Websterville, Vt. — Vermont Creamery, one of the country’s premier producers of goat cheese and cultured butter, has earned certification as a B Corporation, an acknowledgment of the company’s commitment to social and environmental ethics, transparency and accountability. Vermont Creamery joins nearly 1000 Certified B Corporations globally – including 17 others in Vermont– that have met the rigorous standards that measure a company’s impact on its employees, suppliers, community, and the environment.
“For 30 years, our mission has been to produce the highest quality cheese and butter available,” said Vermont Creamery co-founder Allison Hooper. “But right from the start, it has been equally important that our company be socially responsible and an upstanding member of the Vermont community. Becoming a Certified B Corporation validates our commitment to our employees and farmers, our local community, and Vermont’s working landscape.”
This year, Vermont Creamery celebrates their 30th anniversary, as well as the official opening of the Ayers Brook Goat Dairy, the country’s first open-book demonstration goat dairy. Ayers Brook is designed to be a model for sustainable goat farming and http://www.perishablenews.com/admin/editArticle.php?id=35387&pagenum=1to showcase best practices. The Ayers Brook Dairy will also provide the Creamery with locally sourced milk to meet increasing demand for goat cheese. Currently, Vermont Creamery purchases goats’ milk from 15 Vermont farms and from Hewitt’s Cooperative in Ontario, Canada. The company also purchases cows’ milk from the local St. Albans Cooperative in Vermont.
“We can talk about supporting family farms,” said co-founder Bob Reese, “but to make that meaningful we have to demonstrate how a goat dairy can be profitable and a good steward of the land. That is a huge part of our mission and the next chapter as a company.”
Certified B Corporations are committed to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. In addition to recognizing existing efforts, B Corp Certification also provides companies with a community of like-minded business owners to continually progress and innovate.
“Vermont Creamery joins a robust community of Certified B Corporations in Vermont, including several well-known brands,” says Jay Coen Gilbert, Co-Founder of B Lab. “The Green Mountain State is well represented in the global movement to redefine success in business so that one day all companies compete to not only be the best in the world, but best for the world.”
Vermont Creamery has also been recognized by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade for business leadership, and is the recipient of the 2012 Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility Award.
Vermont Creamery’s mission is founded on five principles:
1. Create a vibrant goat dairy industry that fosters agricultural economic development and improves rural communities by supporting family farms that are sustainable and environmentally sound.
2. Care for our customers by maintaining the highest product quality.
3. Promote good health and meaningful connections through the preparation and sharing of good food.
4. Be a responsible manufacturer by minimizing our impact on clean air, water and land.
5. Empower and motivate employees in a meaningful workplace where individual contributions matter.
About B Corp
Certified B Corporations meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests, and build collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand.
About B Lab
B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement to redefine success in business so that all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world.
B Lab drives this systemic change through a number of interrelated initiative: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and good marketing; 2) passing legislation to accelerate growth of social entrepreneurship and impact investing (20 states have already passed benefit corporation legislation); 3) developing B Analytics, a customizable platform for investors to benchmark and report the impact of their global private equity portfolios; and 4) providing free, powerful tools for businesses to measure, compare and improve their social and environmental performance (more than 16,000 businesses use B Lab’s free B Impact Assessment).
For more information, visit www.bcorporation.net.
About Vermont Creamery
Combining the European tradition of cheesemaking with Vermont’s terroir, Vermont Creamery’s line of fresh and aged goat cheeses, cultured butter, and crème fraîche have won over 100 national and international awards. In their 30th year of business, Vermont Creamery supports a network of more than 15 family farms, promoting sustainable agriculture in the region, and is the founder of Ayers Brook Goat Dairy, the country’s first demonstration goat dairy.
Source: Vermont Creamery
