Ivanka Trump’s business partner opens up about their regular monthly meetings

Ivanka Trump’s new business chapter

When many people hear the name Ivanka Trump, they picture politics, fashion lines, or her years working inside the White House. Lately, however, her attention has shifted toward a very different mission focused on farms, food, and cutting waste.

Instead of launching another fashion brand or media venture, she joined a project designed to move more produce from fields to tables. The goal is simple but meaningful, helping farmers sell crops that might otherwise go unused and bringing fresh food to families.

Ivanka Trump teams up with a partner

Ivanka Trump launched Planet Harvest in 2023 with entrepreneur Melissa Melshenker Ackerman. Their partnership blends business experience with a shared interest in improving the way food moves through the supply chain.

Together they created a company built around a practical idea. Farmers grow large amounts of fresh produce each season, but not every crop reaches grocery stores, and Planet Harvest works to create new paths for those foods to reach buyers.

Ivanka Trump’s big vision for growth

According to her partner, Ivanka Trump often encourages the team to think much bigger than the first plan. Small goals quickly turn into larger ambitions during conversations about how the company can expand its reach across more cities.

Ackerman shared that Ivanka regularly pushes the group to imagine wider impact. If the team talks about helping a few regions, she starts thinking about dozens more, encouraging the company to build partnerships that can reach farmers and families nationwide.

The problem Planet Harvest wants to solve

Every year farmers grow large harvests of fruits and vegetables, yet a surprising portion never appears in grocery stores. Retail standards often require produce to look perfect, leaving many good crops without a buyer, even though the food remains fresh.

Planet Harvest was created to help change that situation. By connecting growers with food companies, restaurants, and suppliers, the company helps keep produce in the food system instead of letting it go to waste after months of work.

Little-known fact: Planet Harvest describes itself as a “profit-for-purpose” enterprise that connects farmers with food companies and retailers to reduce produce waste and get more fresh food to families.

The surprising value of imperfect produce

A cucumber might bend slightly, or a pepper might grow a strange shape. Even though these foods taste the same as others on the shelf, many stores reject them because they do not match standard sizes or appearance guidelines.

Planet Harvest works to find new uses for these crops. Food brands can turn them into sauces, prepared meals, or packaged products, helping farmers recover value while keeping nutritious food moving through the supply chain.

Monthly meetings that shape decisions

Melissa Ackerman has said Planet Harvest’s monthly meetings focus heavily on impact, including how many farmers the company is affecting, how many pounds of produce it is bringing into the system, and how many people are receiving fresh fruits and vegetables.

One topic always leads the conversation: impact. The team looks closely at how many growers are involved, how many pounds of produce have been redirected, and how many people ultimately receive fresh fruits and vegetables through their growing network.

A leadership style that pushes limits

Ackerman says working with Ivanka often means stretching expectations. Ideas that begin as modest plans quickly grow into much larger strategies once discussions start moving around the table during brainstorming sessions.

This approach can energize a team because it encourages bold thinking. Instead of focusing only on short term wins, the company looks at how a bigger vision might help more farms, food producers, and families across the country.

A business built with a mission

Planet Harvest describes itself as a profit for purpose company. That phrase reflects a mix of business goals and a broader mission to solve a practical challenge within the food system.

Rather than operating purely as a charity, the founders chose a business structure that allows the company to scale. By building a profitable supply chain, the team hopes to move larger volumes of produce while supporting farmers.

A partnership with Chobani

One early collaboration involved the yogurt brand Chobani, which worked with Planet Harvest to explore ways of adding sustainably sourced produce into its products. The idea showed how major food companies can play a role in reducing waste.

Partnerships like this demonstrate how the model works. Instead of letting excess crops sit unused, companies can turn them into ingredients that appear in everyday foods sold in grocery stores across the United States.

Farmers remain at the center

For farmers, appearance standards can affect income more than many people realize. When crops fail to meet strict retail guidelines, growers sometimes lose the chance to sell part of their harvest.

Planet Harvest aims to offer another option. By connecting farmers with food manufacturers and suppliers, the company creates additional demand for crops that might otherwise stay in fields or be discarded after harvest.

Little-known fact: Planet Harvest publicly announced a collaboration with Chobani to explore “whole-harvest” sourcing, aiming to incorporate sustainably sourced surplus produce into food products.

Tackling a national food waste issue

Food waste is a growing concern in the United States, especially when it comes to fresh produce. Large quantities of fruits and vegetables never reach store shelves even though they are still perfectly safe to eat.

Companies like Planet Harvest hope to help change that pattern. By improving how food travels from farms to manufacturers, they can reduce waste while helping businesses find new ingredients for products people buy every day.

Tracking impact through numbers

During planning sessions, the founders often return to the same question. They want clear numbers showing how many farmers have joined the network and how much produce has moved through their system.

Those figures help guide the company’s decisions. If the impact grows month after month, the team sees it as evidence that their strategy is working and that more partnerships could increase the benefits.

If you enjoy political satire, don’t miss how SNL used humor to critique Trump’s Iran speech.

Looking ahead for Planet Harvest

Planet Harvest is still in its early stage, yet the founders believe the model could grow quickly. Expanding partnerships with food companies, restaurants, and retailers could open new markets for farmers nationwide.

If those plans succeed, millions of pounds of produce could stay within the food system instead of going to waste. That outcome would support farms, reduce environmental impact, and bring more fresh food to families.

Curious about what’s going on with the Trump family lately? Why Melania Trump skipped Tiffany Trump’s baby shower during what insiders call challenging times.

What do you think about Ivanka Trump’s move into the food industry? Share your thoughts in the comments and give this post a thumbs up if you found it interesting.

This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.

Don’t forget to follow us for more exclusive content right here on MSN.

Read More From This Brand:

• Jimmy Fallon notices Trump’s unusual way of invoking Jesus for Christmas
• Eric Church’s “Carolina” Becomes an Anthem
• Are Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Really Hiring A-List Singers for Their Italian Wedding?