Matt Levine, Creator, Writer and Producer has over 30 year years in the food business but nonetheless remains somewhat sane.. He was one of the earliest employees at the market research firm SPINS, an innovator in research and consulting services for the natural, organic and nutritional supplements industries. Prior to SPINS he worked for a foods distributor as a sales representative, the job that inspired his unrealized wish to launch a website called GroceryHell.

He has had a lifelong dream to open his own grocery store, that various sources say was inspired by his love for both Mr. Rogers and Mr Whipple of “please don’t squeeze the Charmin” fame. It’s complicated. 

After graduating cum laude from Hamilton College he ignored common sense and drove a taxicab in Manhattan. This is the likely reason for his father’s refusal to co-sign a loan to open a natural foods store in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. Matt tries to makes those who choose to listen believe that the never opened store would have sold to Whole Foods some time around 1998 for 9 million dollars. 

Excluding a few years aiding his ailing mother, Matt has lived in San Francisco since 1989 and misses the cannoli and pignoli cookies from Court Street Pastry he loved so much when he lived in Brooklyn. The knockwurst at Katz’ Delicatessen, the halvah at Sahadi Market and the rugelach at Zabar’s too. He is also allergic to peanuts.  

In 2005 after reading a story in the GMA Smart Brief about Proctor & Gamble’s effort to update the personality of its All brand detergent Matt left SPINS and founded NaturalBusinessnews.com.  He was a  wellness columnist writing under the pseudonym’Tom Collins for the now defunct Fidget.com and more recently was a regular contributor to PositiveLite.com an online journal for people living with HIV and AIDS. Matt mentors inner city youth through the San Francisco based City of Dreams and is a former board member of Quan Yin Healing Arts Center which was the nation’s first nonprofit acupuncture clinic. 

In addition to consulting and freelance writing he also drives a pedicab in San Francisco. At least when there isn’t a global pandemic.  

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