Michael Ray Robinov | Episode 160

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March 2025

Michael Ray Robinov | Episode 160

Shownotes, Quotes, Shop + Listen To The Podcast Featuring Michael Ray Robinov Co-Founder and CEO of Farm to People

The Stories: “Usually we'll hear from folks when they're having a big life event, like leaving the city. People will say, ‘You've been a part of my life for the past 11 years.’ Or, ‘I’m moving to LA. Can you recommend something for me there? Do you have any plans of opening there?' The love is really wonderful." “Am I doing a good job? What does competition look like? Are we telling the story as good as we used to? I used to pack a lot of the boxes; I cared about the quality. How do we make sure that those quality standards are maintained?”

The Backstory: “No doubt, the pandemic was this real accelerant for what we were doing. It really changed people's habits overnight. We had been trying to get press for years, then, suddenly, press was flocking to us.” “My father is a lifelong natural products and natural food entrepreneur. That was what I grew up around. I saw him building out these small-footprint, pre-Whole Foods kind of grocery stores, filled with natural products.” ‘The nice thing about being young and naïve is that I was like, ‘How I can I make a million dollar business? The foolishness of that was what made it so fun, the possibilities so endless.”

Wisdom Rains: “What this is doing, at a minimum, is getting people to think about how their health is connected to how they feel and what they eat. We've become very disconnected with it, because people are no longer growing up in the kitchens of their grandparents, learning how to cook.” “Customers drive the innovation. Listen to the people you're delivering to. What do they want? That’s kept me busy for the past 11 years.”

On Inspo: I always come back to and try to remind myself about why I’m doing this. What's really exciting and fulfilling to me, especially being a young founder in an industry where a lot of competitors raised a ton of venture capital and we really have no right existing, it’s been fulfilling to me to go back to the mission of, ‘ow do we take the food that I was selling myself at the farmer's market and seeing the issues of customers who would come to the farmer's market. I felt like if there was a few of them, there were many, many more out there who would want this kind of product. And my mission was how do we create this and make it something that is sustainable and profitable.

On Farmers: “Our farmers are incredible. I think people forget this, but the farmer's job is one of the hardest. There are no days off. Food is something that is highly perishable, growing all the time.”

Obsixed: A collection of Michael's current lifestyle obsessions.

"Our farmers are incredible. I think people forget this, but the farmer's job is one of the hardest jobs. There's no days off. Food is something that is highly perishable, growing all the time. They have to think about what they're seeding, what they're planting, what they're harvesting, if they're harvesting it at the right size, the right ripeness. There's so many things."

"I’m ambitious and so I really always come back to and always try to remind myself about the why of why we're doing this and I think what's really exciting and fulfilling to me is every step of the way I really feel like, know, especially being a young founder in a industry where a lot of the competitors raised a ton of venture capital where technology is super expensive, where we really have no right existing. It's always felt really fulfilling to me to go back to the mission of how do we take this food that I was selling myself at the farmer's market and seeing the issues of customers who would come to the farmer's market. I felt like if there was a few of them, there were many, many more out there who would want this kind of product. And my mission was how do we create this and make it something that is sustainable and profitable?"

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A WORD FROM THE HOST

This week’s podcast features Michael Ray Robinov. You’ll get to know Michael, who, after a life’s-path pivot found himself on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Envisioning a life in the performing arts, Michael attended NYU’s Tisch School Of The Arts only to be pulled towards farming and food, following in his entrepreneurial father’s footsteps. Michael took over the helm of what’s known today as Farm To People, simplifying the CSA experience for city dwellers and connecting customers who care with tons of amazing local farms and their bounty. I’ve been a devoted customer forever and recommend their weekly produce-filled boxes to everyone and anyone. It’s a $25 game changer, so it was great to peek behind the curtain on this business where—pardon the pun but it’s true---care, is a key ingredient. Truly. I was joking with Michael about how Farm To People is the only business I’ll call when I have a question, and I actually get a thoughtful, informative human being on the other end of the line. And a lot of the times, that’s Michael himself. Michael talks about how how he’s evolved and developed the brand to include a Brooklyn-based brick and mortar space, and expanded their offerings from the best in pantry items to supreme meat, fish, and baked goods. Boy did life change when he took that job at the Hawthorne Valley farm stand (who happen to make some of the best sauerkraut you’ve ever tasted). This conversation wraps with a wellness-driven list of Michael’s self care practices that I love, and you’ll also hear his take on the best recipes for all those good spring and summer vegetables.

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