Oprah as organic food and beauty mogul?
Though I don’t expect to see her in organic cotton overalls anytime soon, the New York Post broke the story that OWN CEO Oprah Winfrey filed several trademark applications to the US Patent and Trademark Organization for “Oprah’s Organics,” “Oprah’s Harvest,” and “Oprah’s Farm.” The plan for the “Organics” line is said to include a range of food and beauty products. Food products include organic salad dressing, soup, sauces, frozen veggies, snack dips and beverages. The beauty line will feature organic bath soaps, massage oils, skincare for face and body and haircare products. The “Harvest” and “Farm” trademark requests are intended for a catering and beverage business.
Start Local? Oprah reportedly plans to start local, and market produce from “Oprah’s Farm” across Hawaii, where she owns hundreds of acres of land in Maui’s Upcountry Kula area. “The trademarks were filed for Oprah’s farm on Maui to enable the farm to grow and distribute produce on Maui and throughout the Hawaiian Islands,” says publicist Nicole Nichols. Is entering the organic arena Oprah’s Plan B? “Oprah’s in for the long haul to make OWN a success,” an anonymous source told the Enquirer. “But if it doesn’t work out she’s ready to slap on the overalls and start a new life as a farmer in Hawaii.” Of course, Oprah can easily do both–run a successful network and branch out into an organic empire.
Organic Oprah’s Potential Impact If her track record is any indication, just think of the impact Organic Oprah could make toward diminishing the obesity and diabetes epidemics in this country! Oprah has America’s ear, and can get the message across to millions of mainstream Americans that it is not only counterintuitive for us to accept ugly ingredients in our beauty products, but that some of these chemicals are harmful, even carcinogenic. Who would be a better ambassador to spread the word that pesticide-free, GMO-free, hormone-free foods should be the baseline for what is acceptable in this country?
With her influence, access, and financial reach–she was number one on Forbes’ list of highest-paid celebrities this year, earning an estimated $165 million–just think about what Oprah could do for the organic industry. She could help Americans understand that we need to change the way we grow, produce, process, manufacture, label, and consume food if we are going to beat back the large-scale health woes we are suffering as a nation.
And, Oprah is not afraid of a fight. I remember when she stood up to a long drawn-out lawsuit from the meat industry in 1996. The cattle ranchers claimed that Oprah libeled them by reporting on her show that U.S. beef could be at risk of spreading mad cow disease. She stood by her report, fought the suit, and won.
We’ll keep you posted as the story develops. Please let us know what you think.