I’m excited to announce that Chabaso Bakery is now a Certified B Corporation!
Certified B Corporations, B Corps for short, are for-profit companies dedicated to using business as a force for good and that meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability to all of their stakeholders. Unlike traditional corporations, B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on all stakeholders: customers, workers, communities, and the environment.
Since an initial meeting 15 years ago where I first learned about B Corporations, I knew that this was a certification that aligned with the DNA of Chabaso and would help us flourish as an organization. This feeling was amplified over the past few years as more organizations have come to realize the importance of “walking the talk,” and so after two years of working with the team at B Lab, we are proud to announce this milestone.
From starting an urban garden in our parking lot that evolved into a city-wide diabetes prevention program, to donating millions of loaves to regional food banks and charities, to partnering with regional resettlement agencies to hire displaced peoples, being an active member for positive change in our communities remains a core focus of Chabaso. Becoming a Certified B Corporation will help us to continue more confidently down this path in concert with the more than 5,000 Certified B Corporations in existence today.
It took a lot of people working together to make this aspiration a reality. I would like to thank all the members of the Chabaso team, especially Reed Immer who shepherded this processes, as well as Rebecca Kline Coffey and Impact Growth Partners. Without them this would not have been possible.
Our first step after receiving this certification is to establish a committee with internal and external stakeholders to set measurable goals and action plans in accordance with B Lab standards. We look forward to keeping our community in the loop as this project develops. In the meantime feel free to view our impact report at bit.ly/chabasobcorp.
— Charles Negaro, Jr.