New Windsor, New York – Café Spice President Sameer Malhotra today announced the company’s commitment to contribute a portion of the sale of every fresh meal sold at Whole Foods Market to its nonprofit Whole Planet Foundation.
The refrigerated fresh Indian meals are sold in the prepared foods departments of Whole Foods Market and include Chicken Curry, Channa Masala and Chicken Vindaloo, all with Lemon Rice; and Vegetable Korma, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Saag Paneer, all with Saffron Rice. New colorful packaging has been designed especially for Whole Foods Market, featuring a scanback that promotes Whole Planet Foundation and makes the purchaser aware of the contribution. The new sleeves also prominently mention that chicken used in the product is certified by Global Animal Partnership’s (GAP) 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating System so shoppers can know how the animals were raised.
“We are so grateful for the support and generosity from our partner Café Spice in launching these new and exciting products that will help raise funds to alleviate poverty worldwide,” said Philip Sansone, President and Executive Director of Whole Planet Foundation. “Through our partnership with the Café Spice team, we have raised more than $75,000 over the past three years to fund nearly 400 new microloans and help 2,000 people.”
Overall, the foundation has authorized more than $60 million in loans and has funded more than $38 million in microlending programs, positively impacting more than 4 million people worldwide. Whole Foods Market covers 100 percent of the foundation’s administrative costs so that every dollar contributed goes to fund microloans.
Café Spice has participated with Whole Planet Foundation for several years. In 2011, Payal Malhotra, Vice President of Café Spice, had the opportunity to travel with the foundation to Southern India to meet with women micro-entrepreneurs who have benefited from Whole Planet Foundation’s support. The average first microloan size in India is the equivalent of about $133, and enables an entrepreneur to buy equipment and supplies to start businesses ranging from farming and food manufacturing to tailoring and hardware stores.
“As a minority-owned, entrepreneurial company, we understand how access to credit can be critical to realizing one’s dreams,” said Payal Malhotra. “Our business is in preparation and supply of fresh, authentic global cuisine from regions of the world where poverty is a very real issue for many people. This personal connection further inspired us. We want to be a part of the solution to help break the cycle of poverty.”
Café Spice is located in New York's Hudson Valley and is a natural food manufacturer specializing in freshly prepared, ready-to-eat, cuisine for natural food stores, supermarkets, the foodservice industry, and its own Café Spice quick-service restaurants and kiosks, including the flagship Café Spice Express in New York City's Grand Central Station. ###
Photo caption: Miss KPK used her microloan from Whole Planet Foundation to start a motorcycle repair shop. Café Spice is contributing a portion of the sale of every fresh meal sold at Whole Foods Market to the foundation. Photo by Whole Planet Foundation’s Daniel Zoltani.
Source: Café Spice
