Robby Sansom: Why Force of Nature Bet on Regenerative Meat

Robby Sansom, CEO of Force of Nature, on leaving EPIC after the General Mills sale to scale regenerative meat, why progress beats perfection, and what a bison harvest taught him.

By Harry Gray · Nov 4, 2026 · 3 min read

By The Meat Mafia (Harry Gray and Brett Ender)

We've been fans of Force of Nature for a long time. During our own carnivore phase we were ordering their meat, and between us we've been to three bison harvests. So it was good to finally sit down with Robby and hear how the company started.

Robby was part of EPIC with Taylor and Katie Collins, and EPIC sold to General Mills. He calls good done at that scale "fantastically good," and he points to General Mills' commitment to convert a million acres of its supply chain to regenerative practices. But a meat bar is a snack, a couple of ounces at a time. The team kept circling the same question.

"why is nobody doing this with meat?" (11:09)

Somebody, he says, should be driving that change a pound at a time. Force of Nature was their attempt to do it. Robby doesn't claim they've gotten everything right. He measures the company against the momentum it helps build across the industry and the awareness it creates among shoppers.

"It's not about perfection, it's about progress and making sure that bar constantly raises." (9:26)

He also talks about the gap between the price on the shelf and what he calls the true cost of food. If you weighed in the externalities, he says, you could start to level the playing field.

Then there's the bison harvest. At the first one at Roam Ranch, Robby shot the first animal. He'd hunted plenty before, so he wondered why this one hit him so hard. His conclusion was that we are all complicit in whatever food system we support: "we're all always behind the trigger." Read on for more, and see Taylor Collins' side of the Roam Ranch story too. This is Robby's view, not medical advice. (Timestamps are approximate.)

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TL;DR: Robby Sansom helped build EPIC, which sold to General Mills. He says watching a company that size commit to regenerative sourcing was powerful. Still, the team kept coming back to one question: why wasn't anyone doing this with meat? Force of Nature was their answer. His standard is progress over perfection, and he says a bison harvest made him see that every eater shares responsibility for the food system.

Who is Robby Sansom? CEO and co-founder of Force of Nature Meats, and earlier a partner in EPIC Provisions with Taylor and Katie Collins.

Key takeaways

Robby says EPIC's sale to General Mills helped put regenerative agriculture on the map (10:30).
The question behind Force of Nature: why is nobody doing this with meat? (11:09)
His standard is progress, not perfection (9:26).
He argues shelf prices miss the true cost of food (22:33).
After shooting the first animal at a Roam Ranch bison harvest, he concluded we're all behind the trigger (36:19).

Pounds, not ounces

Robby says EPIC worked in a couple of ounces at a time, and somebody should be driving this kind of change a pound at a time (11:09).

The true cost of food

He argues there's a mismatch between shelf prices and the true cost of food. Accounting for externalities, he says, could start to level the playing field (22:33).

Hunting isn't just killing

"I think too often hunting is confused with killing," Robby says. To him, it's more about being human than anything else (40:35).

FAQ

Who is Robby Sansom? CEO and co-founder of Force of Nature Meats, and a former partner at EPIC Provisions.

Why did Robby Sansom start Force of Nature? After EPIC, he says, the team kept asking why nobody was doing this with meat (11:09).

What does Robby Sansom mean by 'we're all behind the trigger'? That everyone is complicit in whatever food system they support, whether or not they hunt (36:19).

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Not medical advice. This post summarizes a podcast conversation for education. The views are the guest's own. Talk to a qualified clinician before you change your diet, supplements or any medication.