture Is INDIGENOUS

How do we go from take, take, take, to a virtuous cycle? By looking to Indigenous communities who’ve been using responsible land management practices and environmental stewardship for thousands of years.

By learning from our farming partners around the world and building upon these ancient methods of farming, we’re using the past to shape the future.

Regenerative Agriculture Is CYCLICAL

What’s regenerative agriculture really about? It’s a series of farming methods and practices that aim to improve the health of the land by working with the land, instead of against it.

This looks like enhancing natural ecosystems, increasing biodiversity, and improving soil quality for greater food system resiliency over time.

Regenerative Agriculture Is NUTRITIOUS

Here’s the fun part: When we adopt regenerative agriculture practices with our farming partners, we’re actually creating more nutritious ingredients.

Numerous studies have shown that regeneratively managed crops contain higher levels of key nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants as compared to conventionally farmed crops.

SIMPLi’s Regenerative Pathway Program

Conventional
Transitional Organic
Organic
Regenerative Organic Certified®

Conventional farms use practices that prioritize high yields and efficiency—things like synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and forest clearing. Most of the time, these farming methods lead to soil erosion and toxic runoff, negatively impacting the health of the planet and its people.

Once farmers set out to transition over to organic farming methods, it can take up to three years to move toward eliminating all chemicals as part of the organic standards. At this stage, some conventional methods are used, but farmers are increasingly adopting more regenerative practices.

After a farm goes three years without using synthetic chemicals and adopts all designated organic practices, the USDA certifies that farm as Organic. Today, most of the communities and farming partners we work with start at this stage.

After farming partners achieve Certified Organic certification, the next step is Regenerative Organic Certified®—in our opinion, the gold standard in farming practices. Through SIMPLi’s proprietary Regenerative Pathway Program (RPP), we support and incentivize our farming partners to achieve and maintain their certification.

TRADITIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN

In the commodity trading model, several farmers’ crops are mixed together at every stage of the chain. Quality is based on things like color and size, instead of things like how crops were grown, which seeds were used—or, most importantly, how the food smells and tastes. That means individual farmers don’t have agency or control over their prices or the quality of the final hodgepodge product. At SIMPLi, we believe everyone deserves better.

SIMPLi’S VERTICAL SUPPLY CHAIN

We’ve simplified the supply chain by absorbing or eliminating most of the usual barriers so we can focus on each ingredient’s flavor, integrity, and nutritional value. Not only does this put power back into the hands of our farming partners—it ensures we’re delivering best-in-class ingredients to home pantries and restaurant kitchens across the country.

The Future of Agriculture SOUNDS LIKE THIS

This is complicated stuff. But it’s fun stuff, too. Here’s what we’re focused on—and how we talk about it.

CROP ROTATION

Instead of always planting the same thing (exhausting the soil), crop rotation entails planting different crops from one season to another (which replenishes the soil).

NO-TILL / LOW TILL

Simply put, the less we mess with the soil, the better. No-till and low-till practices focus on minimal disruption of the soil to ensure optimal soil health.

BIODIVERSITY

Conventional agriculture is a lot of same, same, same. Regenerative organic agriculture celebrates a diversity of life in a particular ecosystem. That’s biodiversity.

CARBON SEQUESTRATION

The process of plants taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and holding it in the soil so it has less climate impact. Regenerative organic crops are great at this.

COVER CROP

Cover crops are plants that help with soil erosion, soil health, and biodiversity. Conventional farming treats them as disposable—we celebrate them.

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

This is the responsible use of our home planet. Indigenous communities are leaders here, with a focus on land conservation and regenerative organic farming practices.

SINGLE-ORIGIN

Agricultural products that are all grown and harvested in the same geographical region or farm, rather than a medley of often-untraceable sources.

SOIL HEALTH

The regenerative organic certification focuses on methods for enhancing soil structure and fertility—like cover cropping, composting, minimal tillage, and increasing biodiversity.

ANIMAL WELFARE

The regenerative organic certification requires that farm animals have open spaces, natural diets, and nurturing conditions to support their well-being.

SOCIAL FAIRNESS

The regenerative organic certification ensures fair wages and safe working conditions for farmers. SIMPLi goes even further with our RPP initiative.

COMMODITY

Commodities are raw agricultural products that form the backbone of many pantries. SIMPLi applies more conscious practices to these everyday essentials.

CROP ROTATION

Instead of always planting the same thing (exhausting the soil), crop rotation entails planting different crops from one season to another (which replenishes the soil).

NO-TILL / LOW TILL

Simply put, the less we mess with the soil, the better. No-till and low-till practices focus on minimal disruption of the soil to ensure optimal soil health.

BIODIVERSITY

Conventional agriculture is a lot of same, same, same. Regenerative organic agriculture celebrates a diversity of life in a particular ecosystem. That’s biodiversity.

CARBON SEQUESTRATION

The process of plants taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and holding it in the soil so it has less climate impact. Regenerative organic crops are great at this.

COVER CROP

Cover crops are plants that help with soil erosion, soil health, and biodiversity. Conventional farming treats them as disposable—we celebrate them.

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

This is the responsible use of our home planet. Indigenous communities are leaders here, with a focus on land conservation and regenerative organic farming practices.

SINGLE-ORIGIN

Agricultural products that are all grown and harvested in the same geographical region or farm, rather than a medley of often-untraceable sources.

SOIL HEALTH

The regenerative organic certification focuses on methods for enhancing soil structure and fertility—like cover cropping, composting, minimal tillage, and increasing biodiversity.

ANIMAL WELFARE

The regenerative organic certification requires that farm animals have open spaces, natural diets, and nurturing conditions to support their well-being.

SOCIAL FAIRNESS

The regenerative organic certification ensures fair wages and safe working conditions for farmers. SIMPLi goes even further with our RPP initiative.

COMMODITY

Commodities are raw agricultural products that form the backbone of many pantries. SIMPLi applies more conscious practices to these everyday essentials.

CROP ROTATION

Instead of always planting the same thing (exhausting the soil), crop rotation entails planting different crops from one season to another (which replenishes the soil).

NO-TILL / LOW TILL

Simply put, the less we mess with the soil, the better. No-till and low-till practices focus on minimal disruption of the soil to ensure optimal soil health.

BIODIVERSITY

Conventional agriculture is a lot of same, same, same. Regenerative organic agriculture celebrates a diversity of life in a particular ecosystem. That’s biodiversity.

CARBON SEQUESTRATION

The process of plants taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and holding it in the soil so it has less climate impact. Regenerative organic crops are great at this.

COVER CROP

Cover crops are plants that help with soil erosion, soil health, and biodiversity. Conventional farming treats them as disposable—we celebrate them.

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

This is the responsible use of our home planet. Indigenous communities are leaders here, with a focus on land conservation and regenerative organic farming practices.

SINGLE-ORIGIN

Agricultural products that are all grown and harvested in the same geographical region or farm, rather than a medley of often-untraceable sources.

SOIL HEALTH

The regenerative organic certification focuses on methods for enhancing soil structure and fertility—like cover cropping, composting, minimal tillage, and increasing biodiversity.

ANIMAL WELFARE

The regenerative organic certification requires that farm animals have open spaces, natural diets, and nurturing conditions to support their well-being.

SOCIAL FAIRNESS

The regenerative organic certification ensures fair wages and safe working conditions for farmers. SIMPLi goes even further with our RPP initiative.

COMMODITY

Commodities are raw agricultural products that form the backbone of many pantries. SIMPLi applies more conscious practices to these everyday essentials.

FAQ.

Regenerative Organic Certification® takes the USDA Organic Standard to the next level, emphasizing practices that actively improve soil health and biodiversity, while also supporting social fairness and animal welfare.

Some of the methods emphasized with this certification include cover cropping, crop rotations, fair wages, and open pastures, which collectively promote a holistic approach to farming that prioritizes environmental stewardship and community well-being.

At SIMPLi, we proudly embraced regenerative organic practices early in our journey. We’re the first ingredients brand to be Regenerative Organic Certified® in South America for our grains and beans, and we’re one of the first in Greece for our beans.

Our innovative approach to sourcing looks to the land to inform product innovation and prioritizes ingredients that benefit the regenerative organic ecosystem, like cover crops and sustainable ingredients such as quinoa, amaranth, and lupini beans.

Our Regenerative Organic Certified® products are sourced from communities around the world, spanning from South American countries like Peru, Argentina, and Paraguay, to European countries like Greece. To dive deeper into the stories of our farming communities, check out our blog.

It’s true that our Regenerative Organic Certified® products may have a higher price tag than some conventional products, but customers are getting so much more from these premium products. 

The certification ensures the use of natural fertilizers, organic animal feed, and regenerative techniques that restore habitats and ecosystems in the growing process. Unlike conventional farms, we avoid synthetic pesticides, GMOs, and monocropping when growing our ingredients. 

Choosing Regenerative Organic Certified® ingredients is a small, tangible investment you as a consumer can make in nourishing your body with the best quality ingredients and building a better future to sustain our planet’s limited resources. In our humble opinion, these small upfront costs will pay off in spades.

By choosing the sustainable methods central to regenerative organic farming, we’re focusing on soil health as our utmost goal. And numerous studies show that healthier soil results in more nutrient-dense ingredients, full of more minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals that support human health.

Our cofounder Sarela is a native Peruvian with deep roots in South American foodways and culture. And when she first came to the US, the produce she got from her local grocery store tasted completely different from what she had in Peru. The punch of flavor you enjoy when consuming an ingredient that’s been farmed where it’s native with intention and care—that simply can’t be beat. It’s why we founded SIMPLi—and it’s the quality we use to decide what’s best every time we add a new ingredient to our roster. Plus, some studies show that the extra nutrient density seen in regenerative organic crops does in fact make them taste better.

Regenerative organic farming is different from organic farming in that it establishes a more holistic approach to land management and full ecosystem sustainability. Think of regen as the gold standard up-level after farming communities reach the organic milestone.

We see regenerative organic certification as a journey (that’s why we launched our proprietary Regenerative Pathway Program). And we’re proud to work with each of our farming partners to graduate from wherever they are in their farming journey to the gold standard of Regenerative Organic Certified®. That said, many of our partners have achieved this certification—but some aren’t quite there yet. 

There are also some ingredients (like salt) that aren’t grown in soil—so the practices and standards that go with that particular product are different. Our salts are hand-harvested using traditional methods, and we hold the utmost ethical standards for offering this exceptional global staple.

The regenerative organic path isn’t the most obvious one. But it’s an approach that we truly believe—and that numerous studies (and thousands of years of ancient wisdom) show has an invaluable impact on our planet and the communities that call it home. We’ve specifically invested in our Regenerative Pathway Program initiative because we know these practices are scalable and will only continue to deliver exponential value over time. The Regenerative Organic Certified® certification is a milestone for each smallholder farmer. And together, the communities we collaborate with begin to form larger ecosystems that influence their peers and others in their region. This is the big-picture impact that’s possible when we’re all on the same journey together.

This is what keeps us up at night and what gets us jazzed every single day. Explore our blog for deeper dives into the world of regenerative organic. And if you’re a foodservice partner interested in adding regenerative organic products to your pantry, we’d love to work together.

THE FUTURE OF FOOD Is Ours