Babies — they’re cute and cuddly — and thanks to Plum Organics, more and more of them are eating healthy, organic foods each day. Plum Organics was founded by mom and third-generation entrepreneur Gigi Lee Chang. Chang founded Plum to create a nutritious and simple solution for busy moms and growing children. Currently, Plum produces everything from baby food all the way to snacks for toddlers.
Plum revolves around the principle that feeding your child healthy stuff from a very young age helps to develop their taste buds and an appreciation for healthy food thereby saving parents a lifetime of dinner conversations that start with “no you cant be excused until you finish your brussel sprouts.” Or worse, having mom find random vegetables in the flower pots in the dining room. Oh, wait, that was my life.
This story is a no-brainer. Just the existence of Plum Organics is making this world a better place one tiny pie hole at a time … but this company goes even further. Plum Organics is a certified B Corp and a member of NEST Collective — both of these elite groups prove the company’s dedication to the triple bottom line. Chang told Tonic how both of these organizations are keeping it real for Plum: “I personally think B Corp is a wonderful organization and their mission is much needed. Not only are they working to provide accountability for companies, but through legislation, they are making sure that the right infrastructure and visibility is given to TBL goals and values. For Plum Organics, as part of the Nest Collective, I think it will help us to continue reviewing our policy, practices and products to make sure they are aligned across the board and the efforts aren’t just focused on a single area.”
Plum Organics is available at Target, Whole Foods and Babies ‘R Us as well as other retailers nationwide. With a wide reach like this, Plum Organics is making changes in millions of kids lives and beyond. Let’s check out Plum’s TBL facts according to Chang:
People:
Workplace Dynamics: Plum Organics is part of the Nest Collective, who also has TBL mission and goals. The Nest team manages the Plum brand so I will answer your question as it relates to Nest. Everyone at Nest feels connected to what we own together-physically through equity, emotionally through our care for each other, and spiritually through our mission. For the Nest Collective, people and culture is extremely important. Every person on the team is aligned with the mission of nurturing healthy eating habits from the earliest stages to support a lifetime of healthy eating. We each connect to the mission as a collective, but also individually.
Education & Consumers: Here in New York City and across the country, we try to support local schools and other organizations with product donations and educational materials whenever possible. Education is a key part of our mission — we believe it is not just about selling product, but helping consumers make the right choices.
Planet:
The Organic Difference: As the company name states, all ingredients in the products are 100 percent organic. This is incredibly important for many reasons, here are just a few: organic produce has 2 to 3 times more vitamins and antioxidants than non-organic samples. Pesticides, hormones and antibiotics can affect a baby’s under-developed immune and digestive system and has been linked to developmental problems. Organic products avoid all of these, therefore making Plum food safer for your child.
BPA-free Packaging: Plum Organics only has BPA-free packaging made from the safest food grade materials and certified for use in infant and baby food products. BPA is a chemical resin used to make plastic containers more durable, originally the FDA approved the use of BPA in food containers but since there has been research showing the harmful effects it can have on animals. The FDA has acknowledged concerns about the potential effects of BPA on the brain and the prostate gland in fetuses, infants and young children. YIKES!
Profit:
As a privately held company in a competitive market, Plum does not share its sales figures, but they can tell us that the company is experiencing massive growth — 2009 experienced more than 3 times the sales of 2008. Plum is raking in the dough with a good conscience about the kind of foods they are putting in the mouths of babes, and they also give back. Gigi tells Tonic, “As the first baby food partner of Healthy Child Healthy World (HCHW), we have been working with them for nearly four years. Our core efforts are focused on helping HCHW to provide education and information about making healthy choices for babies, children and family. Through product donations and educational materials, and promoting HCHW as an organization in all of our own grassroots and community marketing efforts we have been able to reach about 30,000 moms and will continue to support HCHW as their program grows.”
Check out all of the Plum Organic products on their site and find out where to buy them in your own town.
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Images courtesy Plum Organics.