Have you ever seen a large “B” on bottles in grocery stores? Or maybe on the corner of some snack bag? That small logo holds a large meaning, showing that they are a Certified B Corporation.
What Does B Corp Even Mean Though?
Certified B Corporations are businesses that are “mission-driven” and “balance, purpose and profit,” according to B Corporation. The third-party certification standards were stipulated by B Lab, which uses their B Impact Assessment to asses whether for-profit companies meet their “highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose,” and must re-certify every three years to ensure they are upholding these standards. The assessment includes assessing a company’s inclusivity, transparency, legal accountability and more. The assessment has high standards for social and environmental performances with the goal of certifying and indicating which companies are leaders of change in the business world. Currently, B Corps has over 7,000 businesses certified, across 90 countries and 160 industries. Some notable companies B Corps certified are Toms, Patagonia, and united by blue.
But what NC Companies are B Corp Certified?
Here are five companies that are certified in North Carolina that you can try out if you want to support sustainable businesses.
- This Raleigh-based coffee company has kosher coffee made in a brewery with rainwater bathrooms, solar panels, and my favorite of all, solar water-heated floors. Their facilities also house one of Raleigh’s few biopumps as well as their own beehive made from their old whiskey barrels. You can buy Larry’s coffee through their website or at 42 & Lawrence Coffee Lab’s Espresso Bar. The Raleigh-based company also sells chocolates, teas, soap, candles and more.
- P.s. Check out their “Pups of Larry’s” highlight on Instagram if you want to brighten your day.
- Chocolate chocolate chocolate! French Broad Chocolate is an adorable Asheville-based shop with chocolates (of course), house-made ice cream, cookies, cakes, brownies, drinks and so much more. This shop also prides itself on being sustainable by minimizing their environmental footprint.
- French Broad Chocolate offers tours of its Bean to Bar process, wine and chocolate tasting, and even private tours!
3. Bull City Burger and Brewery
- This Durham-based burger shop works with local farmers to source their meats and vegetables for a delicious and sustainable dining experience. The business works alongside many charity organizations monthly to raise money for causes they deeply support. Bull City Burger and Brewery is a local independent restaurant that truly believes in making a profit sustainably.
- The restaurant’s annual OctoBull Fest is coming up on Saturday, September 23 on East Parrish Street. Stop by for some great local bands and even better-loaded burgers!
- East Fork is a beautiful pottery company that began its early days selling pottery on a farm in Madison County, North Carolina. The company allows its values–accountability, compassion, equity, sincerity and adaptive tenacity–to drive its decisions. East Fork is climate-neutral certified and is proud to say they pay a living wage (at least $22 per hour) and often partner with non-profits and grassroots organizations to work towards racial equity.
- Fair Game Beverage is a distillery and winery in Pittsboro, North Carolina specializing in NC Specialty drinks and food products. 90% of their pantry is full of locally-produced goods as well as their own beers, kombucha and coffee beans. Fair Game Beverage has a tasting room that allows you to taste wines, beers, ciders and more. They sell pickled okra, jerky, popcorn and so much more goodies.