Speaker

David Bronner is Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, the top-selling brand of natural soaps in North America. He is a grandson of company founder, Emanuel Bronner, and a fifth-generation soapmaker. Under David and his brother Michael’s leadership, the brand has grown from $4 million in annual revenues in 1998 to over $65 million in annual revenues in 2013. David and Michael established Dr. Bronner’s as a trendsetter in the organic body care industry by becoming one of the first brands to certify its soaps, lotions and balms under the USDA National Organic Program in 2003 — marking the beginning of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps’ issue-oriented activism in the natural products marketplace. Today, Dr. Bronner’s coordinates certified Fair Trade projects for all major ingredients, including olive oil from the West Bank and Israel, coconut oil from Sri Lanka and Kenya, peppermint oil from India and palm oil from Ghana. David pioneered the use of 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) bottles for the liquid soaps, as well as a hemp and recycled paper blend to package the bar soaps. As the main facilitator of the Hemp Industries Association’s (HIA’s) successful multi-year litigation against the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), from 2001-2004, David played a crucial role in defending sales of hemp foods and body care in the U.S. David is an active supporter of both the HIA and Vote Hemp. He is also a key leader in the fight to label GMO foods in the U.S. David was born in Los Angeles, California in 1973 and earned an undergraduate degree in biology from Harvard University. He lives in Encinitas, California with his wife Kris and their daughter Maya. He is a dedicated vegan and enjoys dancing late into the night.