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Articles by Adriana Velez

Adriana Velez is the communications coordinator for Brooklyn Food Coalition and a freelance writer who most recently contributed to Cookie Magazine's online content. She lives with her husband and son in Brooklyn.

Featured Article

We get it. Organic food typically costs more than conventional, and that’s a significant barrier for people under financial strain. Food activists are working toward big-picture, systems-wide changes that could make organic food more affordable, but in the meantime one company in New York State is trying to make organic food more affordable and accessible — one dozen eggs at a time.

Dean Sparks is already working hard to scale up the organic dairy and egg market in New York. His NYFoods company makes organic farming a viable option for farmers — and organic options more available for consumers. The eggs, cheese, butter, and milk sell in nearly 30 stores throughout the region and supply all the milk and cream for Brooklyn’s adored Blue Marble Ice Cream. But after reading Start Something That Matters by TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie, Sparks wanted to do more.

If Mycoskie could give away a pair of shoes for every pair he sold, could NYFoods give away a dozen eggs for every dozen it sold?

Sparks is trying out this model at the Mott Haven Farmer’s Market in the South Bronx. Working in partnership with fresh food distribu... Read more