# Gary Hirshberg

Gary Hirshberg (born 1954) is an American businessman and the former chief executive officer of Stonyfield Farm, an organic yogurt company, based in Londonderry. He joined the company shortly after its founding in 1983 and stepped down in 2011, and continues to serve as chairman.
In 2011, Hirshberg was mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate against New Hampshire's junior U.S. Senator John E. Sununu.

## Early life and education

Hirshberg was born in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1954. He graduated Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1976 and also graduated The Derryfield School in Manchester, New Hampshire.

## Work history

Early in his career, Hirshberg served as the executive director of the New Alchemy Institute, a research and education center focused on organic farming, aquaculture and renewable energy. He also held positions ranging from water pumping windmill specialist to environmental educator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 1983, Hirshberg joined the Board of The Rural Education Center (TREC), a small organic farming school with seven cows in Wilton, NH, where Stonyfield was founded. He served as CEO of Stonyfield from its inception until 2011, during which time the company reached $360 million in annual sales.
Under Hirshberg's leadership, Stonyfield introduced marketing initiatives aimed at fostering customer loyalty while promoting sustainability, environmental awareness, and support for small, family farming. In 1989, the Adopt-a-Cow Program (later renamed the Have-a-Cow Educational Program) allowed customers to "adopt" cows and learn about the value of small family farms. Participants received a photo of their sponsored Stonyfield cow, updates about life on the farm and issues facing small farmers, and information about sustainable farming methods. Although originally envisioned as a one-cow-one-parent model, each cow had multiple sponsors within weeks of the program's launch due to its popularity. Other Stonyfield programs included Profits for the Planet, by which Stonyfield donated 10% of their profits annually through grants to environmentally focused non-profit organizations, and Salute Your Commute, a program designed to encourage consumers to use alternative modes of transportation to help reduce carbon emissions.
During Hirshberg's tenure, Stonyfield's compounded annual growth rate reached over 23%. In 2001, Hirshberg arranged the sale of Stonyfield to Danone and remained CEO for an additional 10 years. In January 2012, he named former Ben & Jerry's CEO Walt Freese as his successor. At that time, Hirshberg became chairman and the managing director of Stonyfield Europe, launching organic brands in France, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. He resigned from his Danone responsibilities in March 2017 when the US Dept of Justice required Danone to divest its Stonyfield holdings. Hirshberg remains Stonyfield's Chair under the new ownership, Lactalis.

## Activities

Hirshberg serves on corporate and non-profit boards including Blue Apron, Inc., Forager Project, Late July Snacks, Orgain, Peak Organic Brewing, Sweetgreen, Sweet Earth Natural Foods, and Unreal, as well as on the Advisory Board of Applegate. He was also the chairman and co-founder of O'Naturals, a chain of fast food restaurants.
Hirshberg is chairman and founding partner of Just Label It, the national campaign to label genetically engineered foods. He is also the chairman of Organic Voices, a consortium that seeks to eliminate consumer confusion about the benefits of organic foods. In March 2011, President Obama appointed Hirshberg to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, where he served from 2011 until February 2017.

## Publications

Hirshberg is the author of Stirring it Up: How to Make Money and Save the World. (2008).
* el it Now: What You Need to Know About Genetically Engineered Foods, co-author, eBook, New Word City, Inc. 2012
* Anything But Neutral About Going (Carbon) Neutral, eBook, New Word City, Inc. 2011
* Stirring it Up: How to Make Money and Save the World. Hyperion, 2008
* Gardening for all seasons: The complete guide to producing food at home 12 months a year, co-author, Brick House Pub Co., 1983
* The New Alchemy Water Pumping Windmill Book, Brick House Pub Co., 1982

## Personal life

Hirshberg is married to writer Meg Cadoux Hirshberg and has three adult children working in organic and sustainability ventures. He currently lives in Concord, New Hampshire.

## Awards and recognition

Hirshberg has received twelve honorary doctorates and several corporate and environmental leadership awards, including a 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award by the US EPA. He was named a Yale Gordon Grand Fellow, one of "America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs" by Business Week, and one of the top ten "Most Inspiring People in Sustainable Food" by Fast Company. He was featured in the 2008 documentary "Food, Inc."
Awards received by Hirshberg include:
* Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Center Champion for Children award, 2015
* Center for Social Innovation and Enterprise, Social Innovator of the Year, 2015
* US Environmental Protection Agency Lifetime Achievement Award, 2012
* Organic Trade Association Organic Leadership Award, 2012
* New Hope Natural Media Hall of Legends Inductee, 2012
* Yale University Gordon Grand Fellow, 2010
* Global Green Foundation Millennial Award for Corporate Environmental Responsibility, 1999
* Business NH Magazine Business Leader of the Year, 1998
* US Small Business Administration Small Business Leader of the Year, 1998
* Ernst and Young New England Socially Responsible Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 1993