ABOUT US
Our roots & our guiding principles
Our Origin Story
Be The Earth emerged in 2019, born from two lifetimes dedicated to change-making and a profound shared purpose shaped during times of transition.
Near Byron Bay, Australia—on land sacred to 13 local Indigenous communities—our founders, Seth Tabatznik and Renata Minerbo, finally found the time and space to reflect after a long, intensive period of work.
The couple had first met in 2018, washing dishes during a retreat course they shared at Schumacher College.
Seth had already spent much of his life considering ethical ways to grow and share wealth — that could enable systemic change instead of reinforcing old paradigms. By the age of 17, Seth's immersion in the family business revealed a stark misalignment between their investment practices and philanthropic goals. He saw philanthropic funds being used to counteract the harm caused by the very industries in which the family invested. This realisation fuelled Seth's lifelong commitment to reimagining investment paradigms. In 2011, he founded Berti Investments, pioneering impact-first ventures focused on planetary regeneration.
At the same time, Renata was a social entrepreneur dedicated to transforming vulnerable communities in Brazil through grassroots engagement. With her activism heavily reliant on grant funding, she understood philanthropy from the ground up. In a period of transition between projects, she felt called to do meaningful work with women.
The merging of Renata's social entrepreneurship and Seth's decade of impact investing — guided by a shared spiritual sensibility and ethic of care — began to shape a new entity.
In Byron Bay, inspired by the work of Small Giants Academy and Local Futures, the couple envisioned a new vehicle for stewarding Seth's family wealth — aligning investments and philanthropy under a single,
regenerative vision in service of all life.
Back in the UK, at the magical 42 Acres regenerative Retreat, one of Seth's social ventures, he found himself sitting under a tree, playing music on his Shruti box.
The words “Be The Earth, Be The Earth, Be The Earth" flowed out of him, and in that moment, they knew they had found the name.
With the support of friends, family, and inspirational advisors, the charity was formally established in 2020. Berti Investments Ltd was acquired and renamed Be The Earth Investments Ltd, becoming a subsidiary of Be The Earth Foundation. All profits from the investment side are either reinvested or donated — as BTE is designed not for fund preservation, but for circulation and distribution.
Origins of Wealth
During our years of dedicated work within the philanthropic sector, we've observed a recurring pattern of secrecy around the origins of capital. Recognising that wealth creation can involve harmful practices, we've chosen to align with our core values by being transparent about the origins of the funds supporting our work. This allows us to address contradictions
and emotions that arise.
Our Founder, Seth is a second-generation wealth holder. The family wealth primarily originates from the sale of Arrow Group, a global generic pharmaceutical company. Initial funding for this came from Generics UK, which Seth’s father started using capital from care homes built in South Africa. Over time, family wealth grew with contributions from various investors,
making it a mix of multiple sources.