NPEW - Pines has Attended Every Natural Products Expo West in History!
It was in 1976, more than 40 years ago that Pines introduced Pines Wheat Grass as the first green superfood sold in natural food stores. About 20 years later, dozens of companies followed our lead. All have copied our message of using the natural nutritional concentration of green superfoods like wheatgrass, barley grass and alfafa to increase the protective benefits of more chlorophyll-rich vegetables in the diet. Unfortunately some have not copied our standards and are not harvesting at the peak nutritional level. Some also package their green foods in plastic containers, which allow the delicate and sensitive nutrients to be devitalized by oxidation.
Humble Beginnings that Preceded the NPEW by Five Years
More than 100 people joined together in 1976 to build a new kind of company. Their company would "give the common man a chance." None of them were wealthy. The average investment was $200. They took a gamble by investing in an idea that promised to put care of the planet above profits.
To reflect their belief in this concept, the shareholders selected the Pine tree as their logo. That's because the Pine tree is a international symbol of the peace found in nature.
Our Goals Continue
The founders envisioned buying farms and converting them to organic using profits from selling Pines Wheat Grass and other green superfoods. It was win-win. The company would convert land to organic while increasing health for the people. Pines Wheat Grass offered an easy and low cost way for people to increase their daily servings of dark green leafy veggies. After more than 40 years, we remain proud that our profits have gone to support that goal and that thousands of people have improved their health with all our green superfoods.
During our first year in 1977. after the harvest of our first twenty acres, Pines launched Pines Wheat Grass. The two-co-founders, Steve Malone and Ron Seibold, walked into more than 2,000 health food stores in 35 States. They wanted to educate the natural food marketplace about the high nutritional value of wheatgrass. The two men didn’t know at the time that they were starting what would become a green superfood segment that now is a major category in natural food stores.
Veggie Nutrition with Powder, Tablets or Capsules
Our message at the first NPEW in 1981 was reinforced by the Centers for Disease Control. Their studies showed that 9 out 10 Americans don’t eat enough chlorophyll-rich wholefood vegetables. Pines Wheat Grass and our other original green superfoods make it easy to increase the greens in your diet. The USDA Food Plate says we should be eating more vegetables than any other kind of food.
Standards from the Father of Wheatgrass
Pines was the first green superfood company in the health food market. After more than years, we are still the only grower of wheatgrass to follow scientific standards. Charles Schnabel, the Father of Wheatgrass, outlined them in 1937.
Unlike other growers, we follow Schnabel's growing and harvesting standards. We are also the only green super food grower to follow his packaging standards. As a result, the vegetable nutrition in Pines products provides more nutrition than other products.
Oxygen Removed from Each Bottle to Retain Freshness
During most of the past 80 years, brands of green veggie powders used earth-friendly amber glass bottles with special metal caps. This packaging allowed companies to remove the oxygen and tightly seal the bottle. Oxygen causes loss of green nutrition and color. Pines is the only company that still uses oxygen-free glass bottles.
In recent years, company that market their products at the NPEW have found a way to increase profits. Most companies now package the green superfoods in cheap plastic containers or paper packets. You can see the obvious effect of oxidation in the above picture. Worse than the loss of value by oxidation, plastic is not earth friendly and is made with fossil fuel, which is toxic to life.
No Irrigation on Our Farms - Natural Rainfall
Pines is also the only whole food wheatgrass, barley grass and alfalfa grower in Kansas that does not use ground water for irrigation. Instead, we grow in appropriate climates for those crops. Our farms in the Northeast corner of Kansas receive plenty of natural rainfall. Thus, we never need irrigation. Moreover, Pines strongly opposes the abuse of the once-pristine fossil water of the Ogallala aquifer in dry areas in Kansas. That water was always very limited. Farmers grow crops there that need rain. Because the region is dry, they have to irrigate.
Blind Greed Caused the Depletion and Contamination
The Ogallala took thousands of years to accumulate. Dry land farmers wasted this precious resource to grow animal feed for the confined animal meat industry during the past 70 years. That contributed to massive depletion of the aquifer. Many wells are now dry. Further, the use of pesticides for growing animal feed and GMO corn for ethanol has poisoned the aquifer. These farming abuses caused depletion and contamination of what was once pure and plentiful clean water resource. Unfortunately, some of the companies that have booths at the NPEW contribute to that abuse.
Pines is 100% Organic and Does Not Practice Dual Farming
Our company owns and uses the only dryer in Kansas built for Certified Organic food. We do not practice dual farming. Farmers who use dual farming grow organic crops part of the year and pesticide-based crops the rest of the year. We oppose dual farming and oppose such farmers receiving organic certification. We believe dual farming to create an "organic sideline" shows a lack of sincerity. Clearly dual farmers do not care about organic farming. They simply profit from the efforts of those who sincerely do care and who are 100% organic.
Unlike other dryers in Kansas, we did not build our dryer for pesticide-based animal feed for the meat industry. Instead, we built our dryer and use it ONLY for organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Kosher, human food. We have never and will never use our farms and dryer to produce animal feed for confined-animals suffering in crowded pens waiting for slaughter. Because we do not use our farms and facilities to support the industrialized meat industry, we are are uniquely vegan friendly!
Find Our Products
We hope all people will protect their health by eating more green veggies and using quality products from Pines. For the stores attending the NPEW, if you carry Pines, please make sure we are on our store locator and let us know if you are not. We encourage customers to support their local businesses. When buying one or two bottles, you will probably find the best prices at your local store. If you wish to order in quantity or cannot find a store in your area, please order online.
Delicious Living Magazine announced that Pines won the 2017 Delicious Living Supplement Award for the highest quality, purity, efficacy & innovation of any superfood.