... to make at any given time?

You're absolutely right about that.

I mean, our competitive landscape doesn't do the same things we do.

You know, they're not fair trade cert...

Some are fair trade certified, but maybe they're not organic, or others are organic and not fair trade.

There are a couple out there that are both, but none of them are working directly with the farmers like we are, investing in the lands.

We are working on a project in Dominican Republic right now where we're sending in coconut tree seedlings to help the farmers create a whole new cash crop, because believe it or not, Dominican Republic actually imports coconuts.

... and how did you respond to that situation?

Um, what's your experience like as an advisory board member, and how can I think about building one that suits my needs?

Well, I think it's critical to have an advisory board.

Um, I mean, I've benefited tremendously from peer advisory groups that I've been in, Real Leaders being one of them, of course.

Um, I've built great relationships, and I've leveraged those relationships in ways that have supported not just me, but the company.

Um, we just switched banks at Alter Eco, and we're now with Climate First Bank, and that's been a wonderful transition.

Um, so, you know, those are things that I think are important.

To-- I- in order to build an advisory board, you have to first understand what your needs are and where you are in your progression as a company.

How, how, how can entrepreneurs and startups, how do they go about it? And then maybe how do, like, larger companies go about it?

And then we'll take it from there.

Yes, sure.

Well, first of all, thanks for having me.

Pleasure to be here.

So yeah, Alter Eco has been around for a little more than 20 years.

It was founded by a couple of guys, French guys, that actually did some traveling through Latin America and saw kind of the plight of some of the farmers and how...

They really didn't make a lot of money off of their cacao or any of their other products.

Yeah, it was a combination of really

How risky a venture did that seem at the time?

You know, at the time, it didn't really seem...

Well, I mean, yes, it's always risky to buy a company, and AlterEco, to tell you a little bit about AlterEco, been around for more than 20 years.

AlterEco is a company with a mission.

The mission is to restore ecosystems, to improve livelihoods, and to reduce waste.

We've always done everything the right way, but the company had never made money.

It had been funded by private investors and private equity and, and private equity that was focused on impact and climate control and things of that nature.

So at that point, what does your mind do?