Meet Tony Olson, Longtime SPINS CEO, Founders’ Gala Honoree

The market for natural and organic products was tiny, and large-scale industry data analysis was in its infancy, when Tony Olson became CEO of SPINS in 1999.

SPINS’ stated mission was to “increase the presence and accessibility of natural, organic and specialty products by supporting companies that contribute to a healthier and more vibrant America.”

Tony saw the potential for utilizing data as a tool for sector growth while working for industry pioneer Greg Steltenpohl at Odwalla, the breakthrough organic juice company that was ahead of the curve in utilizing data for tracking sales and store placements. Tony was convinced that SPINS knew what retailers were looking for and what emerging brands needed to know.

And he was right.

By the time SPINS moved from its original home of San Francisco to the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg seven years later, the growth of the consumer market for natural products was accelerating — and SPINS had emerged as a major catalyst of that growth by providing brands with granular data about consumer preferences that they could build into their strategic planning.

Tony said the overriding goal for him and the SPINS team was to help innovative brands to find their voice, establish themselves in retail, introduce their products to an ever-broadening customer base for natural products, and succeed.

In doing so, SPINS helped change a retail industry from one that had given natural products short shrift to one that today is giving significant shelf space to these products -— and seeking more — to meet a rising consumer demand.

SPINS moved its offices into the city of Chicago in 2015, and not long after, Tony joined in discussions with Brandon Barnholt, longtime CEO of KeHE Distributors; Bill Weiland, Founder/CEO of Presence Marketing; and Jim Slama, longtime CEO of the non-profit then known as FamilyFarmed, about creating Naturally Chicago as the association for the region’s natural consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry.

That is why Naturally Chicago — which launched in 2019 — is proud to honor Tony Olson, along with Brandon Barnholt and Bill Weiland, at our Founders’ Gala to be held on the evening of Thursday, October 10 at The Dalcy event center in Chicago’s Fulton Market District.

Through his entrepreneurial vision, leadership and more than 30 years of experience in the natural products industry, Tony led SPINS to become the recognized leader in market measurement services and insights for the natural, organic and specialty products industry and overall health and wellness sector.

The success he generated at SPINS drew a major investment from the Warburg Pincus and General Atlantic private equity companies. Tony stepped down as SPINS CEO in 2023 and now heads his own investment firm, Webster Capital. But he remains engaged with SPINS’ standout work as its biggest individual investor and Chairman of its Board of Directors.

Tony says that his proudest accomplishment is being part of a team that created a common language for The Natural Products industry, leading to significant contributions toward the industry’s growth the past 25 years.

SPINS created amazingly detailed, data-driven categories and attributes — gluten free is just one of many examples — that have become standards in the natural products industry. SPINS even created the widely accepted definition of what the Natural Products Industry is, and defined retail store channels such as Natural, Regional, and Supplements.

He adds that this would not have been possible without the support of the entire natural product ecosystem of retailers, brands, distributors, brokers and thousands of industry partnerships.

Naturally Chicago asked SPINS about its long-term vision as the natural products market continues to grow and adjust. Here are their perspectives:

“We are proud that SPINS continues to be an essential partner to the natural products industry, giving stakeholders across the ecosystem the intelligence they need to grow and succeed.

 “Our data, analytics, and insights also create, enable, and accelerate critical connections; we provide the language that brands, retailers and partners use to interact and transact with efficiency, transparency, and trust.

“Looking into the future, we will continue to empower especially the small and independent brands and retailers who are actively filling the needs of values-based consumers, and to improve how our industry works.”