World Hunger.

Mogul or Missionary?

Perched on the southern slopes of Mount Royal, the view from Yank Barry’s posh four story brownstone headquarters in downtown Montreal is spectacular. From here, it seems, you can see forever. The vision that drives his business and humanitarian concerns is equally far-reaching.

Walls lined with memorabilia are a study in contrasts. glittering gold and platinum records juxtaposed with small, black and white photographs and letters of thanks from heads of state, charities and children around the world. Although they compete for attention wit/i modern art from Picasso, Dali, Tamayo Zadkin, Yamagatta and Epstein, the heartfelt expressions of gratitude are most highly-valued. The eye is rewarded at every turn: a mint 1952 Mickey Mantle Topps base ball card and the coveted Chrysler Cup, won in 1990 with best friend Gary U .S. Bonds and Lee Travino.

Entertainer, entrepreneur, philanthropist…

Working on a major famine relief project, Barry was disturbed by the poor quality of the food sent to Africa and resolved to do something about it. "The show's producers had the best intentions in the world but a lot of the food was stale-dated to start with and wasn't going to improve on the ship or in distribution centers." he says. Financing the deal through the sale of his vintage baseball card collection, he bought the world rights to a food formula which he called VitaPro an appetizing, nutritious protein product that required no refrigeration had a long shelf-life and could be marketed at a fraction of the cost of meat. ‘‘But that was just the beginning" says Barry "It took us two year of R& D to crack the code. Lots of companies have tried to give soy protein the taste and texture of meat. We’re the first to succeed. For 5 years we refined the ingredients and formulation in hotels, schools, country clubs and hospitals in 18 countries around the world. It was test, gather feedback, reformulate, and test again until we got it right. Kind of like Broadway, we opened out of town to iron out any wrinkles."

Barry relates a remarkable story: "A few years ago in Monaco, while hosting a banquet in a five-star hotel, one guest refused to believe that the dishes he’d enjoyed were actually meat-free. He asked me to send samples to his home in France. Some months later a scientific report arrived at my office, on the letterhead of the prestigious Pasteur Institute in Lille, France it turns out that my mysterious dinner guest was the Director of the Pasteur Institute and that they’d done comprehensive scientific tests on our products, calling them ‘the food of the future’."
Success in the commercial market led to the launch of a consumer venture, named Global Village Market. The line of meat substitutes is created from soy isolate - the filet of the soybean - and is endorsed by three-time World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali. Bearing Ali's picture, the product line is aptly called "The Greatest", marketed in Burger, Beef and Chicken flavors. Ali is a longtime friend of Barry’s and also acts as goodwill ambassador for the company. Ali believes Global Village Market is the company of the future: "I’ve got a guy in my corner named Yank Barry. He’s a great man with a great product that can help us achieve our goals in a sane, sustainable way; food that celebrates life and the human spirit; food that nourishes the body and the soul. When you eat these products you get all the taste and texture you want, in a way that’s healthier for you and the planet." The product line also includes high-protein, low-fat meal replacement and nutritional snack bars, shake drink mixes and 4 flavors of Icelandic "Miracle Salt", all of which are 60% lower in sodium (a known cause (If hypertension) and 40% higher in the beneficial elements magnesium and potassium. Global Village has an exclusive lease on the salt mine a unique area in Iceland where, over millions of years, geothermal forces naturally transform the sodium, without altering it’s taste!

Doing Well By Doing Good…

Global Village Champions Muhammad Ali, Céline Dion and Founder Yank Barry

‘‘We’re trying to change the pattern of hit -and-run humanitarianism that raises hopes, swells bellies, than disappears," Barry continues. We're in for the long haul. If it’s done with sincerity and consistency, doing good can help companies do well. Cause Marketing is a legitimate and highly effective business strategy. Our message of hope has earned us oceans of free ink in publications as well as massive broadcast coverage: Entertainment Tonight has carried two feature stories on Global Village humanitarian missions".

Some of the Global Village Champions. Top Row: Simeon Rice, Jordan Woy Eric Dickerson, Michael Johnson, Anthony Miller, Steve Atwater Bottom Row: Garry US. Bonds. Page Langton, Ray Crockett, Yank Barry, Muhammad Ali, Ben E King Yvette Findley Barry, Darren Carrington.