Ironically, the paper cups they switched away from may have been the most sustainable choice all along.
Really appreciated the call-outs of packaging as a red herring and impacts of cows. I’ve been on the anti-beef train for a while now and it makes me happy to see that knowledge/sentiment is catching on more broadly. Now, to convince Americans to embrace the humble, beautiful bean… if you’ve never had a high-quality heirloom bean, you’re missing out! And the best beans money can buy are still cheaper than meat!
As a yogurt fan and maker (I made my own homemade yogurt frequently) I was interested in this episode and thought you and the kids did a great job. I was just a little disappointed that nobody mentioned that yogurt is traditionally made in a clay pot (especially Bulgarian yogurt- home of one of the most popular bacterias) and also that people love collecting these pots and reuse them at home for coffee and plants and stuff. So that beats plastic, right? Anyway I guess you didn't have time for all that. Just my 2 cents.
Oh, dang! I really wanted the kids to ask the sustainability scholar about La Fermière's original wax-coated paper pots, which were mentioned offhandedly by the company's head of sales.
Also the classic there: "I checked the bottoms of the La Fermière jars, Paul jars and Pastoret mousse pots and found that they all are produced by one company, Cermer, which is based in Villarreal, Castellon, in eastern Spain."
I think this is Catalan, not Spanish, and just means "Ceramics". I don't know either of those very well, but they do overlap there.
I'm appreciating the several episodes you've done featuring young people, it's great to hear how they view the world. Quite a difference from most other media, which tends to demonize.
I was meh about this ep at first because I thought the framing was a bit convoluted but it totally came together at the end. I liked the view into the Gen Z mind. Wild that the yogurt brand was doing a super sustainable thing the whole time and the marketing person never mentioned it??
This clay pot packaging reminded me of a food experience I had in Nepal a couple years ago. A little store near our hotel in Lalitpur sold delicious kulfi in tiny clay pots! The vibe was not “premium sustainable yogurt”, probably just a homemade local product, yet they arrived at the same place as the fancy French yogurt company.
Before I started listening, I thought the ep might discuss the surprising benefits of terracotta on yogurt production, because I thought those pots seemed like overkill for a frozen dairy dessert. and there might be a special reason they used clay. I did put a couple in my suitcase as souvenirs.
Open Question. Is it greenwashing by La Lermière to sell sustainable yogurt in sustainable packaging, but put the spotlight on the packaging aspect? I did not hear any actual suggestions on how to improve their practices, other than the general criticism of using cow products in the first place.
I have never noticed the brand La Fermiere, but around the city I sometimes see the NY-based yogurt brand Kalypso. Their cups make exceptionally nice tableware in my opinion -- they are small and low profile (to not get in the way and be stable) but hold enough wine etc to last a while. They have a glazed, impermeable inner coating, but the outer surface is raw ceramic that has a very nice grippy matte feeling in the hand. Looking at the bottom of my cup, they are also made by Cermer, the Spanish ceramic company who also produces La Fermiere's cups (as mentioned here https://hobblecreek.us/blog/entry/yogurt-jars ). Kalypso writes about their cups, and encourages their re-use, here: https://kalypsofarms.com/blogs/news/why-terracotta-pots .
While I'm generally a fan of these Kalypso yogurts, and they are indeed tasty, I don't know how many more of these I will buy. Like the podcast, I am skeptical of ceramics being better for the environment given how much more effort and transportation must go into it. I don't think I'll buy more after I have as many cups as I want.
I am such a huge fan of Search Engine and this episode was no exception. Great job, Garrott and team. Thank you, PJ for all of the research and dedication to presenting a quality podcast. The teenagers did great, as well!
Ironically, the paper cups they switched away from may have been the most sustainable choice all along.
Really appreciated the call-outs of packaging as a red herring and impacts of cows. I’ve been on the anti-beef train for a while now and it makes me happy to see that knowledge/sentiment is catching on more broadly. Now, to convince Americans to embrace the humble, beautiful bean… if you’ve never had a high-quality heirloom bean, you’re missing out! And the best beans money can buy are still cheaper than meat!
As a yogurt fan and maker (I made my own homemade yogurt frequently) I was interested in this episode and thought you and the kids did a great job. I was just a little disappointed that nobody mentioned that yogurt is traditionally made in a clay pot (especially Bulgarian yogurt- home of one of the most popular bacterias) and also that people love collecting these pots and reuse them at home for coffee and plants and stuff. So that beats plastic, right? Anyway I guess you didn't have time for all that. Just my 2 cents.
Oh, dang! I really wanted the kids to ask the sustainability scholar about La Fermière's original wax-coated paper pots, which were mentioned offhandedly by the company's head of sales.
I instantly thought of PAUL, very common in France. Like something between Starbucks and Le Pain Quotidien. They are everywhere. The black jar here:
https://hobblecreek.us/blog/entry/yogurt-jars
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_(bakery)
Also the classic there: "I checked the bottoms of the La Fermière jars, Paul jars and Pastoret mousse pots and found that they all are produced by one company, Cermer, which is based in Villarreal, Castellon, in eastern Spain."
I think this is Catalan, not Spanish, and just means "Ceramics". I don't know either of those very well, but they do overlap there.
sure enough: https://cermer.com/
https://www.delimarketnews.com/logistics-materials-and-technology-services/cermers-ceo-discusses-company-history-technology-and-expansion-plans/robert-schaulis/tue-08142018-1102/6390
I'm appreciating the several episodes you've done featuring young people, it's great to hear how they view the world. Quite a difference from most other media, which tends to demonize.
Awesome episode.
SE Ep’s are much like this episode.
A seemingly boring question becomes fascinating. Bravo as always.
I was meh about this ep at first because I thought the framing was a bit convoluted but it totally came together at the end. I liked the view into the Gen Z mind. Wild that the yogurt brand was doing a super sustainable thing the whole time and the marketing person never mentioned it??
This clay pot packaging reminded me of a food experience I had in Nepal a couple years ago. A little store near our hotel in Lalitpur sold delicious kulfi in tiny clay pots! The vibe was not “premium sustainable yogurt”, probably just a homemade local product, yet they arrived at the same place as the fancy French yogurt company.
Before I started listening, I thought the ep might discuss the surprising benefits of terracotta on yogurt production, because I thought those pots seemed like overkill for a frozen dairy dessert. and there might be a special reason they used clay. I did put a couple in my suitcase as souvenirs.
The RSS feed of this episode didn’t show up in PocketCasts for me. I was wondering if there was a problem with the upload?
I just loved the observations about teenagers laced through the story.
Open Question. Is it greenwashing by La Lermière to sell sustainable yogurt in sustainable packaging, but put the spotlight on the packaging aspect? I did not hear any actual suggestions on how to improve their practices, other than the general criticism of using cow products in the first place.
Happy first story, Garrott!
I have never noticed the brand La Fermiere, but around the city I sometimes see the NY-based yogurt brand Kalypso. Their cups make exceptionally nice tableware in my opinion -- they are small and low profile (to not get in the way and be stable) but hold enough wine etc to last a while. They have a glazed, impermeable inner coating, but the outer surface is raw ceramic that has a very nice grippy matte feeling in the hand. Looking at the bottom of my cup, they are also made by Cermer, the Spanish ceramic company who also produces La Fermiere's cups (as mentioned here https://hobblecreek.us/blog/entry/yogurt-jars ). Kalypso writes about their cups, and encourages their re-use, here: https://kalypsofarms.com/blogs/news/why-terracotta-pots .
While I'm generally a fan of these Kalypso yogurts, and they are indeed tasty, I don't know how many more of these I will buy. Like the podcast, I am skeptical of ceramics being better for the environment given how much more effort and transportation must go into it. I don't think I'll buy more after I have as many cups as I want.
Tangerine 🍊
I am such a huge fan of Search Engine and this episode was no exception. Great job, Garrott and team. Thank you, PJ for all of the research and dedication to presenting a quality podcast. The teenagers did great, as well!
Yuzu
Go Garrott!