We so admire the unmatched quality of the seeds and seasonings produced by our friends at SIMPLi, but more importantly, they set the standard for responsible global sourcing and environmental stewardship in our industry. We invite you to learn more about our collaboration, as well as the story of their founding and their farm-to-customer mission in this guest post from the SIMPLi team:
SIMPLi: Turning the Supermarket Into a Global Farmer’s Market
At SIMPLi, we value partners who share our mission to connect people through the joy of food, which is why we’re thrilled to partner with Michele's Granola on our delicious new Limited Edition Strawberry & Red Quinoa Granola, baked with SIMPLi Regenerative Organic Certified® Red Quinoa. Our partnership flourished because of the mutual admiration for each other, and we want to share what makes SIMPLi so special.
SIMPLi is a leading regenerative organic pantry staples brand bringing the best ingredients in the world to you. With SIMPLi, you can discover new flavors, recreate beloved recipes, and trust that our grains, beans, oils, superfoods, and spices adhere to the standards found at local farmers' markets like freshness, transparency, and environmental stewardship. SIMPLi empowers everyone to enjoy flavorful, nutrient-rich meals while supporting indigenous and smallholder farms. We like to say that SIMPLi’s ingredients are the unsung heroes behind every wholesome dish—perfected over generations, harvested with care, and maintained with the utmost quality and integrity.
SIMPLi’s Founders
Meet Sarela Herrada and Matt Cohen, the founders of SIMPLi. Their mutual love for food and travel, combined with Sarela’s profound connection to South American culinary traditions from her upbringing in Lima, Peru—where her family operated an organic chicken farm—and Matt’s business expertise, inspired the launch of SIMPLi in January 2020. Together, they have traveled far and wide to bring the finest single-origin ingredients to your pantry, while simplifying supply chains and prioritizing transparency in the process.
Sourcing SIMPLi
At SIMPLi, we believe in the necessity of knowing where your food comes from and the importance of transitioning more power and profits back to the farmers who are working to heal the planet with regenerative practices. Unlike traditional food companies, we source our products directly from farmers to uphold the highest quality standards while preserving authentic regenerative organic agricultural practices at the source.
By partnering with farmers directly at the source, we bypass numerous traditional supply chain intermediaries—from local brokers and cooperatives to exporters, importers, and distributors—significantly reducing markups along the chain. This streamlined approach enables us to offer more competitive pricing to our customers and ensures that the profits traditionally claimed by middlemen are redirected to the farmers we proudly support.
With direct farmer partnerships throughout South America and Europe, we continue to expand our diverse ingredient offerings around the world. Our products span a range of certification statuses, from conventional to Regenerative Organic Certified®. We view certification as an ongoing journey and collaborate closely with our farming partners, offering them the necessary support to progress towards achieving Regenerative Organic Certification®.
Regenerative Organic Certified® Pantry Staples
At SIMPLi, we align ourselves with the Regenerative Organic Certification® from the Regenerative Organic Alliance, which sets the highest standards in the world for social welfare, animal welfare, and soil health. This certification is built on organic practices and requires the USDA Organic certification, but also includes Fair for Life practices to ensure better livelihoods for farmers. Pursuing certifications creates accountability for us and for our farming partners to ensure we’re doing the work we say we are behind the scenes.
The Regenerative Organic Certification® standards offer a path forward in addressing pressing issues in agriculture and food production like soil erosion, limited water resources, and declining biodiversity. However, the practices of regenerative organic farming have been around for thousands of years. Indigenous communities have long been environmental stewards, maintaining biodiversity through their responsible land management practices. By learning from Indigenous communities around the world and restoring these ancient methods of farming, we are not merely solving the issues of today—we are regenerating full ecosystems and fostering a better future for the next generation.
SIMPLi’s inaugural product was quinoa directly sourced from Indigenous farmers in Puno, Peru—the origin of quinoa—who were not reaping the economic rewards of increasing Western demand. We knew that in order to grow the best quality quinoa, you need to support the full regenerative ecosystem at the source, so we brought quinoa’s rotational crops like amaranth and beans to market. With our commitment to quality and social and environmental impact, you can be assured that the Regenerative Organic Certified® Red Quinoa in our Limited Edition granola is just as wholesome and tasty as it is good for the planet and farmers who grow it.
All photos courtesy of SIMPLi