Most of us don’t think about the story behind what we eat. But behind every almond, artichoke, and grain of rice is a complex system of growers, brokers, marketers, and consumers — one that’s become increasingly disconnected.
In this episode of The Capitalist Hippie Podcast, host Marco Pimentel sits down with Ali Cox, Olympian and founder of Noble West, a creative agency transforming how agriculture communicates. After a decade in New York’s fashion and sports industries, Ali returned to her farming roots with a mission: to bridge the gap between food producers and consumers through better storytelling.
Together, Marco and Ali unpack:
- How storytelling can protect farmers from the “commodity trap.”
- Why most sustainability-first campaigns fail—and what actually works.
- The hard truth about scaling small farms in an industrial system.
- How data-driven marketing can make sustainability more than a buzzword.
- What the next generation of agricultural brands will look like.
As Ali puts it, “Oftentimes the work you’re doing is already good. You just don’t know how to package it up into a story that’s usable to the person who’s selling your crop.”
This episode explores what happens when creativity meets agriculture—when storytelling becomes a tool for equity, not just exposure. Because the future of food won’t be won by whoever grows the most, but by those who can make the world care about what they grow.
Play Episode 88: Ali Cox, Noble West