How Tribe 9 Foods Lives Its Mission
Largest B Corp in Wisconsin Uses Business as a Force for Good
In 2017, with the dedication and commitment of five entrepreneurs, Tribe 9 Foods was founded in Madison, Wisconsin, when three fast-growing companies merged. RP’s Pasta, Yumbutter, and Ona came together to combine their unique and diverse skills, with the fundamental belief they could make great products and make the world better. A new, innovative specialty food manufacturing company was born with the intention to use business as a force for good.
The path forward was clear:
- Create more nutritious products.
- Provide more great jobs for employees.
- Contribute more to our communities.
- Demonstrate how to be a responsible and sustainable manufacturer.
Establishing the Mission
From day one, Tribe 9 Foods’ mission has been to improve lives through food. The company became a Certified B Corporation in 2018, shortly after the company’s inception. Today, it is the largest B Corp in the state of Wisconsin.
“Right from the beginning, our team was tasked with building a company that would have an unparalleled positive impact,” says Gregg Gillman, Tribe 9’s Director of Finance. “While many companies our size and age are solely focused on funding products and profit, it’s part of our DNA to consider the world, the community, and the people around us.”
Tribe 9’s Senior Director of Marketing, Andy Allcock, was drawn to the company because of its B Corp status, like so many other of its employees.
“Being part of a B Corp means I can be proud of where I work, what we’re doing, and the lasting impact of Tribe 9 Foods,” Allcock says. “I’m motivated knowing that the efforts of my team to tell more people about the wonderful products we make allows us to not only grow sales, but to expand the positive impact we have on the world.”
Empowering Employees
To improve lives through food, Tribe 9 ensures, first and foremost, that it improves the lives of the people who make its business possible. Any sustainable business requires a strong workforce made up of passionate people doing meaningful work.
When asked which B Corp values were most important to him, Will Ciurzcak, vice president of operations, didn’t hesitate with his answer: “As a manager of people and departments, I value the fact that B Corps take the time to understand the biggest asset in any business is the people. It’s important to me that everyone here can view their job as a career and have a path to advancement if they want it.”
Tribe 9 Foods supports its employees in a multitude of ways. All full-time employees are paid above the living wage, receive annual bonuses, have access to health, dental, and life insurance, have access to $50 a month to put toward health and wellness activities, and receive 20 hours of paid volunteering time.
As a young company, Tribe 9 realizes it still has plenty of space to improve and grow, which is why it sets annual goals to expand its impact. In 2021, the company’s goal is to implement new core training modules to help employees gain valuable education and skills relevant to their career and personal growth. Training modules will include job-specific skill development, personal development, diversity, equity, and inclusion training, leadership development, education on B Corp values, and more.
Protecting the Planet
Tribe 9 integrates environmental considerations into the design process of its operations and products — all in an effort to create a more sustainable world.
For instance, prioritizing high-quality, non-GMO certified and Certified Organic ingredients, using lightweight packaging, and limiting food waste by improving manufacturing practices and donating short-dated products to local food banks helps reduce its carbon footprint, while maintaining shelf stability.
Also, the Tribe 9 team works with OSC Packaging Collaborative to find more sustainable flexible-packaging options. The collaborative uses open-source work and transparency to find highly functioning and compostable solutions for heat-sealable/flexible overwrap and pouch applications.
And, perhaps most notable, Tribe 9 Foods will increase its energy use from 75% renewable in 2020 to 100% renewable in 2021, thanks to its support of O’Brien Solar Fields project in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. Tribe 9 will purchase 0.25 megawatts of locally generated, carbon-free energy from O’Brien Solar Fields through a Renewable Energy Rider agreement with Madison Gas and Electric (MGE). The Renewable Energy Rider program provides MGE and large electric customers, such as Tribe 9 Foods, with the ability to work together to tailor a renewable energy solution.
Driving the Community Forward
Tribe 9 recognizes its mission reaches far beyond the walls of the manufacturing facility. Building strong relationships and fostering resilient communities is essential to achieving Tribe 9’s mission to improve lives through food.
“The issues of social and racial inequality, climate change, and stress and chronic disease are deep-rooted, systematic problems in our society,” says Nolan Billstrom, Tribe 9’s B Team Lead. “Solving these challenges requires radical collaboration — no individual, business, or government can solve these issues alone.”
That’s why Tribe 9 partners with organizations like Sustain Dane, One Step Closer, and B Local Wisconsin to advance sustainability efforts within local communities and food systems. Additionally, Tribe 9 provides regular support for local organizations, including Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, and REAP Food Group. The company has provided over 45,000 meals to those organizations in 2020 through product donations, fiscal donations, and volunteer time. Tribe 9 is set to extend this impact in 2021 by providing 50,000 meals to local families.
“Here in Madison, we donate food regularly, we donate dollars regularly, and we also donate a lot of time to these organizations,” says Brian Durst, Tribe 9’s CEO. “It’s pervasive at Tribe 9 Foods to see how we can expand our impact.”
Additionally, the company has partnered with Primeros Pasos — an independent nonprofit organization that improves the quality of life of rural communities in Guatemala. Over the past five years, Primeros Pasos and Tribe 9 have worked together to help more than 900 children facing nutritional challenges as well as pregnant women and mothers.
Looking Forward, Changing the World
Looking ahead, Tribe 9 is excited to go through the B Corp recertification process in August 2021. In the summer of 2020, a formal “B Team” was created— consisting of seven passionate employees from different business units, including the CEO — that meets on a monthly basis to advance the company’s B Corp efforts.
The purpose of this team is to identify areas where sustainability efforts need improvement and to create solutions. They’ll work to continue to align Tribe 9’s operations with B Corp values and improve the lives of stakeholders. Tribe 9 encourages all companies to consider becoming a B Corp to use business as a force for good.
B The Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
