Our People
We call people by their first names around here.
Arran. Dag. Jyoti. Arjan. Ratana (aka "Mom"). We are a work family and a family family. We like each other. We play nice. We take care of our people, whether they work in a corner office or a cubicle or a factory or a truck or a field, and our people take care of us. Let’s meet a few of ‘em!
Arran Stephens, President and Founder
Born in 1944 the son of an organic berry farmer, Arran was only 23 when he opened the first vegetarian restaurant on Canada’s west coast. He quickly followed this in 1971 with the region’s first natural supermarket, LifeStream®, founded with two partners. The LifeStream® store soon began repackaging bulk goods and creating products under its own brand name, spawning what would become a leading brand of packaged natural food products, sold throughout Canada and exported to the United States.
In 1981, the LifeStream® store and brand was sold. Arran’s experience in retailing, manufacturing, and distribution lead to the founding of Nature’s Path® in 1985. Over time, Nature’s Path has become the best-selling brand of certified organic cereal in North America, a leader in its category. The brand is now international, and is sold in New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
As an artist, author, environmentalist, and founder of America’s largest certified organic cereal company, Arran is a voice of experience in the alternative food industry. His values — sustainability, community, and spirituality — have fuelled a pioneering career in business. Arran has modeled both his personal and professional life after the words of farmer Rupert Stephens, his father — "Leave the earth better than you found it." Arran’s book Journey to the Luminous, first published in 1999. The Moth and The Flame, his second book, published in 2006, is available in its online version at www.mothandtheflame.com
He and his life-companion Ratana have four children, three grandchildren and, appropriately, a large organic garden.
Ratana Stephens, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer
With an MA in English Literature and a BA in Psychology, Ratana began her career in India as a college lecturer. After moving to Canada Ratana and her husband Arran opened a profitable vegetarian restaurant in Vancouver and founded Nature’s Path Foods, the number one Organic Cereal manufacturer in North America. As the Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Ratana has been described as the "heart & soul of the company" and is at the centre of every development within the company. Ratana possesses profound business acumen, and has recently been recognized as the YWCA Woman of Distinction and was the recipient of the first RBC Mehfil Magazine Award for Corporate Excellence in 2009. A role model for entrepreneurial women, Ratana is committed to opportunities that meet the needs of people and planet.
Jyoti Stephens, Director of Human Resources and Sustainability
Jyoti believes the change that needs to manifest in the world will come from inspired and empowered people. As our Director of Human Resources and Sustainability, she works with cross-departmental teams to help manage sustainability goals and ensure the company is doing its best to create systems that reduce the unnecessary use of resources. She’s been instrumental in many of our initiatives in innovation, efficiency, waste reduction and eco-friendly packaging alternatives.
Jyoti’s so cool she’s been awarded the Women of Spirit Fledgling Chick award and was runner-up for the Delta Chamber of Commerce’s Rising Star Award. And in 2007, she was awarded a competition fellowship with the Royal Society of Arts (UK) as well as being a runner-up in Metropolis magazine’s NEXT Generation design competition for Beeline, a project for optimizing and supporting local food systems.
Arjan Stephens, Executive VP of Sales and Marketing
As Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for Nature’s Path Organic Foods, Arjan has a delectable job: dreaming up delicious new organic cereals, toaster pastries & granola bars! Drawn to the creative, analytical and social media aspects of marketing, Arjan received his bachelor’s degree in History from Queen’s University and an MBA from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
Passionate about organic gardening, travelling and tasting various cuisines worldwide, Arjan’s love of food accounts for his success in launching a new baking division in Mississauga Ontario, in addition to twelve new innovative and tasty products.
Dag Falck, Organic Program Manager
Dag was educated as an agronomist in Norway and spent 15 years as an organic inspector in Western Canada and the US. before joining us in 2003. He is a pioneer and leader in the organic movement, and serves on several boards and councils at the forefront of the organic community. At Nature’s Path, Dag oversees all aspects of our organic supplies, policies and consumer interaction. He builds strong organic networks and connections between farmers, manufacturing and consumers; he helps to ensure that enough cropland is converted to Certified Organic; and he provides organic farmers with access to resources and techniques that ensure the highest quality of organic crops.
