SPINS' Team of Natural Product Experts
Vinnie Hernandez, Manager SPINS Product Library
Vinnie Hernandez comes to SPINS from the Hyde Park Food Co-op in Chicago where he worked as the Bulk Foods Manager and lead buyer for Natural and Organic foods in Grocery, Frozen and Bulk. He previously worked for Strawberry Fields, the largest independent Natural Food Store between Chicago and St. Louis, as the Café and Grocery manager. Vinnie also worked for Presence Marketing brokerage as a Sales Representative. He managed a central territory that included Illinois, Indiana and St. Louis, and represented over 45 manufacturers in the natural food industry including Bob's Red Mill, Frontera Grill, Organic Valley, Glaceau, and Traditional Medicinals Tea. He focused on supporting independent, chain and co-op based stores, and trained staff about product information, display and sales techniques.
Angie Alvarez
Angie joined SPINS in the winter of 2005 with a great combination of research, project management and Natural Products retail experience. Prior to joining us, she was the Email Marketing Specialist for MetaReward, Inc., responsible for managing and tracking the success of their email marketing campaigns. Angie also worked as a buyer and a salesperson for Whole Foods Market in Houston, Texas for five years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications/Media Studies with a concentration in Visual Analysis from Mills College.
Rafael Bratman
Rafael is a self-described "avid gardener and food policy activist" who recently completed coursework at the Center for Green Technology, Architecture and Green Business Certificates, with coursework in green technology innovation, environmental design, and sustainable business practices. Since completing his B.A. at Wesleyan, he has been working and volunteering at Farmer's Markets to promote sales and marketing of IPM (integrated pest management) fruits including product displays, customer relations, and restaurant orders. He also worked for Sustain USA's Familyfarmed.org as their Outreach Coordinator, conducting publicity and outreach to farmers, food distributors and food service industry personnel. In addition, Rafael served as a Food and Sustainability sub-committee member for the Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council, and worked as a policy and outreach activist for The Campaign to Label GMOs and BioEthics2006.
Brent Coons
Brent began his work in the Natural Products Industry in 1998 at a San Francisco Real Food Co. store. After quickly being promoted to a store buyer and supervisor, he spent the next five years gaining valuable insight from the store's long-time customers. Brent then helped to open a Whole Foods Market in downtown San Francisco, where he was grocery buyer for a year. Beyond his work in the retail space, he personally embraces holistic and sustainable living with a particular interest in music, healing arts, health and gardening. Brent has also studied alternative healing, Chinese medicine, massage therapy and reflexology. He is currently finishing a BA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.
Phaedra Fields
Phaedra joined SPINS after working in the natural and premium skin care industry for the past several years. She has worked as a freelance esthetician for premium brands, an aromatherapist, and a natural skin care buyer at Healing Earth Resources. Most recently, Phaedra worked with an ayurvedic skincare company as a sales manager. Since 1999, she's created her own natural body care products as sole proprietor of Phaedra's Philtres Aromatherapy and Esthetics in Chicago. She holds a BA in Business Management from the National-Louis University in Evanston, IL.
Warren Jones
Warren has been with SPINS since 1999 and has a total of 18 years in the Natural Products Industry. Prior to joining us, he worked in a natural food co-op and a multi-million dollar, collectively owned natural foods store. There, he and his 200 colleagues did everything from participating in major financial decisions to helping customers with their buying decisions. Warren has been vegan for 15 years, a vegetarian for 22 and enjoys promoting the benefits of a vegan diet in his spare time. He holds a Fine Arts degree from Buffalo State College.
Jake Knepper
Jake joined SPINS after earning his BS degree, in Business Marketing, at Iowa State University. Having grown up in rural Iowa, his concern for the environment, food safety and the family farmer led him to pursue a career and life interest in the organic and natural products industry. While attending college, Jake interned with Wholesome Harvest Organic Meats. There, as a Marketing Specialist, he created and maintained databases, built business relationships with independent and national retailers and represented the company at trade shows. Jake is an invaluable asset to the Product Library Team.
Dustin Phillips
Dustin came to SPINS after working for Strawberry Fields, an independent natural food store in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. He brings nearly three years of natural retail experience, and several more living as a vegan and “natural food enthusiast”. He also brings valuable database experience relevant to SPINS' work. Dustin has a BS in Social Studies Education and a BA in Psychology from Southern Illinois University.
Kerry Rourke
Kerry has been in the Natural Products Industry for more than 8 years and holds degrees in both Nutrition and Herbalism. She has a variety of experience working in Natural Products retail and has managed her own private nutrition practice. Kerry worked as the head of the supplement department for four years at Buffalo Whole Food and Grain Company, an independent natural foods store in San Francisco. At Buffalo, Kerry did all the purchasing for her department and enjoyed consulting one-on-one with customers and helping them with their nutritional needs. Kerry holds a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nutrition from The University of Natural Medicine and is certified as a Nutrition Consultant, Diet Counselor and Nutritional Educator, through Bauman College. She also holds Certificates in Foundations in Herbalism, Therapeutics in Herbalism and Clinical Herbalism from The California School of Herbal Studies.