Following a Natural Path

Arjan and Rimjhim Stephens have moved Nature’s Path organic foods to Oak Brook

BY MAUREEN CALLAHAN

The ancient Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates believed food should be your medicine. Arjan Stephens, President of Oak Brook-based Nature’s Path foods, and his wife, Rimjhim, live by this mantra. The two have a passion for healthy, organic products that people can feel good about buying – both literally and figuratively.

Nature’s Path is North America’s largest certified organic breakfast and snack food company. With hundreds of SKUs, their products are sold in over 50 countries. “All of our products are certified organic and non-GMO,” said Arjan. The family-owned business is firmly rooted in organic farming and sustainability – concepts that are second nature to Arjan and Rimjhim.

The business started with Arjan’s grandfather, Rupert Stephens. When Rupert returned home to his native Vancouver Island after World War I, the young Canadian was one of only two in his battalion of 1,000 men to survive. Understandably rattled by the war, he turned to agriculture.

Rupert began to find peace on a small family berry farm. Healing for what later came to be known as PTSD came through developing healthy soil. It led to a lifelong philosophy to “always leave the soil better than you found it,” a mantra he passed along to his son, Arjan’s father, Arran. Rupert developed cleaner ways to farm using earthworms, which eliminated the need for heavy equipment and fertilizers.

Arjan’s parents, Arran and Ratana, opened Canada’s first vegetarian restaurant in 1967. Arjan grew up busing tables and washing dishes there. One of Canada’s first natural food stores followed in 1971. The couple started Nature’s Path in 1985, from space in one of their restaurants. They opened the country’s first organically certified cereal factory in the late 80s – a true family affair. Arjan recalled the company’s humble beginnings as his parents built the business. “We all worked together,” Arjan remembered. “Everyone was putting the cereal bags into boxes and doing what needed to be done.”

Arjan and Rhimjhim Stephens

“I grew up in Oak Brook, so I’m happy to move my family back to the area.”

– Rimjhim Stephens

Over the years, he interned for every department of the company, after which he earned an MBA from Illinois Institute of Technology. He eventually rose to the role of Executive Vice President. Two years ago, he took over the role of President from Ratana.

There are a few other brands that live under the Nature’s Path umbrella. EnviroKidz, their great-tasting line of kids’ cereals, contains significantly less sugar than competing brands. Each of the cereals spotlight an endangered species with colorful packaging graphics designed to teach kids about habitat protection and specifics about the featured animal. A percentage of this brand’s sales supports organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Jane Goodall Institute. “We actually got a letter once from a kid who told us he was studying primatology because of our Gorilla Munch,” said Arjan. “It made us really happy to see the impact,” he said, with a smile.

Que Pasa is a vegan line of Mexican food featuring delectable organic tortilla chips, which are gluten and nut-free. Love Child Organics is the baby food brand that has helped the enterprise expand the brand throughout North America. A couple of years ago, the company bought a large stake in Anita’s Organic Mill, which features baking mixes and flour.

Love Crunch, a combination of crunchy granola clusters paired with chocolate or dehydrated fruit, was born as a souvenir of Arjan and Rimjhim’s wedding. The couple asked guests to find ways to give back in their communities rather than bringing gifts to their wedding. The snack was created to commemorate their gratitude.

It was so good that their Whole Foods buyer insisted they market it. “So, we decided that if we added Love Crunch to the product line, we wanted there to be a big ‘giving back’ component,” said Rimjhim, “so a percentage of those sales became microloans for women in developing countries to start businesses.” This year marked their fifteenth wedding anniversary, and to commemorate it, they partnered with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to offer 150,000 meals. And Chicago wasn’t the only city. Food banks in three other cities across North America received 150,000 meals each, as well. Their generosity seems to know no boundaries. Since their wedding, the Stephens’ have donated $50 million to food banks across the country.

Arjan and Rimjhim, with daughters Aryana and Siara

“We believe organic foods should be available to everyone, not just shoppers in high-end grocery stores,” said Rimjhim. As a physician, she realizes the importance of healthy eating. Nature’s Path is proud to be part of the SNAP program, as well as school breakfast programs.

“We want to be easy to find, because we want organic food to be available anywhere you buy groceries,” she said. It’s a goal they obviously take very seriously, as products are available not just at Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme, and Fruitful Yield, but also at Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Walmart.

While about 90% of Nature’s Path’s products are produced in the US – specifically Washington and Wisconsin – the company also mills its own flour in British Columbia.

The opening of a corporate office centered on marketing, sales, and innovation in Oak Brook Regency Towers last year brought the family back to the area from Vancouver.

“I grew up in Oak Brook, so I’m happy to move my family back to the area,” she said. “There has been a real resurgence of young families in the area, so it’s great to be back in this community again.” Arjan concurs. “We believe in the triple bottom line – people, planet, profit. If we’re doing good things for our people – our team members, farmers, and customers, and we’re doing right for the planet – regenerative, organic, and non-GMO, the profit will come, and that’s our philosophy at Nature’s Path.”