What is this B Corps Status

Posted on: 2016-06-01 3:51 PM

Nossa Familia earned the designation last month. The honor signifies that the company met strict performance requirements that take the environment, social responsibility and transparency into account.
 
"We pursued becoming a B Corp primarily because we identified with the global scope of the certification," said Augusto Carneiro, the company's founder and CEO. "There are already loads of certifications for coffee, such as fair trade, organic ... and shade grown. We found that B Corp focuses on a much broader picture and helps us become a better organization at multiple levels."
 
B Corp is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk.
 
B Corps are for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
 
Today, there is a growing community of more than 1,600 Certified B Corps from 42 countries and over 120 industries working together toward 1 unifying goal: to redefine success in business.
 
Carneiro, a 2014 Portland Business Journal 40 Under 40 winner, said because the certification encompasses a large scope with rigorous standards, it required a strong commitment and great deal of hard work.
 
"Being a coffee roaster presented some unique challenges, specifically gathering all the detailed information from our various coffee suppliers," he said. "Coffee farms are in different countries, different time zones, and they are busy growing coffee, not sitting in front of a computer ready to respond to our questions."
 
Which, he added, needed to be translated to Portuguese and Spanish.
 
Carneiro is finding plenty of support among his fellow Oregon B Corps.
 
"The certification is leading to some new business and to great conversations internally, helping strengthen the fact that we are a values-driven organization," he said.