Gourmet News

Profit Not the Only Motive for B Corporations

Published March 8, 2016

By Greg Gonzales

One of several antagonists in the 1995 comedy “Tommy Boy,” Ray Zalinsky, goes from trusted face to villain in one telling line: “Truth is, I make car parts for the American working man because I’m a hell of a salesman and he doesn’t know any better.” B Corporations are the antithesis to that attitude. The certification is a stamp of approval for companies that pass rigorous standards of environmental impact, social missions, corporate transparency and employee satisfaction.

“If you’re not measuring impact in business, you’re already behind,” said Katie Holcomb, B Lab’s Director of Communications. “It’s become a more mainstream idea, and we’ve been painted as the next big thing.”

Since 2006, more than 1500 businesses in 22 countries have been certified as B Corporations by B Lab, which certifies each and every B Corp. B Lab’s community sees business as a force for good, and the future of business, said Holcomb. She also said the approval process is simple, but thorough.
The B Corp qualification process begins with a 150-question assessment. A passing score is 80 out of 200, and companies can work to improve the score, which is listed online. B Lab estimates that the questionnaire takes 90 minutes to complete, though some B Corp members joked that it’s closer to 90 hours.

“You really have to prove what you’re saying,” said Dana Ginsberg, Director of Marketing at Bare Snacks, a B Corp since 2013. She added that the assessment is rigorous and detailed, and that qualifying companies must back up their statements with documentation. It’s essentially an audit that proves the company’s claims are legit, and that there’s nothing to hide. There’s also a phone interview that applicants must complete.

Prospective B Corps must also prove that they take care of employees. Ethical Bean‘s Sales and Marketing person, Lauren Archibald, has worked for two B Corps, and said she considers B Lab as much a resource for companies as for job seekers. “When you’re coming in to work for a B Corp, you know they treat their employees well,” she said.

She also added that it’s about respecting customers, employees and the public, and being honest. “If people are asking questions and you can’t answer them, you probably have something to hide,” she said. “B Corp status opens you up, keeps you transparent and aligns your values.”

In addition to the rigorous certification process, companies commit to their cause by amending corporate bylaws to include social and environmental missions. That is, B Corps choose to make themselves legally beholden to work toward missions other than profit. And in states where Public Benefit Corporations (PBCs) can incorporate, B Corps must make the switch from corporate structures like Limited Liability or C Corporation within two years of certification. Companies in states and countries where PBCs cannot yet incorporate must make the switch within four years from the time legislation does pass. In doing so, B Corps become equally bound to shareholders, employees, social good and environmental impact, not just the former.

“We were able to integrate all the elements of our mission into our articles of incorporation,” said Mathieu Senard, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Alter Eco, a B Corp since 2009. “Legally binding, our product has to be organic and non-GMO.” He added that Alter Eco made the switch as soon as the possibly could, in 2013, right when the company’s home state of Delaware passed the legislation.

There’s also an annual fee, and companies must requalify every year. The cost is $5000 a year for companies making less than $20 million in annual sales, while companies that make more than $20 million pay $10,000. Members of what’s lovingly referred to as the “B Community” say the benefits are well worth the costs.
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“This model works! It’s showing businesses that they can do good for people and the planet and also be comfortable and keep a healthy business,” said Senard. “It’s a way to show your impact and your mission, too. It’s one thing when you talk about your company and say you’re doing all these great things, but it’s more powerful when a third party certifies you and tells the whole world what you’re doing.” Companies can also add the B Corp seal to their websites and packaging to let everyone know they’re part of the B Community.

“Once you become a B Corp, you work with other B Corps,” said Ginsberg. She added that becoming a B Corp comes with a few discounts and a large number of important contacts. They can learn from each others’ example, or work with B Lab to improve.

B Lab’s online system enables businesses to increase their score year round. “You can modify and update that score anytime you want,” said Ginsberg. “It’s a free-flowing process that helps you track where you are and to get to higher standards. You can change your policies, recycle a different way, put in a greener refrigerator.”

And that’s one of the ways Bare Snacks improved upon its own score. The company asked employees what mattered to them, which included axing the break room paper plates and cups, getting an efficient refrigerator and replacing plastic water bottles with a faucet filter. In addition, the company raised its score by updating some of its HR policies. The result, said Ginsberg, was very positive employee response.

Alter Eco‘s score increased from 125 to 148 last year, and Senard attributes that improvement to the company’s acting on suggestions from B Lab. “What B Corp has helped us to do is put the spotlight on areas where we can improve,” he said. “B Lab didn’t force us to do it — we just saw we can be better, and we want to be better for our employees, too.”

Ginsberg said many food producers have been leaders in this movement. “It’s really going to help differentiate your brand for consumers,” she said. “People are getting more skeptical about the products they buy, and really want to support positive brands because, nowadays, on social media, people see brands they support reflecting their identities. They want their identity to align with their values, which is what B Corps are all about.”

Even though B Corp certification does appear advantageous to brands, Senard and other B Corp owners specifically pointed out that it’s hard to quantify the benefits. Ultimately, they said, it’s about making a better business and working toward a brighter future.

“Consumers care about the products they buy and how they were developed, how those companies produce and operate,” Ginsberg said. “Further, employees care about the companies they work for, and they want their employers to do that as well. I see this trend continuing to grow.”

“I hope we’re going to be a model for other companies to become that,” said Senard. “We hope to inspire the entrepreneurs of the future to start their companies like that, from day one, where the company has a mission to bring some good into this world.”
Interested parties can head to bcorporation.net to put their business to the test.

Domestic Balsamic in the Heart of New Mexico

Published March 7, 2016

By Micah Cheek

“May third, we had a serious freeze. We lost about a quarter of the grapes,” says Steve Darland of The Darland Company. “One year we had a family of bears.” Darland’s farm is located in Monticello, New Mexico, a former ghost town just north of Truth Or Consequences. This arid environment, though sometimes unforgiving, is an ideal place to age balsamic vinegar. Darland personally inspects and prunes his grapevines throughout the growing season. Every grape counts; it will take 200 pounds of fruit and at least 12 years to make each bottle of Traditional Organic Balsamic of Monticello.

Grapes that make it to harvest are crushed and heated over a wood fire. After being reduced and fermented, the grape must is poured off into handmade barrels. These casks are crafted by Francesco Renzi, whose family has been making them in the same building for 500 years, long before balsamic vinegar was considered a viable mass market product. The grape will spend 12 years circulating through casks made of oak, chestnut, cherry, juniper, acacia and ash, drawing volatile compounds from each to develop its snappy, resinous flavor. Darland says, “Periods of intense work are followed by long periods of time where grapes are growing or vinegar is aging in its casks.”

Monticello is a hub for organic farmers, despite the spring frosts and animals. They all meet in Truth Or Consequences for a farmer’s market, which the Darlands helped start after their first grape harvest. The revenue for their first batch of balsamic was over a decade away, so other sources of income came from the farm. “A great way to fill the time is to grow unique, but potentially popular, healthy, delicious organic crops which thrive in this environment,” says Darland. The farm produced shishito peppers, pomegranates, and other organic products. “My wife, Jane, became the Johnny Appleseed of Sierra County by helping other growers choose, then order and plant the right fruit trees to survive and thrive in our climate – thousands of trees,” he adds.

https://unica-web.com/archive/2011/films2011.html canadian viagra sales This medicine could harm the health of intimacy. Finale Penile problem is a big predicament for men. viagra sales on line The consumers have given a positive response buy viagra professional from people related to the treatment of ED. In other words, High Quality Acai sans prescription viagra products should be regarded as food as opposed to supplements. The more you learn about Darland’s process, the farther removed it is from the balsamic vinegars readily available on shelves. These products, known as industrial vinegars, are generally aged for as little as hours or days before being thickened with sugar, molasses or mosto cotto, a sweet grape syrup. This thick and sweet vinegar is made to mimic the traditional balsamic flavor, because demand for the product has long ago outstripped supply. This demand has fueled a massive market for the sweetened balsamic. “It may be a polite fake, but with an estimated quarter billion dollars of annual US sales, it is a much, much better business than it is a gourmet food item,” says Darland. For him, these products do not even fit into the category of real balsamic vinegar. “The key thing for people to learn: when you read the ingredient list on the label and it has more than one, it is industrial balsamic. Like it or not.”

The Darlands devote their down time to travel. They conduct tastings at stores and restaurants to highlight the differences between their balsamic and the less expensive industrial alternatives. “We take nearly every opportunity to visit islands of foodies, wherever we can sample and talk about the real thing, since ours is the only American commercial balsamic and probably the only organic version in the world,” says Darland. Surprisingly, one of the most difficult groups to convince is chefs. “Chefs are challenged with being fashionable, and making a profit. In culinary school or other training, chefs are shown how to make faux balsamic,” says Darland. Many chefs will cook down inexpensive industrial vinegars with sugar to make a facsimile of a rich, aged balsamic to use for plate presentation. They end up with a sweet product that clings to the tongue, but has had all the subtle flavors and volatile compounds cooked out of it. “It’s a hoax on the menu. It makes everyone the fool – the wait help, the kitchen staff, the chef and the diner all get the wrong lesson without ever tasting balsamic.” says Darland. “There’s a cruel humor in it.”

While cost-conscious chefs are reticent to pick up a bottle of Monticello vinegar, Darland has had to turn away many retailers trying purchase his product. Producing a maximum of 1000 bottles per year makes relationships with retailers a delicate balancing act. Each new retailer thins out the number of bottles that go to all the rest. “We sell online and through very special retailers, and have to be judicious with supply. We sold everything we bottled last year, and we were down to just two bottles when the year ended,” says Darland. “So, we want retail allies with smart retail staff who we can rely on for sales. In turn they can rely on us for supply.” In addition to the 1000 4.5-ounce bottles, limited batches of one ounce bottles are released, as well as a condiment balsamic version made from the same grape must, but aged for less than 12 years.

When asked how he is planning on expanding, Darland states, “I’m not.” While some nationwide retailers have tried to bring Traditional Organic Balsamic of Monticello to their shelves, Darland doesn’t have enough stock, and more importantly, doesn’t like the way they do business. “If we had done that, we would have done it 23 years ago,” says Darland. “The retailers we have are really smart and really know what they’ve got.” Though making organic and artisan products is more involved, Darland steadfastly believes that small production of quality ingredients has a growing place in the market. “These days, everything is monetized. But with true balsamic, there is no short term fiscal shortcut. Rather than repeating the classics, people have settled for fakes. Still, there is room for real, and things made with great care,” says Darland. “Handcrafted, organic, small production is a lively segment for balsamic and many gourmet products.”

Mario Battaglia Appointed International Managing Director for Global ID Group

Published March 3, 2016

Global ID Group, Inc., a U.S.-based provider of integrated food safety and food quality services, announced today that Mario Battaglia has joined the company as managing director, international. Mr. Battaglia will oversee the company’s global certification business as well as its international offices in Brazil, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Global ID, through its CERT ID business units, is accredited across a broad range of Global Food Safety Industry (GFSI) certification standards, including British Retail Consortium, Safe Quality Foods Program, ISO 22000 and GlobalG.A.P. The company is also a global leader in the certification of sustainable and responsible agriculture under the ProTerra, Bonsucro and ISCC standards.

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Attendees of the March 10-12 Natural Products Expo West 2016 trade show in Anaheim, Calif. are invited to learn more about this and other developments at Global ID Group by visiting the company’s booth.