How I Built This with Guy Raz

Stonyfield Yogurt: Gary Hirshberg (2017)

Aug 19, 2019

Gary Hirshberg, co-founder of Stonyfield Yogurt, shares his inspiring journey from eco-conscious farmers to leading yogurt moguls. He recounts the financial struggles and near-death experiences while scaling their organic yogurt brand, emphasizing the power of resilience and community support. Hirshberg discusses pivotal decisions, like selling their cows, and the importance of grassroots marketing in overcoming challenges. Additionally, the narrative introduces Carin Luna-Ostaseski, who transitioned from skepticism to success in launching her own Scotch whisky brand, showcasing determination and passion.

58:47

Episode guests

Gary Hirshberg

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

3min

From Eco-Hippies to Yogurt Moguls

20min

Building Stonyfield: Early Struggles and Community Support

6min

Navigating Financial Turmoil in Yogurt Entrepreneurship

22min

From Losses to Organic Success

6min

Overcoming Obstacles: The Journey of Stonyfield Yogurt

4min

From Skeptic to Blender: A Journey into Scotch Whiskey

2min

From Rejection to Success: The Journey of a Scotch Brand

4min

In 1983, two hippie farmers decided to sell homemade organic yogurt to help raise money for their educational farm in New Hampshire. As the enterprise grew into a business, it faced one near-death experience after another, but it never quite died. In fact it grew — into one of the most popular yogurt brands in the US. PLUS in our postscript "How You Built That," we check back with Carin Luna-Ostaseski, who became the first American woman to start a Scotch whisky company after she created her own blend called SIA Scotch. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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