Ged Buffee

Ged Buffee

Ged is a social entrepreneur and marketing strategist with a record of achievement marketing organic products working with leading US organic food and beverage companies and organizations like the Organic Farming Research Foundation and the Organic Trade Association. He assisted leading US brands like Stonyfield Farms, Cascadian Farm, Barbara's Cereals, Organic Food Products Incorporated (Spectrum Foods) and Imagine Foods (Rice & Soy Dream) with brand extensions and their transitions into mainstream markets. He has considerable marketing research and US and EU natural channel retail experience, and is regarded as a leading organic industry strategic planner. He is a branding specialist working with MNCs like Unilever, South African Breweries (managing soft drink brands Schweppes and Appletiser — launching the Grapetiser variant in SA and introducing Appletise into the UK market), Johnnie Walker (Marketing Manager), SmithKline Beecham (International Category Manager) supervising nutritional beverage business development in Middle East. One of his profile branding successes was the Dr Atkins low-carb brand where his innovative brand building strategies played a pivotal role in growing the value of the Atkins brand. As noted in a Chicago Tribune article “It’s that potential and the power of the Atkins name that prompted Parthenon Capital and Goldman Sachs to pay a reported $533 million for an 80 percent stake in the privately held Atkins in October 2003" (Chicago Tribune, 1/16/05). His advertising experience includes: Strategic Planning Director for Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising (supervising brand development and strategic planning for client Proctor & Gamble in SE Asia-Pacific markets), Managing Director/ Executive Vice-President of Ogilivy & Mather Advertising Group’s Northwest offices (Seattle and Portland) and most recently Executive Vice President of Green Team — the US’s top agency specializing in environmental, natural products and cause-related non-profits (with clients like World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, Environmental Defense, Wildlife Conservation Society, Forestry Stewardship Council, World Resources Institute, Smithstonian Institute, National Geographic and some of US’s top organic brands).

Affiliations

• African Organic Farming Foundation – President
• Forestry Stewardship Council – Buffee appeared at FAO meetings representing this group
• Green Team Advertisingexecutive – vice president