Happy Dirt names chief financial officer

Happy Dirt, a Durham, N.C.-based Certified B Corporation and organic grower-packer-shipper, has named Natasha Goldstein chief financial officer. Goldstein will lead Happy Dirt into its next phase of financial growth by taking over the company’s core financial operations and assisting in a capital fundraising campaign, according to a news release.

“I am extremely excited to take on the role of CFO for Happy Dirt. Happy Dirt has grown incredibly fast over the last few years and has a bright future ahead,” Goldstein said in the release. “Happy Dirt not only purchases and distributes organic produce, but they also help farmers transition to organic practices and work to find avenues for new farmers to enter the business, which is very capital-intensive and thus has high barriers to entry.”

Goldstein brings 16 years of experience as an exited-founder and CEO, former CFO and a corporate financial professional in the social enterprise and impact investing spaces, the release said. In 2017, Goldstein launched The Accountkeepers — a social enterprise, technology-enabled accounting firm — to lead a movement to rewrite the social contract between employers and employees in America. She sold the company to inDinero in 2019.

Since 2019, Happy Dirt has experienced year-over-year, double-digit growth, all while focusing on the triple bottom line: economic, social and environmental sustainability, the release said.

The company says it is positioned to expand its warehouse space, add additional trucks to the company fleet and hire future talent to continue to help its farmer-partners expand organic acreage and meet the increasing demand for organic produce from family farms.  

“We are very excited to welcome Natasha as our chief financial officer,” Randall Diers, president and co-owner of Happy Dirt, said in the release. “With her experience in social enterprise and impact investing spaces, we are confident that Natasha will be able to lead Happy Dirt and our farmer-partners into the next phase of financial growth.”

To make room for continued positive growth, Goldstein will assist and lead Happy Dirt in a capital fundraising campaign, the release said.

“I am proud that we were able to attract someone with Natasha’s level of expertise in the sustainable finance industry into our farmer-focused, food-system-change movement,” Sandi Kronick, CEO and founder of Happy Dirt, said in the release. “It gives me a lot of hope that we can bring this talent not only to our business, but also to the movement and industry in general.”

Goldstein, who says she was attracted by Happy Dirt’s farmer-owned business model and mission, took the role of fractional chief financial officer because of the positive impact that Happy Dirt has made in the food system and on the lives of organic farmers, as well as the company’s inclusive culture, the release said.

“Farming is an incredibly important and difficult business,” Goldstein said. “People are often completely unaware of the immense time and effort that goes into the produce they buy at the supermarket. On top of this, we need to implement more organic and regenerative farming practices to protect our soils and to continue feeding the planet. Happy Dirt not only supports this by supporting farms in their transition from conventional to organic, they also put the farmer first. I feel privileged to be able to work at Happy Dirt and further this mission with a truly fantastic team.”