B Corp Spotlight: Purely Elizabeth
We connected with our inspiring friends at Purely Elizabeth to talk responsible business, natural foods, and healthy living. Here’s what they had to say.
KK: What are some fun love stories your customers have shared about their experiences with Purely Elizabeth products?
PE: Our fans are pretty crazy about our products! We just heard from a girl who wanted our new Grain-Free line so badly that she traveled from Canada to New York to find it. She went to four different stores to stock up on her favorite flavors! We are lucky to have incredibly passionate and dedicated fans. We have somewhat of a cult following who eat our products every day and post their fun creations to Instagram.
KK: What does being a B Corp mean to Purely Elizabeth and what has been the biggest advantage of being a B Corp?
PE: We are honored to have joined such admirable companies like Patagonia, Ben & Jerrys and Klean Kanteen who use business as a force for good! By volunteering to meet higher standards of transparency, accountability, and performance we agreed to adhere to a triple bottom line of caring for our community, our workers and our environment. We believe that surrounding ourselves with like-minded companies that are passionate about solving social and environmental problems will help us grow while allowing us to stay true to our core values.
KK: Who are Purely Elizabeth's biggest inspirations in the natural foods world?
PE: One of our biggest inspirations (who also happens to be a good friend of ours) is the creator of the most delicious nut butter on the market: NuttZo. Founder, Danielle started experimenting with a nutrient-dense nut butter concoction to feed her 2 adopted sons from Ukraine who were severely nutrient deficient. The result was a blend of 7 healthy, organic nuts and seeds that tastes out of this world. To continue helping orphaned children around the world, NuttZo donates sales from each jar to help support Project Left Behind.
KK: What are some of the easiest actions ordinary people can take to live a healthier and happier existence?
PE: At Purely Elizabeth, our mantra is “Eat Purely. Live Purely”. After all, you are what you eat! Be mindful of what you are putting into your body because when you eat better you feel better. If you’re eating processed foods and excess sugar, chances are you won’t feel so hot. Switching to a whole foods-based diet and loading up on veggies can increase energy, vitality, and happiness. We are also firm believers in exercising every day. It clears the mind, relieves stress and keeps us healthy and fit. The key is finding an activity that you love to do and isn’t a chore! Whether it’s yoga, hiking, biking, climbing — find exercises you enjoy and incorporate them into your weekly schedule. Even just getting up and walking throughout the day makes a difference! Being sedentary can cause a whole host of serious health problems.
KK: What are three books you think every conscious consumer should read?
PE:
1)The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Campbell II, MD: Learn about the benefits of a plant-based diet. You won’t regret it!
2) Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie. Written by the founder of TOMS shoes, this is an inspirational book that proves you can create a successful business with giving back at the core of it.
3) Brain Maker by David Perlmutter, MD. Perlmutter draws the vital connection between the health of your gut and the health of your brain. The book reveals the relationship between your microbiome and brain-related conditions like autism or dementia and what we can do to prevent it.
KK: What else do you want to tell us?
PE: We don't think enough people know about our coconut sugar and how hard we work to make sure it’s sustainably harvested! We use it as a sweetener in our granola instead of refined sugar. Coconut sugar is nutrient-rich, low-glycemic sweetener with a delicious caramel flavor. Our coconut sugar is harvested from native Indonesian palm tree populations (not slashed and burned forests where palm trees have been planted for industry). Local farmers climb the palm trees and collect the sap by hand, leaving the tree intact and allowing it to continue living and producing more flowers and more sap for future harvesting. The sap is then boiled-down and cleaned to yield the coconut palm sugar used in our granola. Additionally, our primary supplier of coconut sugar gives back a portion of their earnings to the local farming population in the form of schools and village infrastructure (clean water, sanitation, etc.).
A huge THANK YOU to the folks at Purely Elizabeth for taking the time to chat with us!
