Of Blooms & B Corp (Re)certification

Back in 2018, we began the process of becoming a Certified B Corporation (aka B Corp). We felt it was a good way for us to add transparency to our values-driven business model and to codify our mission of supporting small farm sustainability and fighting hunger while creating healthier workplaces. 

In 2019 we became certified, knowing that every three years, we would need to renew our certification and our commitment to continually improve our business practices, our work environment, and to promote positive change in our communities and for the planet. In 2022, we were recognized among the top 5% of B Corps worldwide as Best for the World in the Community impact category.

Last month, The FruitGuys was recertified as a B Corp. This process included a 300+ question assessment, rigorous verification requirements, and meeting updated standards in the five B Corp impact areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers. 

As a family-owned and operated business, we amended our operating agreement when we certified in 2019, to formalize our charitable giving commitment to donate a minimum value of 20% of annual profits to fight hunger and support small farms. 

These donations come in the form of weekly produce and snack donations from our regional facilities to a network of local hunger relief community partners nationwide and annual grants to small farms through The FruitGuys Community Fund (TFGCF), a non-profit fiscally-sponsored project of Community Initiatives. The FruitGuys covers the operating costs and funds grants for the TFGCF. 

B Corp certification has helped us add structure and continually work to create positive outcomes for our employees, suppliers, community, customers, and the environment. I’d like to thank our Mission Manager Sheila Cassani for leading us through this process. 

Last week we announced the 18 grantees of  the class of 2023 for The FruitGuys Community Fund.  This is our biggest class ever and I wanted to share the story of one of the grantees here:

Beauty Blooms LLC is a 10-acre, woman-of-color-run farm in Damascus, Maryland  that grows vegetables and flowers of primarily African heritage heirloom varieties. Beauty Bloom’s products are sold at a local farmers market and donated to local food banks. Founder and Farm Manager Nia Nyamweya leases her land from the Maryland State Parks system. Through her organic farming practices and cover cropping, Nia is regenerating land that had been stripped of nutrients after years of previous corn and soybean production. 

Beauty Blooms will use their $5,000 grant from The FruitGuys Community Fund to increase its capacity to grow food for the local community and boost overall soil health and pollinator support. They will purchase a caterpillar tunnel that will extend their growing season and provide a seed-starting space. The land does not have access to a well, so some of the grant will go towards a rainwater catchment system and drip irrigation that will bring that water to plants. This combination of increased plant starts, a longer growing season, and the ability to regularly water crops (instead of dry farming), is expected to boost crop yields and likewise increase donations to people facing food insecurity. In addition, the planting of a perennial native wildflower buffer around the farm will help increase the population of beneficial insects and pollinators and also improve biodiversity.

That’s just one grantee’s story, but I think you can see the big impact that one small grant of $5,000 will have on the farm, its community, and the environment. 

We’re honored to continue this work as a Certified B Corp – to use business as a force for good in the world –but we couldn’t do any of it without you, our clients, so THANK YOU for making the world a better place.