Partners

At Essential Living Foods we are very clear that we don’t and cannot exist in a vacuum. We are part of a broad and rich business ecology, full of interconnectivity between us and so many other people and organizations who are critical to our success. On this page, we want to make you aware of just some of these fine partners of ours, as perhaps your own web of professional connections could be enriched by getting to know them.

Amazon Watch

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amazon-watch Essential Living Foods is proud to partner with Amazon Watch on our Wild Jungle Peanut project. With their help, we are setting up a sustainable, ecology and lifestyle preserving agriculture project with the Achuar people of the Amazon river basins near the border of Peru and Ecuador. This project will allow the Achuar to earn a fair income while preserving their traditional way of life and protecting Mother Earth. For too long the Achuar lands have been misused by big oil companies, polluted and the abandoned. We are thrilled to be able to bring business opportunities to the Achuar on their terms.

Amazon Watch works to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. We partner with indigenous and environmental organizations in campaigns for human rights, corporate accountability and the preservation of the Amazon's ecological systems. Our Vision We envision a world that honors and values cultural and biological diversity and the critical contribution of tropical rainforests to our planet's life support systems. We believe that indigenous self-determination is paramount, and see that indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practices contribute greatly to sustainable and equitable stewardship of the Earth. We strive for a world in which governments, corporations and civil society respect the collective rights of indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed consent over any activity affecting their territories and resources. We commit, in the spirit of partnership and mutual respect, to support our indigenous allies in their efforts to protect life, land, and culture in accordance with their aspirations and needs.
Some of Amazon Watch's programs include:

Amazon Communications Team. Equipping Amazonian indigenous groups with media skills and communications tools in order to increase their capacity to defend their lands from destructive mega-projects.
Monitoring Mega-Projects. Documenting and disseminating information on the social and environmental impacts of proposed mega-projects in the Amazon basin.
Supporting Rainforest Peoples. Mobilizing technical, financial, legal and public relations support for indigenous organizations fighting destructive mega-projects.

Amazon Watch is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit organization.

B Labs and their Certified B Corporation program

b-labs B Labs is working hard to spread the kind of conscious business practices that Essential Living Foods embodies, strives for and supports. They have set up a certification process that allows innovative companies such as Essential Living Foods to be recognized for the commitment we have to using business to serve the greater good. We’re proud to be a founding B Corporation, and we encourage you to find and patronize other B Corporations!

Here is B Labs declaration of interdependence:
We envision a new sector of the economy which harnesses the power of private enterprise to create public benefit. This sector is comprised of a new type of corporation, the B Corporation, which is purpose-driven and creates benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders. As members of this emerging sector and as entrepreneurs and investors in B Corporations, we hold these truths to be self-evident:

That we must be the change we seek in the world.
That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.
That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.

RSF Social Finance

More and more money is exploring the border between capitalism and philanthropy – from the Gates Foundation using its scale and leverage to force business-like accountability on not for profit endeavors, to venture capital funds (such as Good Capital) that seek a social return as well as a financial one. One of the innovators in this important social entreprenurship space is RSF Social Finance.

RSF Social Finance provides socially responsible investors, donors, for-benefit organizations, and social enterprises innovative investing, lending, and philanthropic services to promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability. With RSF Social Finance, your investment, gift, or loan is leveraged to impact a broad spectrum of issues and to support projects that ensure a better future. They partner with investors, donors, and social enterprises to realize financial transactions that enliven consciousness and enhance quality of life. With their clients, they cultivate environmental, social and financial sustainability, and provide access to capital for organizations committed to fair practices and improving economic conditions.

Essential Living Foods is glad to have RSF Social Finance as one of its lenders.

Root Capital

Another financial partner of ours that we’re proud of and glad to be connected to is Root Capital. Root Capital is a nonprofit social investment fund that is pioneering finance for grassroots businesses in the developing world. They work with artisan and farmer associations that build sustainable livelihoods and transform rural economies in poor, environmentally vulnerable places.

We at Essential Living Foods work directly with Root Capital on some projects, and we introduce our farmer partners to them as well. Root Capital understands the unique business elements of rural agriculture, and their non-profit structure allows them to help support the growers in a sustainable business model. Their tight alignment with our own business philosophy makes Root Capital a valuable partner in our global work.

Exemplar Law

There are many law firms out there to choose from, and Essential Livings Foods is glad to have found a firm that specializes in green, sustainable, conscious companies. Exemplar Law provides top-notch council, an innovative fixed price fee structure, and connections to other businesses that share our business philosophies.

Whole Foods

Whole Foods is the giant retailer in the natural and organic foods space, and we’re thankful for their support as a loyal customer of Essential Living Foods’ fine products. Their Whole Trade program is a great step towards supporting the kids of sustainable business practices that Essential Living Foods pioneered and continues to practice.

Inspire Commerce

inspire commerce We are glad to have found another B Corporation to work with for our credit card processing. They are a "For Benefit" company, aiming to not only benefit their stockholders and clients, but also the greater community they live in. They were the first merchant services company in the world to offer the, "For Benefit Merchant Program," which not only guarantees reduced fees for their partner companies, but also donates a minimum of 10% of their revenue stream to the non-profit of choice of their merchants. They believe that it is the responsibility of business to lead the push for healthy global change.

José, Our Olive Farmer

Essential Living Foods has been doing business with José for six years. He planted his olive trees 19 years ago, and before he came, his farmland was an entirely barren desert. José has planted over 5,000 olive trees and over 500 varieties of other trees, which has provided a high level of biodiversity to the area. From nothing but snakes and rats when they started, the agriculture he's started from stratch has allowed all manner of birds and insects to find a home. He has significantly improved the environment and the ecological system by building this olive farm, and his 100% organic and sustainable practices are a model for other farmers.

The local community around this farm was severely impoverished before the olive farm was started. At its beginning, José employed 7 people and now employs up to 80 people from the local community during harvest and at least 25 people on an annual basis. José was also the first major employer in the area. Beyond this critical service of decent jobs, each year José donates olives and fruit for needy families in the local community.

One of José's passions is teaching, training, and mentoring. He has personally trained and promoted 6 processing and farm managers over the years – local men who started out without much marketable skill - who have gone on to higher paying jobs with other companies because of their training on our olive farm. Instead of begrudging the fact that he had to train them and then they leave, José instead is proud of the men he trained and continues to promote from within and prepare his top people for bigger and better opportunities than they could ever have had before. Obviously, these trained workers enhance the local community with their knowledge and incomes.

Due to his great success in sustainable, organic growing, José has been asked by the Ministry of Agriculture of Peru to provide organic farming training sessions on his farm. He has also traveled to different towns to provide this presentation. He has taught a course on organic agriculture at the Monterico College in Lima for 3 years, and within that time he has transformed the program from conventional agriculture methodologies to organic methodology practices. Through these training sessions he combines his innovative organic agriculture knowledge and his love of teaching to help spread the word about the plethora of benefits that organic farming provides - to the farmers with healthier work environments and higher prices for their goods, and to the environment with the natural fertilizers and lack of harmful chemicals.