Kale is for sale at Wal-Mart.
How did this happen?
Not so long ago, salads were made of iceberg lettuce and broccoli was an exotic, acquired taste.
Youve Got Kale
The reality is that kale is nothing new.
It has been cultivated around the globe for more than 2,000 years.
So someone has got to be profiting from it.
The concept Drink an Orange made OJ a staple morning drink.
She was so successful that Californias acres of pomegranates have multiplied from 2,000 to 30,000 acres.
I became curious: Who is behind the rise of kale?
I thought I had solved the mystery.
Sinclair is cited as the mastermind behind kale inpublicationsaroundtheworld.
My approach was relatively simple, Sinclair explained to me, via email.
I sought to educate consumers on the benefits of a product via guerrilla marketing.
I thought I had solved the mystery.
End of story, right?
Ive heard that before, Ramsey said on the phone about Sinclairs role in elevating kale.
But, he countered, Have you talked to anyone at the American Kale Association?
Im not sure they exist.
I paused in confusion.
I had assumed the American Kale Association was a group of kale farmers.
Kale sales go up, good for the people who grow it, right?
In fact, the exact opposite is true: Many kale farmers are actuallysufferingfrom kales sudden popularity.
I began to wonder who was really behind the American Kale Association.
A lot more people have gotten in on the business, he explained.
Im sure there are some farmers who are winning, who never grew kale before.
Seeing Green
Clicking around the American Kale Association website reveals little.
A well-linked loop runs from their website toFacebook pagetoTwitter account(where they have more than 15,000 followers).
Posts go up on a somewhat regular basis, but contact information is omitted.
So I asked: Who is the American Kale Association?
To clarify, the AKA are kale farmers/producers?
Yes, to your question about AKA, the staffer responded.
So I contacted them.
And if there were a union of kale farmers, would he know of them?
Sure, he replied emphatically.
I received similar responses from other directors at large kale farms across the country.
Don’t Kale My Vibe
I went back to the drawing board.
Maybe I was missing something.
In 2010, Dr. Oz introduced kale to his viewers.
Then, in 2011, Gwyneth Paltrow baked kale chips onEllen.
In 2013, National Kale Day launched.
After weeks of investigation later, the mystery of the American Kale Association still plagued me.
Perhaps it was the perfect kale storm: Gwyneth and Ellen promoted kale along with their own dietary agendas.
Millennials decided to use their discretionary incomes on Juice Generation instead of cable.
Gluten-free, Paleo, and vegan dieters all hailed the permissible vegetable.
Celebrities began to talk about kale, like their new Beats headphones.
Though after weeks of investigation later, the mystery of the American Kale Association still plagued me.
“Yes,” she said simply.
My editors at mindbodygreen called her again to confirm.
“It’s my proudest campaign ever,” she told them.
“I’ve been trying to convert people foryearsto eat in a healthy way.
I’ve always loved [kale].
It is an amazing vegetable.”
Why, they pressed, why would you take the time to create this made-up organization?
“I’m a punk at heart,” she replied.
“I wanted to do something differently and I did.”
Which superfood is ripe for a comeback next?
Portlandiaspoofed the rise of certain veggies inThe Celery Incident check it out above!
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Illustration by Chloe Bulpin, mbg creative