Cultivating Authenticity: Prairie Fava’s Bold Harvest
There’s a big difference between making foodAnd feeding people.
Making food is an industry. With competition and growth goals and cost cutting and marketing tricks. Feeding people is a calling. With a sense of responsibility to where that food comes from, and how it comes to be on someone’s plate. A lot of the latter falls on farmers.
Because they’ve been tasked with keeping us all fed. Making this food affordable. Raising it a certain way—that might not be the way they were taught, or can afford. Protecting the land—which might not even belong to them or have been cared for properly in the past. With each season, they’re challenged to wring as much value as possible out of every single acre.
Meanwhile, the food chain is being nudged in the direction of prioritizing plants. For generations, education pushed dairy and meat to the center of the table, to own the plate. But it’s not sustainable. We’re at a pivotal moment, where the food pyramid is getting flipped, and people are realizing that loading up on vegetables and fruits and other plant-based products is key to human survival—both in nutrition and in food chain longevity.
This focus on plant-based foods is good for the long term, but there are weak links in the chain. Steps where, whether it’s in ingredients or processing or product manufacture, a cheap solution is chosen over the right one. So even if a farmer’s committed to sustainable cultivation methods, a step or two down the chain, their hard work to do everything right might be undone.
Enter Prairie Fava.
A Canadian company who’s noticed that there’s a way to get a particular plant protein to market, and to preserve the good intentions and hard work that goes into its cultivation.
The Fava bean is incredibly nutrient-dense, is higher in protein and fiber and lower in fats and carbs than any other pulse. And the Fava plant is hardy, providing high yields even in cool, moist conditions.Cultivating Fava has benefits beyond the harvest: it’s a great nitrogen fixer, storing a remarkable amount in its roots to nourish the soil when it’s tilled under at the end of the season.
The bean has been cultivated since the Bronze age, and is apart of culinary traditions from Egypt to China to Italy and beyond. But in North America, over generations, cooks and eaters lost track of the origins of their recipes, and the tradition of using Fava beans.There’s a serious need for safer, smarter crops to empower farmers to safely and judiciously get another harvest out of a season. And there’s a growing demand for ingredients and foods that deliver nutritional rewards without draining planet resources.
So Fava beans can make a come back in North America. Along with other pulses and all the other plants that are better for the human body—and be a significant part of the food-pyramid flip. Prairie Fava comes with five generations of know-how in putting farmers’ interests first. A family farm operation that evolved into a seed company that now is taking on the biggest challenge of all: Feeding the world by controlling one food’s journey, from seed to people’s tables. Reintroducing the Fava bean as a solution for farmers.
A savior for soil,
an ingredient for plant-forward companies and a game changer for healthy eaters. So that it makes sense to fill our fields with Fava beans, and our plates with a huge serving of a plant-filled future.
Critical Areas of Focus
Establishing a Dominant Brand Presence
We set out to carve a niche for Prairie Fava by establishing a brand that could stand toe-to-toe with incumbent manufacturers. Through strategic branding and authentic storytelling, we crafted a presence that resonated with a modern audience while challenging long-held industry standards.
Strategic Forecasting for Scalable Production
Anticipating rising demand, we developed a strategic forecast aimed at scaling fava bean acres across North America. This meticulous planning ensured that Prairie Fava could meet consumer goods customers’ needs, aligning agricultural expansion with market dynamics and sustainable practices.
Leveraging Alliances and Capital Campaigns
In close collaboration with CEO Hailey Jefferies, we leveraged strategic partnerships and orchestrated a targeted capital campaign to boost manufacturing capabilities. This collaborative approach not only secured essential funding but also laid the groundwork for long-term growth and operational excellence.
Innovating Solutions for Immediate Impact
We focused on developing innovative, adoptable solutions that spurred rapid market acceptance of fava protein products. By co-creating products with partners and fine-tuning formulations for quick adoption, we accelerated demand and positioned Prairie Fava as a catalyst for change in the healthy snacking space.
Uncovering Insights to Develop New Markets
Learn how we worked together to uncover major insights and scale the business.
Sowing the Seeds of Growth
I joined Prairie Fava as the Chief Growth Officer at a time when the team was small but fiercely ambitious. In this dynamic role, I actively participated in strategic sales meetings, drove our go-to-market efforts, and enhanced our digital presence—all while developing critical product extensions and gaining deep insights into the market landscape. Working directly with the CEO, we harnessed the power of a lean team to position Prairie Fava as a formidable competitor against major ingredient suppliers, proving that passion and agility can spark transformative growth.
Cultivating a Unique Edge
We identified Prairie Fava’s unique market position as an innovator with a singular focus on a non-GMO fava bean—one boasting an exceptional genetic profile, impressive protein content, and a superior flavor profile ideal for food products. Under the visionary leadership of Hailey Jefferies, a pioneer who defied the traditional mold of an ingredient manufacturer, Prairie Fava quickly leveraged this distinct advantage to capture market influence and redefine industry standards.
Educating and Accelerating Innovation
Given the uniqueness of the fava bean in North American food manufacturing, our initial build centered on educating the market. We identified key opportunities where our high-protein ingredient could empower consumer product goods manufacturers to elevate their offerings—particularly in cereals and alternative meat applications. Simultaneously, we built a robust digital presence to articulate the availability of innovative food formulas, and we co-developed products alongside our customers to accelerate their innovation process and solidify Prairie Fava’s role as an indispensable partner in culinary transformation.
A Hands-On Leadership Role
As the Chief Growth Officer, I was deeply involved in forging critical relationships that enabled Prairie Fava to expand both its farmer networks and consumer packaged goods platforms. My role was highly hands-on—building out brand materials, crafting a compelling digital presence, and developing consumer goods packaging collateral. Additionally, I drove financial forecasting and produced essential educational collateral to inform the market, both from a public relations and strategic partnership perspective, ensuring Prairie Fava’s innovative narrative resonated with all stakeholders.
Snack Innovation: Accelerating Market Visibility
One of the standout milestones for Prairie Fava was the development of a dynamic portfolio of fava bean-based snack products. Designed to deliver equal or greater protein content for healthy snacking at a fraction of traditional costs, these products were built in collaboration with co-manufacturers to validate their efficacy. Launched by multiple partners—and complemented by Prairie Fava’s own product line—this initiative quickly gained traction among small retailers, eventually capturing the interest of major natural grocers and retail brands, and significantly boosting our visibility in the market.
Becoming North America’s Go-To Source
Prairie Fava has rapidly emerged as the premier destination for fava bean protein in North America. Our commitment to quality and innovative practices has positioned us as the trusted partner for manufacturers seeking a reliable, high-protein ingredient that meets modern nutritional demands.
Securing Strategic Funding for Expansion
Through a successful collaboration with Proteins Industries Canada, we secured the critical capital needed to scale manufacturing across fava acres. This strategic funding has not only reinforced our operational capacity but also paved the way for sustainable growth in production to meet market demands.
Market Breakthrough with Fava-Based Products
The launch of our fava snack products marked a significant milestone, as multiple partners quickly embraced the innovation. With rapid market adoption and recognition by major retailers, our co-created snack line has set a new benchmark for healthy, protein-rich alternatives in the food industry.
