Fromartz, Samuel

PERSONAL:

Born in Brooklyn, NY; married; children: two. Education: Attended graduate school.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Washington, DC. Agent—Denise Shannon, Denise Shannon Literary Agency, Inc., 20 W. 22nd St., Ste. 1603, New York, NY 10010. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Journalist, writer. Reuters, New York, NY, and Washington, DC, business journalist, 1985-97; freelance writer, 1997—.

WRITINGS:

Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

Contributor to anthology Best Business Stories of the Year 2002, edited by Ken Auletta. Contributor to periodicals, including Fortune Small Business, Inc., Business Week, and the New York Times. Author of blog Chews Wise.

SIDELIGHTS:

Samuel Fromartz is a business journalist whose 2006 title Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew is an insider's examination of the organic food business. Fromartz demonstrates the economic viability of growing organically. The author focuses on several organic foods companies. He examines the fortunes of Whole Foods Market and its marketing system, of Earthbound Farm and its bagged salad mix, and Silk soy milk. Additionally, Fromartz notes that the phenomenal success of organic foods with its twenty percent growth per year is altering the business and posing a threat to the very ideals ("small is beautiful") that gave rise to small organic farms across the country.

Reviewing the book in Environmental Nutrition, Susan Male Smith found it to be a "thoughtful—and bottom-line—look." Similarly, a reviewer for California Bookwatch termed Organic, Inc. "a fine business exploration of the entire industry," and a Publishers Weekly reviewer called the book "a pragmatic, wise assessment." Further praise for Organic, Inc. came from American Scientist writer Amos Esty, who thought the book was "entertaining as well as informative," and from BookLoons contributor Belle Dessler, who concluded: "Organic, Inc. is an excellent resource for anyone wishing to learn more about the organic food industry."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Scientist, September 1, 2006, Amos Esty, review of Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew, p. 476.

Booklist, April 1, 2006, Mark Knoblauch, review of Organic, Inc., p. 10.

California Bookwatch, June 1, 2006, review of Organic, Inc.

Environmental Nutrition, June 1, 2006, Susan Male Smith, "Editor's Picks: Get Reading, Get Cooking, Get Healthy," p. 2.

Publishers Weekly, January 23, 2006, review of Organic, Inc., p. 198.

Reference & Research Book News, August 1, 2006, review of Organic, Inc.

San Francisco Chronicle, April 9, 2006, Gabriella Gershenson, review of Organic, Inc.

Science News, September 30, 2006, review of Organic, Inc., p. 223.

Vegetarian Journal, July 1, 2006, Debra Wasserman, review of Organic, Inc., p. 32.

Women's Review of Books, January 1, 2007, Jan Zita Grover, "The Food Wars," p. 32.

ONLINE

BookLoons,http://www.bookloons.com/ (May 7, 2007), Belle Dessler, review of Organic, Inc.

Denise Shannon Literary Agency Web site,http://www.deniseshannonagency.com/ (May 7, 2007).

Samuel Fromartz Home Page,http://www.fromartz.com (May 7, 2007).