Keynote: Flavor, the Real Disruptor - The Case for Organic's Next Chapter

The organic farming movement has long argued that how we grow food matters as much as what we grow. But there's a part of that story that rarely gets told: the seed itself. Before a farmer makes a single decision about soil, inputs, or practice, someone else has already made choices about what to prioritize, what to sacrifice, and what good even means. For decades, that has meant yield, uniformity, and shelf life. Flavor rarely made the list.

Chef Dan Barber has spent years asking what would change if it did. As co-founder of Row 7 Seeds, Barber has been working at the intersection of plant breeding, organic agriculture, and the kitchen to develop something the industry rarely sees: vegetables with a point of view, varieties bred for flavor and nutrition. All emerging from an ongoing conversation between scientists, chefs, and the farmers who know their land best.

As the Organic Produce Summit marks its 10th anniversary, Barber will make the case that flavor and nutrition are inseparable, and that organic growing practices are precisely what produce both. He will reflect on where the industry has delivered on its promise, where the work remains, and what growers are uniquely positioned to do next, including Row 7's own expansion from fresh produce into chef-crafted tinned vegetables, carrying the same philosophy from the field into the pantry.

Organic was the original disruptor. Flavor will be what takes us further.