Using Business For Good
In 2003, we founded Grounds for Change with the mission to create a coffee roasting business that supports social equity and environmental sustainability, while still meeting the high quality standards of a specialty coffee roasting business. Attention to the social, environmental and financial impacts of conducting business forms the foundation of Grounds for Change. Every single bean we roast is fair trade certified, organic certified, carbon free certified, and shade grown. This translates to the possibility of a real livelihood for coffee growers, a breath of fresh air for the planet, zero net carbon emissions from “crop to cup” and healthy forests for migratory songbirds.
We have also forged relationships with like-minded organizations, always striving to deepen our commitment to our core values of sustainability and social justice. Our partnership with CRS is a result of this commitment. Another, more recent partnership is with B Lab through our B Corporation certification. B Corporations are certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. B Lab drives this systemic change through a number of interrelated initiatives, supporting and growing businesses that strive to redefine “business as usual.”
For us here at Grounds for Change, those global initiatives certainly translate to our commitment to roasting 100% certified fair trade and organic coffees, but to many more internal initiatives as well. In our effort to support our employees and their families, we offer paid maternity/paternity leave for all employees; greater than 80% of insurance premiums paid for employees and families; more than 30 days of paid vacation days for each full time employee; and a bring your child to work policy.
Recognizing our responsibility to our community and environment, we donate to Catholic Relief Services, our 1% For The Planet affiliates, as well as other national and international nonprofit efforts. For the second consecutive year, Grounds for Change was recognized for creating positive overall social and environmental impact by the nonprofit B Lab with the release of the third annual ‘B Corp Best for the World’ list.
The ‘B Corp Best for the World’ list honors 92 businesses worldwide that earned an overall score in the top 10% of all Certified B Corporations on the B Impact Assessment, a rigorous and comprehensive assessment of a company’s impact on its workers, community, and the environment. We are thrilled to be part of a community of like-minded businesses that focus on more than just profits. We urge other companies to consider becoming certified B Corporations in order to quantify their efforts toward improving the social and environmental impacts of conducting business.
Guest Post by Kelsey Marshall, Co-founder and President of Grounds for Change in Poulsbo, WA
