In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Cole Mannix, the president and co-founder of Old Salt Co-op. As fifth generation of the Mannix family, his love for people, ranching, and land stewardship is deep rooted in Montana. Though his schooling and professional life have taken him many places beyond the ranch, his heart remains devoted to the cause of bringing people together around a love for life and all of its beautiful diversity.

He founded the Old Salt Festival, a food & music celebration of Montana land stewardship hosted on the Mannix Family Ranch in Helmville, MT, bringing together wood-fired cooking, Americana musicians, Montana ranchers, and Western makers to celebrate in high Montana style.

Cole Shares:

• The deep history the Mannix Family shares with their Ranch in Helmville, Montana
• How his time away from the ranch got him interested in the distribution side of the operation
• How the Salt of the Earth Rancher’s Cooperative was started and why it evolved
• The problem with food labels 
• The issues with policy change when it comes to agriculture
• How the Old Salt Co-op came to be 
• The necessity of making an entirely new system versus just trying to change production of meat
• The importance of broadening our idea of success and wealth 
• Why and how producers should have ownership in distribution avenues
• The fallacy of failure when it comes to regenerative ranching and truly healing the soil
• Having an organic mindset even when you have to rely on conventional methods 
• How familiarity with the process can build trust for a product
• How labels and certifications can be true but not meaningful

You can connect with Cole through Old Salt:

Website: www.oldsaltco-op.com

Instagram: @oldsaltcoop

Instagram: @oldsaltfestival

Intro/Outro music by Ken Belcher