18 Facts About Gary Hirshberg

Gary Hirshberg was born on 1954 and is an American businessman and the former CEO of Stonyfield Farm, an organic yogurt company based in Londonderry.

Gary Hirshberg joined the company shortly after its founding in 1983 and stepped down in 2011, remaining as chairman.

In 2011, Hirshberg was mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for the US Senate against New Hampshire's junior US Senator John E Sununu.

Gary Hirshberg is an alumnus of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, graduating in 1976, and of The Derryfield School in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Early in his career, Hirshberg served as executive director of the New Alchemy Institute, a research and education center focused on organic farming, aquaculture, and renewable energy.

Gary Hirshberg held positions ranging from water-pumping windmill specialist to environmental educator with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

In 1983, Gary Hirshberg joined the board of The Rural Education Center, a small organic farming school with seven cows in Wilton, NH, where Stonyfield was founded.

Gary Hirshberg served as CEO of Stonyfield from its inception until 2011, during which time the company reached $360 million in annual sales.

In 2001, Gary Hirshberg arranged the sale of Stonyfield to Danone and remained CEO for an additional 10 years.

At that time, Gary Hirshberg became chairman and the managing director of Stonyfield Europe, launching organic brands in France, Ireland, Italy, and Spain.

Gary Hirshberg resigned from his Danone responsibilities in March 2017 when the US Department of Justice required Danone to divest its Stonyfield holdings.

Gary Hirshberg was the chairman and co-founder of O'Naturals, a chain of fast food restaurants.

Gary Hirshberg is chairman and founding partner of Just Label It, the national campaign to label genetically engineered foods.

Gary Hirshberg is the chairman of Organic Voices, a consortium that seeks to eliminate consumer confusion about the benefits of organic foods.

Gary Hirshberg is the author of Stirring it Up: How to Make Money and Save the World.

Gary Hirshberg is married to writer Meg Cadoux Gary Hirshberg and has three adult children working in organic and sustainability ventures.

Gary Hirshberg has received twelve honorary doctorates and several corporate and environmental leadership awards, including a 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award by the US EPA.

Gary Hirshberg was named a Yale Gordon Grand Fellow, one of "America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs" by Business Week, and one of the top ten "Most Inspiring People in Sustainable Food" by Fast Company.