March is Nationwide B Corp Month, and to kick off the festivities we sat down with The FruitGuys’ Head of Influence, Sheila Cassani. We introduced a couple of FAQs about B Corps with us — and Sheila shared her solutions. Learn on to listen to her ideas on what a B Corp is, how B Corps make a distinction, why we turned one, and extra.
What’s a B Corp?
B Corps are for-profit companies that meet the best requirements of independently verified social and environmental efficiency, accountability, and public transparency. What a mouthful!
Turning into a Licensed B Corp isn’t simple. To earn the certification, it’s important to let the nonprofit community B Lab put what you are promoting beneath a microscope. They decide your organization’s worthiness primarily based on all the things out of your worker advantages to your charitable giving and the sustainability of your provide chain. The evaluation can take months, however its outcomes are definitive.
“B Corp Certification reveals the world what your organization really stands for, and reveals that it has been vetted and verified by an impartial third occasion normal,” Sheila stated. “There’s an essential layer of belief and credibility there.”
You may see The FruitGuys’ precise B Influence Rating from B Lab right here.
Why does the B Corp Certification matter?
In case you care in regards to the wellbeing of different folks and the planet, B Corp Certification can level you towards companies that share your values.
“As shoppers with buying energy, we vote with our greenbacks, and many people select to spend them with corporations which can be embracing environmental sustainability and really benefiting folks,” Sheila stated. “Supporting B Corps and doing enterprise with these corporations is a direct motion we are able to take as people that’s according to our values.”
How do B Corps make a distinction?
“Each B Corp acts as a pressure for good on the earth, however all of them do it in their very own distinctive means,” Sheila stated. “Right here at The FruitGuys, for instance, we donate a minimal worth of 20% of our annual income to alleviate starvation and help small farms.”
Farmers at Backyard-Raised Bounty, a 2023 FruitGuys Group Fund grantee in Olympia, WA, working to increase their perennial berry manufacturing and enhance weed administration
Our 2023 Influence Report is coming quickly — however right here’s a sneak peek on the numbers.
In 2023, we:
Fed 677,123 folks via our weekly donations
Diverted 315 tons of CO2 emissions by donating produce
Awarded 18 grants for sustainability initiatives to small farms and agricultural nonprofits
Helped our beneficiant shoppers feed 40,972 folks through our Donate-a-Crate Program
To be taught extra about The FruitGuys’ B Corp values, try this web page of our web site, the place you could find our newest Influence Report.
FruitGuys donation recipients holding recent fruit
Different B Corps have their very own initiatives to assist folks and the planet. Our B Corp snack associate Hippie Snacks, for instance, donates to native meals banks, provides its staff three paid days off every year to volunteer, and donates a minimal of 5% of its income to “group initiatives which have a constructive, lasting influence on the setting and/or youth.”
In case you’re inquisitive about how a selected B Corp makes a distinction, dig into their web site and social media — or ask! Transparency is a core a part of the B Corp Certification, so they need to be pleased to share.
Why did The FruitGuys turn out to be a B Corp?
FruitGuys CEO Erin Mittelstaedt
“The FruitGuys has been a mission-driven firm since our founding, however B Corp Certification has helped us to increase that mission,” Sheila defined. “It pushes us to consider our broader influence throughout a number of classes of the enterprise and the way we are able to strategize for constructive change not just for the group, however for our crew members, our planet, our shoppers, and our personal governance.”
When The FruitGuys turned a B Corp in 2019, we didn’t simply add the B Corp emblem to our web site. We dug deep into our firm foundations and amended our enterprise construction to mirror our dedication to our mission and to be legally accountable to all of our stakeholders.
“The B Corp Certification holds our group accountable to the commitments we’ve made to environmental and social influence, and embedding that in our enterprise construction was an essential step within the course of,” Sheila stated.
Why is B Corp Month value celebrating?
“All of those efforts don’t occur in a vacuum. They occur via collaboration and getting greatest practices and buy-in from a number of stakeholders. That’s how one can actually drive lasting systemic change,” Sheila stated.
The theme of B Corp Month 2024 is “This Approach Ahead,” and it reminds us that B Corp companies aren’t stagnant; They’re always striving for enchancment. That concept actually resonates for Sheila.
“You don’t arrive at influence — influence is ever-evolving,” she stated. “I’m excited to rejoice B Corp Month in group with different B Corps and reignite our dedication to always reevaluate how our companies can drive constructive change.”
All through B Corp Month, The FruitGuys will rejoice our fellow B Corps right here on our weblog and on social media. We hope to see you there!
Need to be taught extra about our B Corp values?
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