ITHACA, NEW YORK (January 23, 2014) – By now, chances are you’re familiar with the green movement. Whether it’s been referred to as Eco-friendly or going green, a lot of companies have made it their mission to become more environmentally and socially conscious. “Green-washing” has also become common, where a company touts that they are conscious in one way or another but don’t actually walk the walk. This past year, locally-owned and operated Emmy’s Organics, a vegan, gluten free and non-gmo goods company, took their sustainable ingredient sourcing to another level with a trip to Sri Lanka. There, co-owner Samantha Abrams, took a deeper look into the home of their coconut supply, and the environmental footprint the company is making in both the US and around the world.
“It has always been a dream of mine to visit the source of our ingredients, particularly where our coconut comes from since we use so much of it. Though we use many ingredients that don’t grow in the US, we’re still very sustainable minded and do a lot of research on all of our ingredients before we purchase them,” said Abrams. “It has always been important to me to have an understanding of where our ingredients come from and how they are processed.”
While in Sri Lanka, Abrams was able to visit the coconut plantation and processing factory that Emmy’s Organics uses. At this particular organic coconut farm, every part of the tree is used in everyday life – the coconut husks are even used as fertilizer. Trees range from 4 months to 20 years old. Important parts of the trip for Abrams was seeing how their supplier was very careful about the planting and harvesting, and also giving back to their local community and employees.
This resonates deeply with Emmy’s Organics, especially with their recent B-Corporation Certification. B-Corporation is a rigorous certification that looks at everything from health initiatives for employees to Eco-friendly materials used in renovations, as well as the company’s impact on all its stakeholders and offers a rating system so companies can improve.
“It’s similar to a Fair Trade certification but for the business as a whole,” says Abrams.
Some popular companies that are also B-Corporation Certified are Ben & Jerry’s, Etsy, and Dansko.
Not only is it a commitment to create clean, health and energizing foods, but Emmy’s is committed to taking care of the planet. Emmy’s only uses recycle-able materials for packaging but are also committed to recycling bottles, composting food scraps, and using recycled paper to buying second-hand furniture, and equipment for their office and facility.
“Nothing is more valuable than learning the Sri Lankan culture and about the coconut plantation community,” Abrams mentioned. “It was a way for us to build a deeper connection with our supplier, see the impact of sustainable ingredient sourcing firsthand, and learn ways to continue the movement locally and in our business practices.”
Abrams continued, “As much as I learned about our coconut supplier from our distributor, there was still a missing piece for me and as a business owner, I needed to see that for myself. There are things that I would have never learned if I hadn’t gone on this trip. It’s very important to us as a company to have a full understanding of how our products come together. It was an experience I will never forget.”
For more information on Emmy’s Organics, for hi-res photography from the trip, and/or to arrange interviews, please contact Becki Cooper at 440.227.8794 or via email at Becki@RebeccaAdele.com.
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Emmy’s Organics is a 100% vegan and gluten-free food company that prides itself on the quality, creativity & sustainability of the products it offers. The company uses only the finest non-GMO ingredients in everything produced. All packaging is made from biodegradable and earth-friendly materials. All goods produced are made in a vegan & gluten-free kitchen. For more information visit emmysorganics.com.
