Speaker

Andrew Pittz is a sixth generation Iowa family farmer and “Farmer-in-Chief” at Sawmill Hollow, the first aronia berry farm in the United States. Sawmill Hollow was named a Top 51 Company shaping the natural and organic industry as well as a Renew Rural Iowa Company. From the fork of a dirt and gravel road, to the farmers market, to Whole Foods Market and now services independent stores and Fortune 500 companies across the country.

In 2015, Sawmill Hollow was awarded a “GREAT” rating by How Good for its contributions to the “environment, society, and the world”, a distinction shared by less than six percent of all products in the entire grocery channel.

Sawmill Hollow is quickly becoming rural America’s “Cinderella Story”, having been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, and USA Today among countless regional and nationwide publications.

Whether planting aronia berry bushes in all 99 counties of Iowa, barnstorming across the country with major retail outlets, or guest lecturing at American University or the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture, Andrew is committed to cultivating a vibrant rural America. Andrew Pittz has been recognized nationally for leadership in farming, entrepreneurship, and rural development and as a result of these efforts was nominated by Senator Harkin’s office as a ‘Champion of Change’ under President Obama’s administration.