A Team of Innovators
From our founder to our farmhands, the diverse team at Johnny Appleseed Organic is dedicated to a single mission: safeguarding the environment by fixing our broken food system.
Our leadership
Jeff Meyer, the founder of Johnny Appleseed Orchards LLC, could be called a modern-day Johnny Appleseed. In 1995, he discovered, authenticated and acquired exclusive genetic rights to the “Algeo tree,” the last surviving tree planted by Johnny Appleseed. Thousands of genetically identical, bud-grafted Johnny Appleseed Authentic™ trees are now being sold exclusively at johnnyappleseed.com and in Lowe’s home improvement stores.
Jeff has been planting trees for over 50 years and is a lifetime conservationist. In the 1990s, he worked with American Forests to plant trees on public lands, culminating in September 2002, with the planting of his 20 millionth tree.
Jeff is a published author whose works include “America’s Famous and Historic Trees,” a book that documents some of our nation’s most significant and important historic trees, and which led to the production of the award-winning TV series Tree Stories.
He also founded and developed our nation’s single largest privately-funded habitat conservation bank, located in Wyoming. This 626,000 acre project is dedicated to enhancing and restoring one of our nation’s most critical sage brush habitats for endangered and threatened species.
Prior to launching Johnny Appleseed Organic, he was involved in the creation of large-scale renewable energy storage projects.
Our Values
We value our team’s diversity.
Johnny Appleseed Organic is committed to building an inclusive culture that elevates the individual voices of our diverse team. We believe that embracing the backgrounds, personalities and lived experiences of our work family makes us a stronger company and more closely connects us with our customers and communities.
We believe in equal pay for equal work.
Johnny Appleseed Organic believes workers of equal skill who perform the same tasks and have the same responsibilities deserve the same pay. We are committed to sharing our prosperity among senior and junior employees alike, and in keeping with that belief, limit the salary of our highest-paid employee to no more than five times that of our lowest-paid employee. Furthermore, we recognize the contributions of our team by making all full time employees equity partners in the company.
We’re committed to ethical trade practices.
Johnny Appleseed Organic will make every effort to secure the most ethical source available for any supplies, materials or labor used in the manufacture of our products. Our packaging will reflect this commitment with transparent, easy-to-understand labeling that details the origin of each component, as well as the conditions and methods by which it is acquired.
Revolutions Start
With Research
Climate Farming™ is more than just a theory. It’s a proven method for growing practiced every day at the Johnny Appleseed Organic Village.
What is the Johnny Appleseed Organic Village?
The Johnny Appleseed Organic Village is a sustainable living development near Folkston, GA, where we are pioneering the next step in the organic food revolution. Combining best practices from permaculture, syntropic planting and regenerative agriculture, we are creating a new way to grow great-tasting, healthy produce while simultaneously improving the environment.
Climate farming in action
The Johnny Appleseed Organic Village is nestled within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Surrounded by tumbling Spanish moss and towering longleaf pine trees, we are constantly reminded of the important role sustainable agriculture plays in protecting vulnerable ecosystems. Follow along on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Johnny Appleseed Authentic Apple Trees
We’re stewards of the last known surviving tree planted by the real Johnny Appleseed.
Everyone knows the legend of Johnny Appleseed, the adventuring frontiersman who traveled early America and left hundreds of apple trees in his wake. Like most tall tales, this one contains a nugget of truth: over 100 years ago, a pioneer named John Chapman actually did venture through the frontier planting apple trees.
Decades later, the last surviving tree he planted was saved and propagated by our founder, Jeff Meyer. Today, it lives on as the Johnny Appleseed Authentic Algeo Apple Tree — a bud-grafted, genetically identical copy of the proven heirloom tree, which was likely planted in the early 1830s.
The legacy tree came to our attention in 1996, after decades of stewardship on the Harvey-Algeo centennial farm in Ashland County, Ohio. Family legend holds that Chapman visited their early American ancestors on a number of occasions, breaking bread with Dick Algeo's grandparents before retiring to sleep in a barn that still stands on the property today.
In addition to stewarding this piece of American history, we honor Chapman’s pioneering legacy with our revolutionary Climate Farming™ model, which empowers small farmers and gardeners to produce delicious, nutritious fruits and vegetables while joining in the fight against climate change.
