A passion for organics
Ceres Organics ambassador Sarah Tanner of Greenleaf Organics created the delicious vegan recipes in this issue using organic ingredients. She shares why she became vegan and what drives her passion for plants.
Greenleaf Organics started as a juice bar. How would you describe it today? We are constantly evolving and changing. The business is so different now from when I started it in my garage in 2014. My brother Mike and sister-in-law Chantel are now business partners. We all share a passion for organic, functional products and presenting them in a delicious, beautiful way.
Why is using organic important to you? For health reasons, and also for the health of our soil. Not only are our bodies not designed to process herbicides, insecticides and pesticides, but our earth is not either. The land has become so depleted, that’s why the supplement industry is so huge! Once upon a time we were able to get all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients we needed from the plants which had grown in nutrient-rich soils. By choosing organic, we are literally planting the seeds of the future, and benefiting our health along the way.
When did you become a Ceres Organics ambassador, and how
did that come about? I simply asked how I could help them and the whole thing came about from there. I love being a messenger for what I believe in, and it’s such a privilege to work alongside such a visionary company.
How does being a Ceres Organics ambassador
make you feel? It makes me feel really proud, and at the same time, focused, motivated and determined. I think that health and wellness can be bandied about, and looked at as a fad, but I’m committed to helping people realise that their whole life experience starts from what they put into their mouths. To be aligned with Ceres Organics makes delivering the message easier, and helps to put the power into peoples’ hands as their products are so accessible now.
What does that role require? Whatever they need me for and however I can help. At the moment, it’s recipe creation, video content, and social media awareness around hero products and key topics.
How do your brand values
align? I think we have a shared belief that people deserve better. Health should not be an elitist commodity. It starts with knowledge, then access, then experience. I like to think I can help in the knowledge and experience, Ceres Organics takes care of the access. I love nothing more than hearing about changes people have made and the benefits they are experiencing. That’s where the real value is.
Describe your passion for
plants? It really has no end. I’m constantly learning about new ingredients, superfoods, ancient herbs and spices. The planet is the most abundant pantry and medicine cabinet. I’ve been vegan (no animal products) for more than two years now, and have such a huge appreciation for what the earth can grow and provide for us. I love that I can throw together the most nutrient-rich dish with only a few simple, organic ingredients and feel amazing afterwards. It’s incredible how we put up with feeling so average, because of what we eat. That’s why it gives me such a buzz to help people, even make small changes in their nutrition and reap the benefits. If you asked me five years ago if I could ever be vegan, I would have said no way … but now, I couldn’t imagine ever not being vegan! I truly believe it is the food of the future.
Like Sarah, Ceres Organics believe in promoting sustainability of the earth and the people on it – sharing a love of organics, real food and desire to protect the planet. For more than 30 years Ceres Organics has helped grow the organics industry by supporting farmers and partnering with like-minded people to help to share, grow and tell the organics story. ceres.co.nz