Reuse Rockstars: Aaron Brown & Renewal Mill
This installation of Reuse Rockstars features Aaron Brown, a climate foodie and current Director of Operations at Renewal Mill. Renewal Mill is an ingredient company that fights global food loss by upcycling byproducts from food manufacturing into premium ingredients and plant-based products. I met Aaron through Lydia Johnson, a fellow sustainability steward and coworker of mine at Imperfect Foods, which is now Misfits Market.
“There is a Justice to Baking”
Aaron Brown has always had a passion for baking. He enjoys its structure and discipline. There is a “justice to baking”. If it comes out well, you did everything exactly how it was supposed to be done. You don’t get rewarded unless you do it right. There is a high need to be efficient and precise with measurements.
When Aaron finds waste or inefficiencies in a system or process, he can’t help but get his hands dirty and make it better. Perhaps it’s what also gravitated him towards environmental work, which at its core is about eliminating waste. He’s a kindred spirit.
Aaron is a self described “Climate Foodie””
In high school, Aaron read Ben & Jerry’s Double Dip and realized that where he spent his money can drive a positive (or negative) impact. He later read Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard. Chouinard founded Patagonia on principles of employees cultivating their passions and environmental “tithing”, committing one percent of sales or ten percent of profits, whichever is greater.
Early in his career, Aaron worked as a pastry chef at multiple restaurants and bakeries, including high end restaurants, a raw vegan restaurant, and a restaurant in Dubai.
Aaron left his work as a pastry chef and found himself working at none other than Patagonia, where he spent three years managing store events and then later trade shows for Patagonia Provisions. Aaron drove sales as the story and authenticity in each project aligned with his passion and values.
Renewal Mill – “Baking” the most of our food system.
When COVID hit, Aaron found himself looking for something new. He met Caroline Cotto, the co-founder of Renewal Mill. Caroline founded Renewal Mill with a unique idea: upcycle food waste products directly into a usable baking product for consumers. This intersection of baking and sustainability was perfect for Aaron.
Renewal Mill creates baking mixes from upcycled ingredients. They are both plant-based and gluten-free, making them inclusive for all eaters.
Renewal Mill also sources unique ingredients like pineapple flour, green banana flour, and okara flour (Soy pulp flour) and partners with other brands who upcycle them. Though it can be a challenge to juggle CPG (consumer packaged goods) and ingredient supplying, it provides Renewal Mill with an added revenue source and a unique perspective on the food industry.
As Director of Operations, Aaron combines his two passions: being a part of making delicious recipes and solving unique problems systematically. Aaron uses his love and skill of organization to create systems that maximize sales and minimize waste. When I asked Aaron more about his love of organization, he responded with a beautiful answer:
“I’m actually really lazy and I don’t want to think. But that’s why I’m so organized. I want things to go so I don’t think about it. I think that’s a great attribute for operations people.”
So how exactly do you upcycle food?
Ingredient Sourcing
With upcycling food, you need ingredient sources that are tasty, reliable, and abundant enough to keep the business steady. Working with supplier partners is the first step. They have found soy, oats, and corn have waste streams that are delicious, nutritious, and readily adaptable for recipe creation.
In some cases, suppliers reach out to them with an excess ingredient and Renewal Mill thinks about how they can use it. In others, Renewal Mill has an idea and seeks out specific ingredients.
Recipe Creation
With his expertise in baking, Aaron knows you can’t just use any ingredients and dietary desires, like “low-fat”, and expect it to work. The taste and quality have to be there. This is where Aaron is works with the team to create delicious, scalable products.
Refinement
Due to the nature of suppliers’ needs and profit motives changing, Aaron and the team must occasionally tweak or entirely recreate recipes. Market research is a constant, which is more art than science. Aaron is thinking about products that are out there and how he could make them better. Can they make something better than the mainstream? Do people want this hypothetical product? The constant assessment helps to push Renewal Mill towards consistent improvement and innovation in its products.
Part of something bigger
Renewal Mill also helped found the Upcycled Food Association, an organization focusing on connecting the food industry to upcycle waste and highlight companies that use at least 10% of their ingredients from upcycled food sources. Think fair trade or organic certification for upcycled food. It focuses on certification to ensure companies are not greenwashing.
What’s next
Renewal Mill is always thinking about new products, from cookies to crisps, or something entirely different. Aaron and the team are constantly thinking about creating fun items they can make from forgotten ingredients.
For Aaron, finding ways to help people and improve systems is deeply satisfying. Creating impact is one of the most rewarding parts of his career.
Solving problems excites and motivates him. His humble approach goes a long way. When he gets stuck or doesn’t know an answer, he looks for help from others. Aaron asks, “I don’t know anything about this – what should I be looking for here?”. He is always amazed at people’s willingness to help and be a part of the answer.
