"We believe in using business to do good in the world, and this opportunity has the potential to tell the story of social enterprise and
fulfill the dreams of owning a business for so many people," says Mike Brady, president at Greyston Bakery. The brownies are currently available at Whole Foods Markets from Maine to Virginia and will be rolling out nationally in the next year. Two percent of sales are donated to Whole Planet Foundation, and profits fund Greyston Foundation programs.
Thirty years of social responsibility. This year, the company celebrated its 30th anniversary and, on February 10, became the first social enterprise to register as a Benefit Corporation in New York state, which joins six other pioneering states that have passed the "benefit corpo- ration" legislation, allowing companies to demonstrate higher standards of corporate purpose, accountability and transparency through this new corporate designation. "Benefit Corporations are using the power of business to solve social and environmental issues," Brady says. "It is our goal at Greyston to set an example for other social enterprises as we embrace our new corporate status."
Q UEEN CITY COOKIES: COMMUNITY-BUILDING BEFORE BUSINESS
Peggy Shannon calls her charity-minded creative baking business, "the culmination of all my life experiences manifested in edible art."
Fed up. From baker to art aficionado to committed philanthropist, Shannon launched her Cincinnati-based business out of frustration over not being able to support (on the level she would have liked) arts, kids and community—"all the things closest to my heart." In the summer of 2009, after yet another news report of a local public pool closing due to budget cuts, "I snapped," Shannon recalls. That very day, she birthed the idea of making artisanal cookies to support organizations she held dear. Shannon created Queen City Cookies with two goals in mind. "First, each edible work of art that we create by hand, and each action we take, is dedicated to lifting the spirit," she says. "Second, the company would serve as a vehicle for social change."
Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 3819 24 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com