Big News! We Are Now A B Corporation!

We are over the moon to announce that we are now a Certified B Corporation, an acknowledgment of our commitment to social and environmental ethics, transparency and accountability. With this certification, we join over 2,263 companies around the world (and 36 right here in NC!) with one unifying goal – to redefine success in business. B Corps are certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, improving the quality of life in their communities through business.

“The mission of B labs is to inspire people to use business as a force for good. That resonates deeply. My goal as a business leader is to continually learn, to grow as a human and a leader, and to make an increasingly positive impact on the people along our journey in chocolate.” Says Jael Rattigan, our Co-Founder/Co-Owner.

We are in good company nationally (Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Warby Parker, Seventh Generation, Miir  and Etsy are all B Corporations!) and we join the ranks of several of our favorite businesses right here in our hometown of Asheville including New Belgium Brewing, Barkhouse, New Mountain, Big Path Capital, Cloud for Good, Earth Equity Advisors, Deltec Homes and Mandala Naturals.

What The Heck Is A B Corporation?

B Corp certification is to sustainable business what fair trade is to sourcing, USDA Organic is to sustainable agriculture, and LEED is to green building - all rolled into one comprehensive certification. To become certified, we had to verify through documentation that we met stringent performance requirements outlined in the B Impact Assessment, a globally-recognized standard that looks at environmental performance, how a company treats its employees, the impact the company has on its customers and the broader community, as well as the company's accountability, governance, and transparency practices.

All of this documentation was a lot of hard work, much of it done by our inimitable Bookkeeper Moose (AKA Hannah Coulston) who managed the project over the course of a year in collaboration with Jael and Dan and our HR Director Lauren Stickels. Moose says, “It was surprising to learn how much good a business can actually do! The potential impact on our surroundings is amazing. B Labs has literally the most rigorous standards. We made our business transparent, there was no stone unturned. We got certified, which is a huge achievement but we already have so many ideas on how we can improve, it really opened our eyes!”

B The Change

We have long been committed to responsible, sustainable business practices, from direct-sourcing of cacao from farmers in Nicaragua, Peru, Brazil, Guatemala and Costa Rica, to working with producers and farmers in Western North Carolina to source ingredients, to using environmentally friendly packaging materials and composting all food waste, to paying fair wages to its employees. Our HR Director Lauren Stickels elaborates: “Our commitments to our staff include a commitment to pay fair wages, to provide thorough and timely feedback, opportunities for compensation increases though excellent performance, and upward mobility. We also take care of our staff by ensuring that they come to work in a place that is safe, and that the leaders they depend on can be trusted to advocate for their staff, daily.”

We Are Guided By Our Mission And Manifesto:

OUR MISSION: We make awesome chocolate:

beautiful, wholesome and delicious, crafted with love and served with gratitude.

OUR PRINCIPLES: (living and doing business by our values)

• We are connected to the Source.
• We find partners who share our ideals of sustainably-produced, wholesome foods.
• We shop as close to home as we can, in order to support our local community.
• We seek a closer relationship to the source of our food, and we want to share the connection with you.

• We care for our communities.
• We take care of the people we encounter on our path – our employees, our neighbors, our colleagues, our patrons, and our vendors - and treat one another with kindness and respect. We feel gratitude for our blessings and pay it forward.
• We value collaboration. Hey, we’re all in this together.

• We give the benefit of the doubt.
• We trust in the goodness of people and assume good intentions of others.

• By being honest and trusting people, we hope to earn the trust of others in return.

• We honor creativity & innovation.
• New ideas and creative problem solving will foster our growth and fulfill our desire for continual education.

• We strive for sustainability – environmental and financial.
• We act as stewards for Mother Earth.
• We maintain a financially sustainable business, to allow us to accomplish our mission and live by our values.