The New York Times phoned yesterday to find out why I cancelled my subscription more than a year ago. I said it could be summarized in one word: "misery". The front page of the Times is filled with misery. I always felt miserable when I read it. That is never true for the Wall Street Journal.
The front page of the Wall Street
Journal, on Tuesday, reports a new global hero. The man who combined
nutritional powdered milk with Nutella to form a low cost food that
is easy to transport and consume. The food, called Plumpy'nut is
given to starving children. The kids like it and it works. Andre
Briend is the hero. The WSJ article gives much credit to Michel
Lescanne for bringing the product to market with his non-profit
company, Nutriset.
For the record, I've worked intimately with hundreds of non-profits and there is no significant difference between a non-profit and a profit making business except for: public attitudes which are different toward each, and the many operational restrictions that hinder non-profits.
Lescanne clearly deserves credit. Inventing and marketing are inseparable attributes.