article My Interview with David Cooper for FARMpreneurs
A few months ago, a friend sent me a link to something called the FARMpreneurs program. It looked interesting... a week-long “strategic sprint” for farmers and food entrepreneurs. I skimmed it, thought it sounded cool, and threw my hat into the ring. And life happened and forgot all about it.
Fast-forward a few months. I see an chat scheduled on my calendar with David for some FARMpreneurs program. I had no idea what it was. I dug through old emails, Googled David’s name, and came up short. Figured I must have had a conversation with him in the past. So I jumped on the call with David while walking the Orland Grassland (a beautiful five-mile loop that’s become my thinking path).
A few minutes into the call, I realized who David was. David Cooper is one of the leading figures behind the global movement for transformational investing in food systems... the kind of guy who’s shaping how regenerative agriculture gets funded, scaled, and supported around the world. And there I was, unprepared, walking with bad cell service on a windy day.
David had several questions to ask me as an "interview" to see if Kakadoodle would be a candidate for the FARMpreneurs program. I did my best to answer off-the-cuff (which is perhaps the better way to do it anyways).
There’s a stretch of the Grasslands trail that passes the Duly Medical Center on LaGrange Road. I happened to be walking past it when David asked, “What challenges have you faced, and how do you overcome them?” As I looked toward the Medical Center parking lot... the exact spot where MariKate and I sat in our car several years ago, crying together after hearing my cancer diagnosis. The timing of his question couldn’t have been more surreal.
I answered... Ya, there’s been bird flu, funding freezes, employee challenges, a fire. But it all started there, in that parking spot — with cancer. With a diagnosis that completely changed the way we look at food, health, and what matters most. Through a lot of emotion, I described to him the challenges we have faced, how we keep going. How meditation, perspective, and even conversations with ChatGPT (he got a kick out of that) help me process it all. How no matter what comes, we keep showing up because the mission matters too much not to.
Later, David asked if I’d done a “landscape analysis” of the market — basically, had I studied the long line of companies that tried to do what we’re doing and failed? It’s an almost impossible challenge to crack. I laughed and told him I didn’t know that’s what it was called, but yes, I’ve done plenty of research. And if I had to name one common denominator behind all those failures, it would be this: they accepted venture capital.
He laughed. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” As an investor himself, he seemed to appreciate the honesty... said it really resonated with him.
From there, the conversation flowed... we continued to talk about regenerative agriculture, decentralization, and the future of food. By the end of the call, I didn’t know whether I’d make it into the program, but it honestly didn’t matter. The conversation itself was worth it. It left me inspired, re-energized, and proud of what we’ve been building... an indicator that the ideas we’ve been quietly working on here in Chicago have a place in the bigger conversation about the future of food.
This week, I got the email: We've been accepted into the FARMpreneurs program!
Looking at the alumni — people from places like Moon Valley Farm, White Buffalo Land Trust, and other innovators who are reimagining what’s possible in local food... makes me even more excited to be part of it.
The timing couldn’t be better. Kakadoodle is at a turning point. We’ve proven that people want clean, local, chemical-free food delivered to their doors. Now we’re expanding into value-added products and technology that can help replicate this model in new communities. It’s the perfect moment to step back, learn from others, and refine the vision.
And here’s the best part: the program kicks off the day after my birthday. I get to spend a week in Madison (one of my favorite cities) surrounded by people who care deeply about food, farming, and changing the world. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better birthday present. 😂
This journey has never been easy, but every challenge has brought us closer to what we’re meant to build. And this next chapter with FARMpreneurs feels like exactly where we’re supposed to be.
