Greg Steltenpohl, founder and CEO of plant-based beverage company Califia Farms and co-founder of Odwalla, has died at the age of 67.
“It is with a heavy heart we share the news of the passing of our company’s founder, Greg Steltenpohl. He built the Califia Farms brand from the ground up with a passion for nourishing people and the planet. Greg touched so many lives on his plant-fueled journey to make the world a healthier place. He will be profoundly missed. We tip our hats to our visionary founder," said Califia Farms on social media.
A pioneer in the plant-based beverage channel, Steltenpohl was awarded a 2016 Business Leadership Award from the Specialty Food Association.
"All of us here at the SFA are saddened to hear of Greg’s passing,” said SFA president Bill Lynch. “Several years ago, I had the opportunity to get to know Greg and learn just how passionate he was about people and our planet. His legacy in forwarding the plant-based movement is inspirational and our community will miss him.”
Nine years after Odwalla was acquired by The Coca-Cola Co. in 2001, Steltenpohl founded Califia Farms and later led the company to eliminate all animal-based protein from its portfolio and create a manufacturing facilty that reduced energy costs by 20 to 25 percent. Sustainable packaging was also his priority. Califia Farms' packaging is 100 percent recyclable and its coffee beverages are made from beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
“Unfortunately, you can’t just tell people not to eat animal products,” he told the SFA in an interview. “In developed countries, we have to create aspirational brands built around emotion and caring about the environment and making it desirable.”
Related: 2016 Leadership Award: Business Leadership: Greg Steltenpohl; Buyers’ Picks: Plant-Based Dairy.