My grandfather was a remarkable man in what he was able to accomplish within his lifetime. The depth of who he was has been further revealed through the individual stories of the countless lives he has touched — from the rich and famous to the poor and destitute — there was never any discrimination. Rather, there was an embracing of each individual on a level of the heart. He realized that if humanity were to ever create any change in this world, it would have to come from the mutual collaboration of people from all spectrums of life.

In 1956, at the young age of 30, he had already accomplished much by retiring as a successful businessman and multimillionaire. Yet, he found himself unsatisfied and yearned for more. He felt the magnetism of a deeper spiritual calling as he sought to find answers towards his most primordial inquisitions about life. 

It was around this timeframe that he decided to travel to India to further explore the greater calling of his inner compass. Shortly after arriving, he was to meet a spiritual teacher that passed onto him much knowledge and wisdom that he carried throughout the rest of his life. 

During his several years in India, he witnessed first hand the great levels of suffering regarding poverty and starvation. 

This experience forever changed him, activating a passion to discover ways in which he could be in service to assist the disadvantaged, and to alleviating some of the suffering he witnessed in our world. 

At the height of his pursuits, was a vision and mission to search for a solution to put an end to hunger issues and malnutrition.

With the assistance of his friend and colleague, biologist Dr Hiroshi Nakamura, they formed an organization called Microalge International. Through this organization they began studying many different species of algae as a potential means for fast and nutritious food production. When they stumbled across the species of algae called Spirulina, it was as if they had struck gold!

Through meticulous scientific studies, Spirulina turned out to prove itself as being one of the oldest and most nutrient dense foods on our planet. All his many years spent pursuing his goal had paid of — he had done it!

With much excitement, Christopher began presenting this solution in front of many political leaders around the world. With much disappointment, his propositions were rejected and he began learning that if we want to create change, we must become that change ourselves. 

Thus, in the early 1980’s, he set out to introduce Spirulina to North America. After moving from England, he arranged large truckloads of this mysterious green algae (Spirulina) to be imported into the United States, arriving in a small mountain town of Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz, California. Many people thought what he was doing was crazy, including some of his own family members. What most did not know is that Christopher was a man who was passionate about overcoming limitations, and he was someone who knew how to get things done.

He expanded his understanding and realized that this was to become a long-term vision. He wanted to give the knowledge he had gained of this miraculous food source into the hands of as many people as possible. Thus, the Light Force company was born. This would be a new venture bringing him out of retirement to further his purpose and passion of service to humanity. 

Light Force quickly grew into a multimillion dollar company. People were being educated more about the importance of health and wellness and the power of what a healthy body can bring. Other products were developed, in conjunction with Spirulina, and the term “superfoods" began permeating our consciousness. 

A majority of the profits from the company were then channeled into non-profit endeavors. Millions of dollars worth of food and clothing were donated and shipped to other countries in need of assistance. While my grandfather touched many lives, giving hope and inspiration to those less fortunate, so too did his company Light Force as a vehicle for positive change.

To strengthen the genome of this incredible species call Spirulina, Christopher went back to work, hand selecting under a microscope the most robust and strongest of strains. He founded and assisted others to start Spirulina farms around the world, offering to them his knowledge and resources in hopes that, one day, Spirulina would cover the globe. This long-term vision has since grown and fulfilled some of its destiny. Because of the work of my grandfather, Spirulina can now be more easily accessed around the world. Yet, until hunger issues are completely resolved, there will always be more work that can be done.