Samantha Garwin

Samantha "Sam" Garwin is a strategist and advocate transforming global food systems toward environmental resilience and sustainability. With expertise spanning ocean agriculture, regenerative livestock, diversified small grains, pastured poultry, and direct trade cocoa, she brings a unique cross-sector perspective to the intersection of food, climate, and social justice. Sam currently leads the Market Development Program at GreenWave, building scalable demand for seaweed while supporting ocean farmers in building equitable climate-positive coastal economies. Her work includes business development and organizing support for regional farmer networks, commercial R&D and pilots to address post-harvest bottlenecks, and value chain coordination to cultivate a resilient ecosystem of businesses to get seaweed from sea to sale. Sam also supports regenerative food companies across sectors through her consulting firm, 5th Quarter Foods. Sam is a thought leader who has spoken and written extensively on food system reform, challenging conventional approaches to sustainability. Her work demonstrates how properly structured markets can reward regenerative practices and empower decentralized producers, bridging commercial viability with ecological and social integrity. Previously, Sam served as CEO of Fleishers, a pioneering pasture-raised, whole-animal retail meat company that championed regenerative farming systems in the Northeastern U.S. She was also an early employee of Uncommon Cacao, a social enterprise dedicated to direct-trade organic cocoa bean sourcing. Sam holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Science and Biology from Cornell University, and will receive her Masters in Public Policy with a focus on Food & Agriculture from Vermont Law & Graduate School in 2026.