Growing for good

In recent months, two indoor ag companies have become B-Corp Certified. One, indoor mushroom grower Smallhold, is on the cutting edge. Another, NatureSweet, is best known for its tomatoes and is a more traditional greenhouse operation.

For both companies, becoming B Corp certified was a long process, but one worth the time. Here’s what it means for the companies and how it impacts how they do business.

What does being B Corp certified mean?

Per the B Corp website, “B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. In order to achieve certification, a company must:

• Demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above and passing our risk review. Multinational corporations must also meet baseline requirement standards.
• Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders, and achieve benefit corporation status if available in their jurisdiction.
• Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website.”

Depending on the size of the company seeking certification, the process to become certified is different.

What other companies are B Corp certified?

In the broader corporate world, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s and New Belgium Brewing Co. are among 6,000-plus B Corp Certified companies. Those companies are located in 80 different countries and in various industries.

In addition to Smallhold and NatureSweet, agriculture companies that are B Corporations include AppHarvest, Gotham Greens, London-based vertical farming company Harvest London and AeroFarms.

What they are saying about becoming B Corp Certified

“I am so so so pumped to announce that Smallhold is now a Certified B Corporation (with a score of 91.6!), joining a global community of over 6,000 corporations from 150 industries spanning 80 countries that are committed to using business as a force for good. This is not just an achievement, but a significant milestone that further reinforces our dedication to addressing our food system's greatest challenges and a testament to our unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Thank you, B Lab, for helping us quantify it and tell the world about it.

We began this journey with a simple idea -- to bring the power of extremely fresh, sustainably grown (and packed) specialty mushrooms to every table, and in turn, change minds with mushrooms. Today, our dedication has materialized into more than just a dream, and we are immensely proud to stand alongside acclaimed brands such as Patagonia, Tony's Chocolonely and Ben & Jerry's.” — Andrew Carter, co-founder of Smallhold, on LinkedIn

“For more than three decades, NatureSweet has revolutionized the fresh produce industry with the best tasting and highest quality products. Our success comes directly from having the most committed and experienced workers growing and packing our produce. We created a model in which every associate has the opportunity to earn a better income based on his or her individual effort, while also providing education, psychological support, and healthcare services. … I am incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished and look forward to strengthening our efforts. We hope our impact goes beyond NatureSweet and serves as a roadmap for the industry.” — Rodolfo Spielmann, president and CEO of NatureSweet