It started with pork.

A few years ago, owner, founder and classically trained French chef Steve Ells of Chipotle Mexican Grill began to distinctly taste the difference between his shipments of commercially grown pork and naturally raised pork.

It was decided to move the burrito giant to greener pastures by offering naturally raised animals whenever possible, sometimes 100 percent natural beef, chicken and pork.

The story of Chipotle Mexican Grill’s quest for sustainable farming and food chain integrity continues today as every Chipotle restaurant in the country prepares to donate all their daily earnings – up to $50,000 total – to Farm-Aid.

The promotion, “Eat a burrito, aid a family farm,” is the next step in Chipotle’s journey.

Farm-Aid is an organization created more than 20 years ago by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp to raise awareness and monetary support for small, organic and family farms. Farm-Aid will then distribute the money through direct aid, education, disaster and emergency service and more.

As it is expensive to give money away, it is also expensive to keep organic. Yet, Chipotle opposes the corporate business model of cheap equals better.

“At the core, we know that supporting sustainable agriculture is the right thing to do,” said Baskin, Chipotle’s local store marketing consultant. “We could cut costs. We could cut our guacamole with sour cream. We could use frozen avocado flakes, but we want this restaurant to make life better for everyone involved.”

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