047: Transforming Health and Business with Mike Fata
By Aline Wealth Management on September 29, 2025
In this powerful episode, we sit down with Mike Fata — a high school dropout turned health advocate, founder, investor, and bestselling author — to explore his journey from personal transformation to building and exiting Manitoba Harvest, a $400 million hemp food company. Mike shares how adversity shaped his entrepreneurial grit, how he scaled a business in a niche industry, and how he evolved from a startup founder to a respected CEO and mentor.
What You’ll Learn:
- How Mike’s 100-pound weight loss sparked a passion for health and entrepreneurship
- The early challenges of marketing hemp foods in a skeptical market
- How Manitoba Harvest scaled from $10M to $400M through strategic growth and industry timing
- The importance of quality, vertical integration, and values-driven leadership
- Mike’s advice for entrepreneurs preparing for an exit
Key Topics:
- Health Transformation: At 18, Mike made a life-changing decision to lose weight and take control of his health, which led to discovering the nutritional power of hemp.
- Founding Manitoba Harvest: Inspired by Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill, Mike saw an opportunity to bring hemp foods to market and co-founded the company in 1998.
- Scaling the Business: After 10 years and $10M in revenue, Manitoba Harvest raised venture capital, built a larger factory, and rode the wave of hemp becoming a trending product. Mainstream retailers like Costco, Kroger, and Walmart helped propel growth from 2010 to 2015.
- Vertical Integration: Mike shares how controlling the supply chain and owning manufacturing facilities helped build trust and consistency across 16,000 retail partners in 20+ countries.
- Exit Strategy: The company’s first sale to private equity enabled a merger with its biggest competitor, boosting market share to 85% and setting the stage for a $419M strategic exit.
- Leadership Evolution: Mike reflects on how his leadership style matured from hands-on startup founder to CEO of a global brand, emphasizing culture, values, and mentorship.
Notable Quotes:
“I created my best self.”
“Keep all your doors open.”
“Eat like your ancestors ate.”
Connect with Us:
Aline Wealth Management is a group comprised of investment professionals registered with Hightower Advisors, LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. Some investment professionals may also be registered with Hightower Securities, LLC (member FINRA and SIPC). Advisory services are offered through Hightower Advisors, LLC. Securities are offered through Hightower Securities, LLC.
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