The Trace Story
Trace is a revolutionary period care company, bringing you the world’s first farm-to-body hemp and Climate Beneficial™ cotton tampons in spring 2023! Our 100% plastic-free, biodegradable, non-toxic tampons are made from hemp fiber and cotton grown using regenerative farming–going beyond sustainable to actively heal the earth.
People with periods deserve to know exactly what goes into their bodies and who makes it, so we ensure our supply chain is fully traceable, transparent, and equitable from farm to vagina. All of these innovative practices manifest a legacy of healing—ourselves, each other and the earth.
Meet the Founders
Claire Crunk, CEO and Founder
Claire is a women’s health nurse practitioner, founder, and CEO of Trace. As a pioneer in the US hemp fiber agricultural movement, she joins together exciting new practices in healing the earth through hemp and regenerative farming techniques with her knowledge of menstrual healthcare. Claire enjoys making the seemingly impossible possible.
Dr. Meg Galaske, MD, Co-Founder
Meg is a holistic medical doctor, energy healer, and co-founder of Trace. She believes that when we live in reciprocity with earth, we can find healing for ourselves, our kin, and all living things. She is passionate about exploring innovative paths for a better and more sustainable future for all.
OLAF ISELE, Co-Founder
Olaf is an engineer specializing in absorbent hygiene products for over 25 years. As the second co-founder of Trace, he is an innovator in the field and is hailed as one of the pioneers bringing natural fiber to absorbent products. Previously, Olaf was with Procter and Gamble, and holds multiple patents in absorbent technology, which most of us have probably used in our lifetimes. Olaf brings a keen scientific eye and judicial mind to Trace, recognizing that period care is something we can all work on together, whether we menstruate or not.
Meet the Farmers
Cannon Michael
President/CEO Bowles Farming Company
Cannon is one of our amazing, forward-thinking cotton farmers. He is proud to continue his family’s legacy as the 6th generation caring for the land at the Bowles Farming Company in the Central Valley of California. Environmental stewardship, ethical treatment of workers, and sustainable production are all of the utmost importance to Cannon and the Bowles Farming Company. The key to the success of the farm is the health of their employees and their families, the health of their soil, and being good stewards of resources through pioneering practices that are regenerating the land for cotton in the Central Valley. Trace™ is so honored to have Cannon and the Bowles Farming Company as one of our cotton farmers through our alliance with the California Cotton and Climate Coalition (C4).
Patrick Brown
President/CEO Hempfinity and Brown Family Farms
Patrick is one of our outstanding hemp farmers, bringing the land his family has farmed for over 150 years into the next frontier of farming. He has converted Brown Family Farms’ tobacco fields in North Carolina to regenerative hemp crops, as well as vegetables for the local CSA he founded to heal his county’s food desert crisis. The farm’s mission is to help provide a holistic solution to customers naturally through regenerative and organic agriculture. Both a community and national leader for minority farmers, Patrick is re-claiming the local land by expanding the farm and buying back acreage his ancestors were once enslaved on. Patrick’s love of earth and people shows in his beautiful words: “My ancestors gave me this opportunity. I can’t let them down by not utilizing this land for good. To use what we already have to expand and produce jobs. To bring economic development to this area, to heal, clothe and feed our community and give people a second chance at life.”