2ND ANNUAL NATURALLY RISING NORCAL
2026
2nd Annual
Naturally Rising NorCal
Applications Are Closed
ATTEND ON: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Mill Valley Community Center
One part pitch competition. One part community celebration. Naturally Rising is our premier event of the year!
Naturally Rising NorCal is more than just a competition — it’s a celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship, and community, and a gathering to bring together members from across Northern California.
We celebrated our 1st Annual Naturally Rising Norcal on Thursday, May 8, 2025 at the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
*Application deadline extended to Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. due to a technical issue. Please submit the requested images via Google Drive or Dropbox link (image uploads are currently unavailable).
Meet the 2026 Naturally Rising Judges
Sana Javeri Kadri
Founder & CEO at Diaspora Spice Co.
Born and raised in Mumbai in a big, mixed-up Muslim–Jain–Hindu family where food was the great unifier, Sana has been immersed in the food world since her teens. Over the years, she has worn many hats: line cook, farmworker, food photographer, marketing consultant, CSA manager--before ultimately stepping into the role of spice sourcer turned CEO.
She founded Diaspora Co. in 2017 with a bold vision and a shoestring budget. Since then, the company has grown exponentially. Today, it partners with over 140 regenerative farms across India and Sri Lanka, has paid more than $2.5 million directly to farm partners over the past 6.5 years, and offers 25 single-origin spices alongside 12 bestselling blends. With over 200,000 customers globally and products stocked in more than 525 retail stores across the US and UK, Diaspora Co. is reshaping the spice trade one fair, flavorful, transparently sourced spice at a time.
Sana is also the co-author of the Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook, releasing March 3, 2026, further extending her mission to bring deeply sourced flavor and farmer-forward storytelling into home kitchens.
She currently splits her time between Mumbai and Menlo Park, continuing to advocate for a food system that centers farmers, flavor, and equity at its foundation.
Deb Luster
Founding Team and CIO, Goodles
Co-Founder, Churchill Brands
Ms. Luster is a serial social impact entrepreneur and has been in the CPG industry since 1990 when she was on the founding team and the first President of Annie’s (now a $1 billion company owned by General Mills). She has helped launch dozens of mission-based companies, PR campaigns, and product lines; written three children’s books; and established numerous companies, including two publishing companies, a food packaging technology company, a product and service consulting company, a food consulting company, and three natural food companies. She has been on the founding team of or owner of many consumer product companies including Goodles, Can Do Kid, and Club Kokomo with Beach Boys Mike Love.
Ms. Luster is a public speaker, teacher, and podcast guest many times over has been featured over the years in numerous articles, including the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Working Women, Inc., People, Enterprising Women Magazine, Forbes, Business Ethics Magazine, NewsWeek, and Success magazine, and has been on NBC, CBS, and ABC News spots.
Ms. Luster has three grown children and lives in Mill Valley.
Ben Mand
CEO, Yerba Madre
As CEO, Ben is the driving force behind Yerba Madre’s regenerative mission, leading initiatives to certify more of their products and ingredients to the ROC Gold level, conserve and restore the Atlantic Forest, and improve the livelihoods of producers and harvesters. Previously, as the CEO of Harmless Harvest, Ben restructured the company’s supply chain, achieving 100% zero waste, converting to 100% rPET bottles, and implemented regenerative ag practices across 50% of their farms. Prior to Harmless Harvest, Ben worked in various brand marketing and innovation roles at leading companies including Plum Organics, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, and Interbrand.
Scott Potter
Managing Partner, San Francisco Equity Partners
Scott is the Managing Partner of San Francisco Equity Partners, a Private Equity firm focused on control investments across the consumer value chain.
Scott currently serves as Chairman of Jane Iredale, BruMate and SV Labs and serves on the board of directors of Brazi Bites, Rustic Bakery, Agility Retail Group and Xceed Foodservice Group. Scott previously served on the boards of directors of Method Products, Japonesque, Yes To, ICU Eyewear and Red Monkey Foods, among other private and public companies.
Scott holds a JD from UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law and a BA from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was a member of Cal’s Division I soccer team
Raena Wilson
Product & Merchandising Coordinator, Good Earth Natural Foods
With over 15 years of experience in the organic and specialty foods industry, Raena is a passionate advocate for organic farming and food production, highlighting both the integrity and sustainability of the organic system at every opportunity. Driven by a deep commitment to supporting small farms and producers, her work at Good Earth Natural Foods is focused on empowering these producers and amplifying their stories, with the hopes of creating a more reciprocal food system. Beyond her professional work, Raena is also a ceramic artist, finding creative inspiration in the woods where she lives. In her "spare" time, she is the founder and creator behind a line of organic, tallow-based skincare with a goal of keeping her business small, local, and community-minded.