Juice company giving back
Anuja Nadkarni talks to a juice manufacturer with the long term in mind.
We continue our series on the UNsanctioned steps businesses are taking to meet their sustainable development goals and to reduce negative impacts on society.
The world relies greatly on agriculture as a vital economic resource and means of development, but one Kiwi business is taking steps to ensure future generations create sustainable food solutions.
Organic juice company Almighty donates a proportion of its sales to organisations geared towards raising food education and planting vegetable gardens in schools.
Almighty’s co-owner Ada´n Tijerina said food scarcity was an imminent issue, and it required businesses to do their part in exploring food solutions and preserving the quality of land.
‘‘When you’re wanting to work towards finding sustainability solutions for the future, it makes sense to work with kids,’’ Tijerina said.
A report by New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre in 2012 showed that climate change presented a direct impact on domestic agricultural production.
Tijerina said the business was not a social enterprise as it did not have a cause of its own, rather it supported not-for-profit organisations like Common Unity Project Aotearoa and Garden To Table, projects that grow food, teach skills, leadership and enterprise among children.
Almighty gives its staff a half-day every week to help out a school and community garden project. Its juice bottles are also recyclable and made out of recycled glass.
Last year, a study in the US found that kids participating in their school’s garden club achieved a 12 to 15 per cent average improvement in their maths and science test results, and had a corresponding improvement in their reading and language skills.
Tijerina said: ‘‘We’re not trying to save the world, we’re just trying to do our part.’’
He said his humble beginnings in Mexico shaped his vision to create a business with a focus on taking care of the environment and society.
‘‘My family immigrated from Mexico to the US.
‘‘Like many Mexican families, we made our living on agriculture and menial labour.
‘‘For me it’s a personal driver to find ways to have future communities to live more sustainably and reduce this need for what is still exploitative work.
‘‘Now I’ve become privileged enough to have a self-sustaining business, but along with that comes the responsibility of doing good. Not generosity but responsibility.’’
However, running a sociallyconscious business has come with its challenges, with price being a main issue.
‘‘There are some expense issues around choosing to support organics and choosing to trade with an emphasis on sustainability and fair trade,’’ Tijerina said.
‘‘It means our juice is more expensive than others but we believe people will make the right decision based on knowing what we do with the money we make.’’
In the two years it has been in business, Almighty juices has gone onto being sold in 720 outlets around the country and is looking to expand into Australia this year.
‘‘That says to us there is demand for a brand like ours and encourages us bring out more products with a similar ethos around working towards sustainability,’’ he said.
Tips for businesses to protect the land we live on
- Help grow New Zealand forests with organisations like Trees that Count.
- Encourage staff to volunteer with biodiversity initiatives.
- Recycle, to reduce the amount of unused and old household items going to landfill.
"We're not trying to save the world, we're just trying to do our part."