Our Blog - From the Good Earth

What inspired you to start your business?

I designed the original St. Claire’s Organic Peppermints from a position of outrage after I found out that some breath mints that I had been using (Altoids) had animal gelatin in them.  I saw no reason for animal-by-products to be in breath mints, so I decided to create an organic, vegan alternative.  Since I was the mother of two small children with allergies, I also realized the importance of creating allergen-free products.  When a mother has an allergic child, she is compelled to choose products for her family that are allergen-free, and there were not very many choices for allergen-free treats at that time.

I created the St. Claire’s Organics brand of breath mints, herbal candies and lozenges to represent a higher standard of quality in  the breath mint and candy category, utilizing a base of organic molasses granules and organic essential oils to sweeten and flavor the mints.  We also use herbal extracts in some of the candies, like our Licorice Pastilles (which may be the only wheat-free organic licorice candy in the world).   I believe that we manufacture the only certified organic, allergen-free, vegan breath mints made in the U.S.A.

When it came time to design our fruit flavored tart candies in pouches for the children’s market, everyone wanted them to have color, but I was adamant about not using artificial colors. We searched the world to find colors and flavors made from real fruits, vegetables and herbs.

What is your proudest accomplishment?

The St. Claire’s Organics brand has always featured and supported the work of the EthnoMedicine Preservation Project®, which preserves the medicinal plant knowledge of indigenous cultures through documentation, exchange of information, and preservation of habitat.  Their mission is to keep the diversity of this knowledge available for future generations. In 1997, we helped them purchase 1,500 acres of virgin rainforest to expand a botanical preserve in the Peruvian Amazon; one of the most species diverse regions on our planet.  That was immensely satisfying. Our collaboration with the EthnoMedicine Preservation Project will be bearing more fruit in the next two years, as it releases its upcoming film series on the medicinal plant knowledge of indigenous people in four different countries.

We Americans love our lip balm. The easy to use (and lose) tubes are found near the check-out of every grocery store, pharmacy and convenient store. Companies use lip balm tubes for promotional items as branding platforms and are common in swag bag giveaways.

With all this lip balming going on, it is often surprising to hear that a lot of the lip balm sold in the USA contains highly toxic ingredients. I’m also baffled that, according to the Environmental Working Group, the US Food and Drug Administration has no authority to require recalls of harmful cosmetics and no pre-market safety tests are required before a lip balm product hits the shelves.

Toxic lip balm contains chemicals such as phenol, oxybenzone and petrolatum. These chemicals are linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity and neurotoxicity. The use of these chemicals have also been tested on animals and in my opinion, seem unnecessary for a seemingly simple product.

Zambeezi Organic Beeswax Lip Balm to the Rescue!

Zambeezi is a Boulder, CO-based company that sells two types of organic lip balm (original and tangerine) made from ingredients found in the pristine Zambian forests of Central Africa. Zambeezi lip balms are a combination of wild harvested organic beeswax, mungongo, an edible nut used by the local Zambians, and organic essences. The company follows Fair Trade principles and staunch environmental preservation.

Some of the very best eco-friendly gifts are the things people use every day. Although the thought of giving commonplace items as gifts might seem a bit dull, its the greener versions of these items that make wonderful eco-friendly gift ideas.

For example, even something as simple as a paper towel, one perfect example of a seemingly must-have, everyday item, can be upgraded to eco-warrior status.

Paper Towels

The production, distribution and disposal of paper towels has a far-reaching environmental impact that contributes to deforestation, water pollution and global warming.

Taken for granted, most consumers do not think about the environmental impacts of paper towels and have no idea that:

• 17 trees are cut down to make one ton of paper towels
• 20,000 gallons of water is polluted to create one ton of paper towels
• 3,000 tons of waste is created from paper towels every day in the US
• The average person uses 2,400 – 3,000 paper towels at work, in a given year

The worst part for me is that paper towels are used once and then thrown away!

Our culture seems to rip through paper towels as if we were trying to soak up the world with small bits of porous paper. We use paper towels to wipe down everything at home, we use them in almost every public bathroom, we bring them in the car, in our backpacks and in our pockets. Let’s face it. Paper towels are everywhere!

Finding a greener and comparable alternative to our national obsession with paper towel soaking has been a bit hard to come by ... until now.

PeopleTowels

PeopleTowels are reusable personal hand towels made from 100% organic, Fair Trade cotton. The fabric is quick drying, highly absorbent and light weight so you can take it anywhere. They are machine washable and will last a long time.

The towels are well-designed and printed with eco-friendly dyes. They even come with a small hangtag that allows you to clip the towel to your backpack, purse or belt. The on-the-go towel should accompany you throughout the day to be used for every reason you would use a paper towel.

Using a PeopleTowel instead of a paper towel empowers people to contribute toward a sustainable environment. Here’s how PeopleTowels helps you make a difference:

If one person were to use a PeopleTowel for one year, they would:

• Save a quarter of a tree
• Reduce landfill waste by 23 pounds
• Conserve 250 gallons of water

If 1 in 4 US adults switched to PeopleTowels for a year, they would:

• Save enough trees to cover the state of Alaska
• Reduce landfill waste equal to filling Fenway Park four times
• Conserve 22,000 Olympic size swimming pools of water
• Cut CO2 equal to the emissions of 815,000 cars

Start a B.Y.O.Towel™campaign and help friends, family and work colleagues get their green on by sending them a special eco-friendly gift that includes a PeopleTowel. PeopleTowels are available at Americas Best Organics’ organic gift baskets and can be shipped anywhere in the USA.

What inspired you to start your business?
I’m a vegetarian and back in 2002 I was eating a lot of nut butters for protein to supplement an active Colorado lifestyle –trail running, mtn biking, skiing, etc! Frustrated by the lack of variety when it came to nut butter I decided to start making my own. Crafting nut butters with a food processor in my kitchen for personal consumption, I realized I had an interesting idea when my roommates kept stealing all of my creations. Hence the name ‘Justin’s’ –I had to put my name on the jars so they’d stop stealing them!

What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment was the hiring of my first employee. I was kinda shocked that somebody was crazy enough to believe in my vision. Every time we hire a new person that feeling is regenerated! It’s unbelievable.

How does your business serve your local community?
I am extremely grateful to Boulder, Colorado. I was fortunate to have a great local populace that supports local/organic foods and local natural product leaders to serve as mentors and advisors. We do a lot to support our beloved Boulder by generating donation drives for our school lunch program supported by Ann Cooper and various other local charitable events, but we’ve got it pretty good here . . . Which is why most of our time, efforts and financial contributions go toward Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Did you know that of the ten lowest income counties, eight are Native American communities, and six of them are on the reservations of one single tribe: The Lakota Sioux. Number 2 on the list is Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, only it is only a half’s day drive from Boulder, CO. We support the Lakota and the Pine Ridge Community through the non-profit Conscious Alliance through food drives, hands on service and donations.

How do you want to make a difference?
I want to bring natural/organic foods to the masses and communicate that not only is eating healthy good for you, but tastes good too!

What are you reading right now?
Yikes.  I always keep a few books in rotation . . .  “Great by Choice” by Jim Collins, “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand and “Fatherhood” by  Michael Lewis.

Check Out Justin's Products. Available in organic gift baskets!

Organic foods are not only healthy and delicious, they make great gifts too. If spreading green ethos is your prerogative then eco friendly gifts made up of organic foods should be at the top of your gift-giving go-to.

•  Organic foods are well-known for their healthful benefits. Keeping toxic chemicals out of our bodies is probably the best known benefit of eating organic foods but there are many others that include higher-quality nutrition, superior taste and the reduction of health risks for people and planet alike.

• Organic foods are more nutritious in terms of vitamins and minerals compared to their conventionally produced counterparts, and contain higher levels of antioxidants, beta carotene, vitamins C, D and E, and health-promoting polyphenols and essential fatty acids and minerals.

• Pesticides used on many conventional foods are linked to cancer and many other diseases. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 60% of all herbicides (weed killers), 90% of all fungicides (mold killers), and 30% of all insecticides (insect killers) as potentially cancer causing. In addition to not using chemical pesticides, insecticides or fungicides, organic foods do not include containments such as mercury, food additives, artificial sweeteners or preservatives.

Jordan Michael Schuster is the founder of Fearless Chocolate, an Oakland based raw, organic chocolate company. The company was founded in 2006 and has quickly become the world’s largest manufacturer of raw chocolate in the world.

We asked Jordan a few questions to help us get to know him and his mission a little better.
 

What inspired you to start your business?

Fearless Chocolate was simply the natural progression for my unnatural obsession with chocolate. I came to chocolate late in life but was soon enamored with the flavors, textures, nutrition and ritual of the food. As a customer I had explored chocolate brands big and small but still found myself desiring something more specific. I wanted earthy freshness and vibrancy, a bean that naturally displayed both earthy tones and fruity notes, a bar that was crafted to preserve the integrity of the bean's immense nutrition. Before it was called Fearless Chocolate there was much exploration in the kitchen to learn and perfect the process and the simple joy of playing with the food paved a pathway to our launch.
 
What is your proudest accomplishment?

For me, it's a tremendous honor to have found a customer base that appreciates what we do and supports our growth. We have so many ideas, so many foods we hope to create. Just having the opportunity to invent foods that will be enjoyed around the world is pride-worthy; not everyone gets to make a recipe, design a package, produce it, and distribute around the country, and be enjoyed by those who appreciate the nuances of beautiful food. We are proud to be a part of that cycle. We have won awards and received letters and phone calls from our happy fans and that always helps us keep moving forward. In fact, we are always learning how to interact with our community more and more effectively and that too is immensely gratifying. More than anything, we are honored to remain in business serving a customer base we identify with and seeking new communities to serve the foods we believe in.
 
How does your business serve your local community?

In the Bay Area it is easy and fun to participate in the community. We love local companies, and being a bastion for some of the nation's best agriculture we especially love our local food companies. We are also a large community of chocolate makers which is another amazing way to connect. Aside from serving our hometown with our exquisite chocolates we seek out special events and circumstances to support. Fearless has been part of the Slow Food movement, the Occupy movement, and a supporter of numerous community projects in our hometown of Oakland. As a certified B corporation (a network of tripple bottom-line businesses) we already donate a portion of our profit to support dynamic environmental programs, however we also have created a Fearless Champion program whereby customers can suggest individuals and organizations worthy of our support. Each year Fearless chooses a handful of these customer suggested changemakers to support with chocolate and a small grant.

How do you want to make a difference?

Chocolate is not just about delicious and indulgences, it's also about the health of our environment, the state of our global economy, chocolate seems to intersect with politics on every level. As the Fearless Chocolate company we aim to be an exemplary organization when it comes to corporate sustainability. It's important we succeed and remain in business, we love what we do and we love working with each other. But Fearless is also a kind of performance art. We tried to imagine what a chocolate company would look like if it were to become the most sustainable, the most inspiring, and the most delicious and we strive every day to achieve that honor.

America’s Best Organics, a leading provider of organic and eco-friendly gift baskets, brings its newest gift collections—presented in beautifully illustrated, reusable gift boxes filled with premium organic and sustainable products from U.S.-based artisan producers and leading organic brands—and its own premium label coffee, World’s Best Organics, to Natural Products Expo West—the world’s largest natural products exhibition. Visit the company at Booth #5562.

Boulder, CO (February 23, 2012) – Boutique organic gift basket provider Best Organics Inc. is bringing its newest collection of unique gift baskets, America’s Best Organics – featuring premium organic and sustainable products from U.S.-based artisan producers and leading organic brands – to Natural Products Expo West.

“We are extremely excited to exhibit at the 2012 Natural Products Expo West and feature our distinctive, hand-packed organic “gift basket in a box” collections, and also engage with business and retail buyers about how we can customize programs to serve all their corporate and individual gifting and gift basket needs,” said Best Organics CEO Seleyn DeYarus, whose company is based in Boulder, CO.

Natural Products Expo West, held March 8-11, 2012, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA, is the world’s largest natural and organic products trade exhibition, attracting more than 60,000 visitors from over 70 countries. America’s Best Organics gift collections also will be featured as centerpieces at the annual Meet & Greet Luncheon at Expo West on March 8 to benefit the Organic Farming Research Foundation, and in the New Products Showcase.

“Also, we look forward to featuring many unique, hard-to-find organic products from our valued artisan and mission-based vendor partners that are included exclusively in our organic gift collections,” said DeYarus.  “This year our booth features several vendor partners such as Jen’s Zen, Eco-Ditty, Olomomo Nut Company, St. Claire’s Organics, Saint Francis Organics, and Sum-Bo-Shine Naturals and Organics and we’re hoping people will come by the booth to sample an assortment of premium food items and personal care products.”

The company continues to capitalize on the growing U.S. market for food and gift basket gifting. According to research firm Packaged Facts, the market for food gifting grew 9.6% from 2007 to 2009, despite the economic downturn, reaching $18 billion in 2010, with food gift basket sales accounting for $3.3 billion of that total. “It comes as no surprise that the specialty food sector is fueling growth in the food gifting market, as that coincides with continuing consumer interest in all foods organic, natural and gourmet,” said Packaged Facts in its August 2010 report, Food Gifting in the U.S., 2nd Edition.

“We are pleased to work with a dedicated group of brand partners in featuring their products and sharing their stories on our website, AmericasBestOrganics.com, and in our gift baskets,” said Best Organics CEO Seleyn DeYarus. “Health and environmentally conscious gift buyers and those who simply love good food can choose from a number of themed gift collections for men, women, families, college care and baby shower, or create their own custom gift basket.

Organic gift basket company, Best Organics offering America's Best Organics gift collections, presented its first 2012 At the Epicenter event on February 21 hosting Michael Shuman. Shuman is the director of research for Cutting Edge Capital and a fellow with Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLIE). Shuman is an economist, lawyer and author with his latest book, Local Dollars, Local Sense: How to Shift Your Money from Wall Street to Main Street, hot off the press. It explores low-cost strategies local businesses are using to secure new capital from alternative, community-oriented sources. Additionally, Shuman has recently conducted a study commissioned by Transition Colorado investigating what level of investment it would require to grow 25% of the food consumed in Boulder County. He is also working with the City of Denver on a similar study for urban food production commissioned by the mayor.

The food localization movement is a response by a growing numbers of communities to food security issues due to the growing challenges to food production worldwide due to climate change and the increasing costs of petroleum based agricultural inputs. In Boulder County, where organic gift basket company, Best Organics is based, the community is actively exploring how to increase local food production. Thanks to the leadership of Transition Colorado, there is an active effort to build greater resilience and self-reliance in Boulder County and also to be of support to communities across the nation.

Michael Shuman was interviewed by Seleyn DeYarus, CEO of Best Organics and additional content was presented by Michael Brownlee of Transition Colorado, with over 80 attendees participating in the interactive program. The event was co-presented by Transition Colorado and hosted by Sterling Rice Group, a leading advertising agency based in Boulder.

Pictured L to R: Michael Shuman, Seleyn DeYarus and Michael Brownlee

No matter what time of year it is, the best chocolate makes the perfect gift. Although opinions differ as to what constitutes the best chocolate, we at America's Best Organics believe that the best chocolate is organic chocolate!

Why Organic Foods?
Organic chocolate is the best chocolate because it includes the benefits of organic food. According to the Organic Consumers Association, organic foods are 25% more nutritious in terms of vitamins and minerals derived from industrial agriculture and contain higher levels of beta carotene, vitamins C, D and E, antioxidants (especially in organic dark chocolate!) and essential fatty acids and minerals.

The Best Chocolate
I LOVE these chocolate companies because they are US companies that focus on the wellbeing of the people who grow cocoa and the people that eat their chocolate.

Being the best isn’t just about taste, it includes company ethics because eating anything that contributes to child labor, poverty, environmental degradation and human illness, is disgusting. The following chocolate companies produce the best chocolate in terms of taste, environmentalism, fair trade practices and for the added benefits of organic food.

  Fearless Chocolate - Fearless has become the largest manufacturer of raw chocolate in the world and is unwavering in its commitment to the environment, its employees and the integrity of chocolate. As an organic raw chocolate, all Fearless chocolate bars yield as much as three times more antioxidants than conventional chocolate bars. Choose from Dark as Midnight Bar, Exploding Coconuts and Raw Organic Matcha Green Tea Peppermint.

  Life-Opening Chocolate - All Life Opening chocolate recipes feature organic raw cacao, and contain no dairy, sugar, gluten, soy or nuts. These scrumptious chocolates are formulated to increase health, happiness and wellbeing. Organic, raw cacao is rich in heart-healthy flavonoids, antioxidants and other key nutrients. Researchers also have found that dark chocolate may help in weight loss; when eaten without sugar, it diminishes one’s appetite. Try Heart Throb and the Cosmic Mint.