Irrespective of who you speak to on the planet of meals or ag innovation, in the event you ask whether or not they know Rob Trice, likelihood is the reply might be sure.
That’s solely partly as a result of Rob’s seeming omnipresence at practically each meals or ag innovation occasion throughout the globe over the previous decade. I do know he was definitely at lots of the ones I attended. However the factor is, numerous individuals go to numerous occasions, and you could by no means actually get to know them. Not so with Rob. For those who have been in the identical room with him, likelihood is you have been laughing at one in all his jokes, gaining priceless perception, or making a significant connection.
Final month, Rob handed away after a quick sickness whereas touring for work in Europe.
I first met Rob again in 2015 once I began attending his Mixing Bowl occasions within the Bay Space. I bear in mind listening to from his coworkers and companions that the occasions didn’t make any cash, however Rob beloved internet hosting them as a result of, effectively, he beloved assembly and speaking with good individuals.
I used to be new to the meals tech world then, having simply began the Sensible Kitchen Summit, however Rob didn’t hesitate to introduce me to individuals who would turn into nice connections and mates, together with Brita Rosenheim, Merril Gilbert and plenty of others.
Because the previous decade marched on, I might run into Rob at occasions all around the world, whether or not in Japan for Sensible Kitchen Summit, within the Bay Space for meals tech gatherings, or in Chicago or New York for the Google Meals Lab.
As many occasions as I’ve been to over the previous ten-plus years, I might solely aspire to be as current within the second as Rob was. Irrespective of who was on stage or talking in entrance of the room, there was an excellent probability that if Rob was there, he’d ask a considerate query that framed the dialogue in a brand new and attention-grabbing manner.
I bear in mind spending a night with Rob in Tokyo in 2024. He was there to talk at Sensible Kitchen Summit Japan, and on the primary night time, I used to be heading out to dinner with my spouse, Tiffany, after we occurred to stumble upon him on the road. Rob joined us, and over the course of that night, he talked about his years dwelling in Tokyo, his time working in telecom, enterprise capital, and coverage evaluation, and about serving to to construct a regenerative farm together with his spouse Wendy.
Considering again on that night time—and on a regular basis I spent with Rob over the previous ten years—it’s clear that Rob was a kind of uncommon individuals who appeared to have figured one thing out. He managed to do significant work that helped forge paths for others whereas additionally dwelling deeply on the planet he was serving to construct, sharing his ardour within the second with everybody round him, all whereas having fun with the heck out of all of it.
I’m not the one one who feels that manner. Sara Roversi, who leads the Future Meals Institute, wrote about how a lot Rob had touched her life over the previous decade, serving to to create connections for her and her college students.
“You have been one of many first individuals I met once I arrived in California. Launched by Tim, grasp of connections and collisions. However you have been one these few large buddies who grounded me in the beginning. The quiet drive. The regular compass. Ten years in the past I got here with my college students searching for meals tech. You took us to the soil. Not slides. Not pitch decks. Soil.
You made us stroll the ranch, odor the earth, sit in a circle on hay bales, take heed to farmers, ask higher questions. You have been practising regenerative agriculture when no person was applauding it. You by no means chased developments throughout the sick world of “pop” blinded investments. You constructed what issues.”
Others shared recollections of Rob as effectively, together with his coworkers on LinkedIn:
To know Rob was to know there was not a microphone he didn’t love. He all the time had an insightful perspective to voice, and inquiries to ask that pushed others to assume deeper. He had critical intentions, however didn’t take himself too significantly. He may very well be foolish (and beloved his personal artistic acronyms), all the time laughing with a mischievous smile! Rob was heat, compassionate, and gregarious — an individual whose presence introduced individuals collectively.
Rob’s legacy will proceed via all of the startups he backed, the group networks he nurtured, and the concepts he fostered. However most significantly, it lives on in all of us who had the present of realizing him, even when for a lot too transient a time.
I used to be in Europe final month once I heard of Rob’s passing. I used to be shocked, as have been these with me, nevertheless it didn’t take lengthy for us to start sharing tales about how Rob had impacted our lives. And to an individual, everybody who knew Rob had been impacted ultimately.
We laughed. We shared tales. And we raised a drink in his reminiscence.
I’ve a sense Rob would have wished it that manner.
Picture Credit score: Sara Roversi
