Many of our brand partners lead by example and start their own philanthropic foundations and grant programs. And some are real all-stars in the field like:
- Nature’s Path: Nature’s Path has made an annual commitment to donate $2 million worth of food to those in need through their Eat Well Do Good food-raisers. Their Gardens for Good program supports 3 community gardens every year to provide fresh organic food for those who might not otherwise have access to it. And for every purchase of their EnviroKidz products, 1% of the sales are donated toward endangered species, habitat conservation and environmental education for kids worldwide.
- Project 7: Project 7’s name comes from their social mission to use part of their profits to support seven—yes, SEVEN—areas of basic humanitarian need, both in the U.S. and abroad. Over the years they've been able to donate anywhere from 10% to 50% of their proceeds to these missions. Some groups they've partnered with are the Campaign for Female Education; Partners in Health; Love Does; Rachel's Challenge; Lifewater; and Plant with Purpose.
- Dr. Bronner's: Dr. Bronner’s donates roughly a third of their profits to charitable and activist causes that range from regenerative organic agriculture and animal advocacy to criminal justice reform and psychedelic-assisted therapy. Their giving spans the globe through their All-One International initiative.
How else can we all support good causes?
If you want to support brands that also support the causes you care about, we can help. As a Hive customer, you can shop by six different cause categories: environmental conservation, education, human and animal rights, community and economic development, poverty alleviation, and healthcare. Here's how we break each one down.
Community & Economic Development: As the proverb goes, it takes a village to raise a child. The brands who support community and economic development efforts know those villages need to be strong and healthy to best raise the next generation. That can mean supporting women’s financial independence, funding entrepreneurs from marginalized communities, or protecting the legal rights of small scale farmers. Here are a couple of our favorites:
- A Dozen Cousins: A Dozen Cousins established an annual grant program, including volunteer support, for non-profit organizations that are working to eliminate socio-economic health disparities in the U.S. In 2019, they awarded their first grant to Sustainable Food Center’s The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre in order to sponsor culturally relevant cooking classes for 50 low income families in Texas.
- Women’s Bean Project: Women’s Bean Project is a Colorado 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to change women’s lives by providing stepping stones to self-sufficiency through social enterprise. The nonprofit can cover about 60% of its expenses through the sale of their products. They raise the other 40% through grants and donations which directly support all the program services.
**For the month of June, 10% of proceeds from all the products in the Community & Economic Development Collection will be donated to Northwest Arkansas Equality, a non-profit dedicated to promoting equality and protecting the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Education: We’re big advocates of lifelong learning, and so are the brands that support educational causes. Sometimes the student is a kid in NYC who is learning how to grow their first tomato, and sometimes the student is a conventional farmer who’s learning how to transition to regenerative agriculture. We’re always the students when it comes to learning about the amazing work of our brand partners.
- Clean Republic: In addition to donating their hypochlorous acid cleaners to hospitals during the pandemic, Clean Republic also donates 1% of their profits to the Global Press Institute. Global Press is creating a more just and informed world by training and employing local female journalists to produce ethical, accurate news coverage from the world's least-covered places.
- Quinn: Quinn snacks’ Be Better. Do Better.™ Mission provides an opportunity for farmers to try something new in improving the health of their crop’s soil and integrate the crop into their supply chain.
- W&P: W&P donates time and proceeds to Edible Schoolyard NYC, a community nonprofit providing cooking and gardening education to kids in Title 1 schools. W&P's support is helping the charity increase its number of school sites and fund an entirely new network school. W&P helps support a future in which children all have access to nourishing whole foods and the skills to prepare those meals for themselves, striving to fully cover the annual expenses of an ESYNYC Network School by 2020.
Environment: From the urban jungle to the tropical rainforest, our environment is our whole world, which is why we care so much about protecting it through sustainable food systems. Fortunately, our brand partners feel the same way, supporting efforts to save our seas, protect wildlife, and restore traditional agricultural methods that leave as little impact on the planet as possible.
- Bee’s Wrap: Bee’s Wrap would just be cute cloth without their layer of sustainably-harvested beeswax, which is why the company partners with The Bee Cause Project to sponsor bee education, helping to develop the “Bee a Friend to Pollinators” curriculum for elementary schools. Bee’s Wrap also partners with 1% for the Planet and the Rozalia Project to support ocean conservancy, beach cleanups, and water stewardship.
- shār: shār gives 20% of their net profits to The Conservation Alliance to protect and conserve wild places. Their t-shirts are organic and recycled. Packaging is plastic–free. All of shār’s ingredients are 100% organic, small-batch and responsibly–sourced. They run with as light a footprint as possible and a promise to the Conservation Alliance.
- HLTHPUNK: Two percent of HLTHPUNK’s profits are donated to support the Biodynamic Demeter movement, a regenerative style of agriculture one step beyond organic whose principles are “To restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony”.
Health & Disease: There’s so much we don’t know and can’t predict when it comes to health and wellbeing. That’s why some of our brands help support groundbreaking research to better understand and cure the diseases that affect people all around the world. And fortunately, we do know that clean water, good food, and less stress go a long way in helping our bodies’ resilience, which is what many of our brands make their mission to support.
- Goldmine: Goldmine donates 2% of their sales to communities that experience chronic and systemic stress, working mostly with BIPOC and Native Nations to provide stress-reducing herbs.
- Professor Torbert’s Orange Corn: Professor Torbert’s uses 1% of proceeds to address vitamin deficiencies that leave people, particularly women and children, vulnerable to health issues. Partnering with biofortification leader HarvestPlus, they help small-scale African farmers grow nutrient-rich crops and bring awareness to hidden hunger.
- Karma Nuts: Karma donates 10% of profits or 1% of sales (whichever is more) to charities that support the health and well-being of children. That includes Baby2Baby, an organization that supported 25 million families in need during the pandemic. (Fun Fact: Baby-food brand Cerebelly is also a supporter of Baby2Baby.)
Human & Animal Rights: Human rights are always at the forefront of our mind, and they’re unfortunately often violated the food production process. But our brand partners work hard to right these wrongs and protect the lives of all people and animals across their production processes. From guaranteed living wages, the fight against slave-labor, and commitments to cruelty-free practices, our partners do their part to preserve the rights of all living beings. Here are some brands doing the best in the category:
- Tony’s Chocolonely: Every year, Tony’s donates 1% of their total revenue to the Chocolonely Foundation, which raises awareness about modern slavery and illegal child labor, inspires governments and companies to take action, and builds strong cocoa communities in Ghana and Ivory Coast. They’ve also committed $25,000 to Whole Planet Foundation to fund microcredit loans for entrepreneurs in impoverished areas to help them escape the poverty trap.
- Singing Pastures: Singing Pastures raise their animals outdoors on green grass. Rather than put them in one pasture for the season, they mimic nature by moving them every few days. Singing Pastures raise animals like our ancestors, on green grass without growth stimulants, antibiotics, and GMOs. Singing Pastures became a Savory Global Network Hub in 2019. They raise laying hens and custom-graze cows utilizing Holistic Management practices.
- Earth Animal: Earth Animal is committed to ensuring all of Earth’s animals have a high quality of life. They believe that it requires good nutrition, good environment, good health, good behavior, and a good mental state for animals to have a good life. They follow the 5 domains of animal welfare in order to avoid unnecessary suffering while maintaining physical health and enabling behavioral freedom. Earth Animal proudly dedicates 1% of our annual net sales to like-minded organizations, industry stewardship, and mission-driven efforts that preserve and enhance the quality of life for animals, people, and the Earth.
Poverty & Hunger: Food is as vital to our survival as air and water, and while many of us have the privilege of choice when it comes to food, there are far too many of people who can’t afford good food. Poverty and hunger alleviation is, unsurprisingly, the most commonly supported cause among our brand partners. At Hive, we also do our part by donating food every month to a wonderful community organization and food pantry in New Jersey called Lunch Break.
- Good Food For Good: Through their generous Buy One, Feed One mission, GFFG donates a meal for every one of their products sold through their partnerships with Food Banks Canada, LA Food Bank, and the Akshaya Patra Foundation. GFFG donates hundreds of thousands of meals every year, so grab yourself some ketchup and support the cause.
- Bionaturæ: Bionaturæ supports regional and national hunger-relief organizations including Feeding America and Children's Hunger Fund. They also support their community's well being through their donations to local schools and organizations like the Connecticut Cancer Society.
- Que Pasa: Que Pasa donates to food banks across North America. Que Pasa maintains an annual commitment of donating $2 million worth of food to those in need. They also provide financial support to urban gardening projects who grow fresh organic food and who help nurture their communities.