We’re shining our Co-op Spotlight this week on one of the most awarded specialty food companies in North America- Trois Petits Cochons! Les Trois Petits Cochons has produced award-winning, all-natural pâté and charcuterie since 1975 by crafting small, handmade batches using only the finest high-quality ingredients. Their full product line is 20% off for member-owners from December 17th – 23rd – just in time to pick up something special for your holiday feast. Read on to learn more about this company that has been producing high-quality, hand-crafted products for over 40 years!
Heritage:
Les Trois Petits Cochons first opened its doors as a small charcuterie in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1975. It has since grown to become the leader in the pâté and charcuterie industry, offering a complete line of artisanal pâtés, mousses, terrines, sausages, saucissons, smoked meats and other French specialties. Their products have garnered a long list of SOFI awards, earning great respect in the culinary world.
Mission:
Les Trois Petits Cochons is committed to continuing the tradition of making delicious, authentic and quality pâté and charcuterie for its customers. By combining time-honored recipes, choice ingredients, innovative cooking methods and strict quality control they are able to create consistent, handcrafted products. All of this, together with dedicated customer service and a passion for good food, have allowed Trois Petits Cochons to stay true to the small charcuterie where they began over 40 years ago.
Environmental Commitment:
The team at Les Trois Petits Cochons is committed to sourcing and producing the highest quality all-natural specialty food products in a responsible and sustainable manner.
They believe in:
Transparency – Customers should be able to know where their food comes from and be able to buy from companies committed to sustainable animal husbandry.
Trust & Relationships – They believe in partnering with those who can make the best product in the most responsible manner. They personally visit all of their major suppliers, the majority of whom are family farms, to make sure they are upholding the standards set by Les Trois Petits Cochons.
Local – Les Trois Petits Cochons always begins their search locally. Many of their suppliers come from within 100 miles of their production facilities, but sometimes to find that special ingredient they need to go further afield, including to France where they source many of their ingredients like wild mushrooms or espelette pepper.
The Middlebury Co-op has worked to create an inclusive, welcoming environment and foster diversity in many senses of the word. Battling economic inequality, which so plagues Vermont as a whole, has been a consistent priority for the co-op. Food For All, which covers investment costs and provides a 10% discount on all food products for those who struggle to access and afford healthy food, is one of many ways the Middlebury Co-op has made strides. The co-op also welcomes diversity in gender identity and sexuality, instituting changes such as offering preferred pronouns on each employee’s name tag.
But, despite the above, it has only been in the last year or so that the Middlebury Co-op has begun pushing for racial equity. This is through no fault of its own nor unique to the Middlebury Co-op. As an overwhelmingly white state, conversations surrounding racism and racial equity were delayed in getting deserved attention in Vermont — with co-ops being no exception. However, the current socio-political climate has made it clear that these are no longer issues to ignore.
Glenn Lower, the general manager of the Middlebury Co-op since ‘98, is committed to working toward racial equity in the food system, “access to all levels of the food system — production, processing, transportation, and retail consumers” as he defines it, no matter how uncomfortable or challenging these adjustments may be.
While the question of how to best increase racial diversity in employment and membership in a primarily white pool remains, the Middlebury Co-op has already begun planning and instituting some programs and supports it feels are strong steps in the right direction. Migrant workers, who account for a large portion of the non-white population in Vermont, is one focus. Last year, the co-op teamed up with Open Door Clinic and Addison Allies to begin exploring ways to reach migrant workers on farms who are food insecure. The Co-op traveled to several farms and enrolled a few dozen workers in their Food For All program. The Co-op, ODC, and Addison Allies are also exploring the possibility of a special order and pick-up/delivery system for traditional Latin foods, but this program has been shelved until the COVID crisis has eased.
The Middlebury Co-op is also shifting and expanding its network of food providers, looking to support more BIPOC run farms and businesses. Nonetheless, the Middlebury Co-op feels it is just getting started on this front. “We’re just starting to understand how big this issue is, and the Co-op has historically not gotten involved in political things,” says Lower. After George Floyd’s murder, the Middlebury Co-op helped raise around $25,000 for Rutland NAACP’s Juneteenth Fundraiser. The Co-op contributed matched donations up to $10,000. Moreover, annual elections provide the opportunity to elect new board members and vote on potential bylaw updates — both of which Lower sees as important routes for instituting change. The Middlebury Co-op is also encouraging its customers to get involved by providing feedback in person, via suggestion boxes, and/or over email.
Other Vermont co-ops are making a similar commitment to racial diversity and equity as well. Spearheaded by TJ Allen, who came on as general manager last September, the Rutland Co-op is working on getting involved in the Rutland and greater Vermont community. As a much smaller co-op without the same purchasing power and leverage as the Middlebury Co-op, the Rutland Co-op is focusing on providing as many affordable, local products as possible and finding diverse producers from which the co-op can sell their products. An extension of racial diversity, Rutland also works to foster economic diversity within its customer base through its bulk section offerings, the Community Covered program, which serves customers on food stamps, and its work with the Rutland Free Clinic on including people of diverse economic backgrounds.
The Rutland Co-op also utilizes partnerships, including those with the NAACP on broadcasting educational materials on racial justice and continual programming with Co-Fed, a BIPOC run organization that introduces the idea of co-ops to underserved populations. The Rutland Co-op hopes to sponsor a Zoom training on anti-racism soon, and going forward plans to support events centered on racial justice, as well as to uplift and look to BIPOC voices for guidance on this programming.
Similarly, the Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier runs a program, not unlike the Middlebury Co-op’s Food For All Program. The Hunger Mountain Co-op Cares Program encourages economic diversity in the customer population by offering a discount and assistance in paying equity for customers within a certain income bracket, a need gauged and addressed yearly through an income demographic customer survey. Additionally, the co-op has made available educational programming on racial equity, racial justice, food justice, and cultural competency for members, leadership, and staff to better understand and approach these issues.
Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, much of the co-ops’ work has ceased as a result of the pandemic. Many Vermont farms are limiting human traffic on and off the farm, thus, making the Middlebury Co-op’s catering and shuttling plans difficult to implement. Co-ops are also unable to continue the traditional in-person community outreach and education programs in the same manner. This is particularly true for those still in the fetus stages and requiring micromanagement, as is the case for many of the programs aimed at addressing racial equity and access to healthy, affordable food for all. With the new demands of the pandemic, many encounter difficulties in finding the time within business hours and financial resources for modified programming.
Racial inequity is still ever-present in the post-pandemic world, making these efforts to combat it within the food system relevant and critical moving forward.
Jenny Langerman and Charlotte Gehring are Middlebury College students
‘Tis the season for dazzling confections and we’re thrilled to shine our Member Deals Spotlight on a local family-owned bakery that brings some of the tastiest local treats to our Co-op shelves – 3 Bears Bakery! Read on to learn more about the family behind these decadently delicious artisan pastries, cakes, and shortbreads hailing from nearby Orwell, Vermont:
Established in 2008 by Andre and Claire Konstant, 3 Bears Bakery has been providing the local community with English and European baked goods for over 12 years.
Claire, having been raised in England, and Andre, having traveled extensively throughout western Europe, wanted to bring the tastes of these cultures to small-town Vermont. For 12 years they have been handcrafting artisan breads, pastries, cakes, shortbreads, and sweets for their local farmers’ market and small stores using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, but always focusing on the highest quality first.
Being a small family-owned business, their focus is truly local. You can find their treats at a short list of local co-ops and markets including our Co-op, the Rutland Co-op, the Rutland Farmer’s Market, Buxton’s General Store, and the Lake Hortonia General Store. They’ve also been known to fill the farmstand at Squier Family Farm with their treats from time to time.
We’re casting our Member Deals Spotlight on a local organic creamery that produces delicious award-winning cheeses just a few short miles from the Co-op. Champlain Valley Creamery uses traditional techniques and small-batch pasteurization to produce their cheese entirely by hand in a net-zero solar-powered facility in Middlebury. Their fantastic lineup of cheeses are all 20% off for Member-owners from December 3rd – 9th! Read on to learn more about this fabulous local creamery and the people who make it shine:
Champlain Valley Creamery was first established in 2003 by founder and owner Carleton Yoder. With a graduate degree in food science and a background in wine and hard cider making, Yoder was eager to run his own food business. With Vermont’s abundance of amazing local milk, small-scale cheesemaking just made sense. Yoder began his adventures in cheesemaking in a facility in Vergennes where he focused on two products: Organic Champlain Triple and Old Fashioned Organic Cream Cheese. Both have been awarded well-deserved honors from the prestigious American Cheese Society.
Carleton Yoder
Over the years, the creamery has continued to grow and expand its offerings, eventually moving into a net-zero solar-powered facility on Middlebury’s Exchange Street in 2012. Yoder and his small crew now produce an expanded lineup of cheeses including Queso Fresco (available in original, house-smoked, and pepper varieties), Maple Cream Cheese, a pyramid-shaped triple cream with a layer of ash known as Pyramid Scheme, and, most recently, they began importing Italian truffles to produce the Champlain Truffle Triple.
The Creamery also made a switch last year to using 100% grass-fed organic milk from the Severy Farm in Cornwall. The milk only travels a few short miles from the farm to the creamery, where the cheesemaking begins within hours of arrival. The use of grass-fed milk results in a richer, creamier cheese that displays subtle seasonal changes reflective of the changing diet of the cows as the seasons progress. It’s truly the terroir of Addison County in each decadent bite of cheese.
salting a fresh batch of Queso Fresco
Yoder is supported by a small crew that is just as dedicated to the craft as he is. They use traditional techniques and small-batch pasteurization to produce their cheeses entirely by hand. A recent visit to their facility found the crew in constant motion, measuring, stirring, monitoring temperatures, and generally putting every bit of the day’s fresh batch of milk to good use. The bulk of the cream and whole milk is used to produce the Organic Champlain Triple, Champlain Truffle Triple, and the two varieties of cream cheese. The part-skim milk is then transformed into each of the three varieties of Queso Fresco, and the whey is drained off to create hand-dipped, basket-strained ricotta that is only available to a few select restaurants in the area. The only remaining by-product is a small amount of whey, which is sent to feed the happy pigs at Hinesburg’s Full Moon Farm, resulting in an operation that is hyper-local with very minimal waste.
Amanda Warner & Carleton Yoder, with Carleton’s daughter, Lila Cook Yoder, who was helping out on a snow day
According to Yoder, “cheesemaking is hard work but we strive to let the milk, cream, culture, salt, and mold shine through with their amazing flavors.” It’s this minimalist approach and the desire to honor the high-quality local ingredients that make Champlain Valley Creamery’s cheeses shine.
Picture hanging above Yoder’s desk made by his son, Nate
There’s no doubt about it — 2020 has been an incredibly stressful year. Carving out a bit of time for self-care to combat stress may sound like common sense to some, though it’s often the first thing to get pushed to the bottom of the priority list when we find ourselves in challenging situations. But by taking some time out to engage in self-care, we may relieve some of the pressure and bring out the best version of ourselves, allowing us to rise up and meet the challenges of daily life in a pandemic. After all, we can’t pour from an empty cup!
Engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase well-being, improve energy, and more! And it doesn’t necessarily require a trip to the spa, which is good news since we are trying to stay at home as much as possible, many spa services are currently unavailable, and/or we’re trying to stick to a very tight budget. Below are a handful of DIY self-care recipes that are simple to prepare and highly customizable to our personal preferences. These also make fantastic gifts, because we all know at least one person in our lives that could use an extra serving of self-care this holiday season!
The holidays are upon us and if you’re in search of some unique, locally made, handcrafted gifts for the special people on your list, look no further than Middlebury’s own Danforth Pewter! They’re our featured Co-op Connection Business this month and we’re reminding you that Danforth offers 10% off to card-carrying Co-op member-owners! Visit their flagship store and workshop at 52 Seymour Street where you might catch a glimpse of their pewter crafters in action, thanks to the workshop viewing windows, and browse their impressive collection of handmade ornaments, gifts, and keepsakes. Read on to learn more about their rich history and their commitment to sustainability:
History:
The Danforth family has a rich history of working with pewter, dating all the way back to 1755 when Thomas Danforth II opened a pewter workshop in colonial Connecticut. Several generations of the Danforth family followed him into the pewter trade. The last of the colonial-era Danforths stopped working in pewter in 1873.
Just over 100 years later, Thomas Danforth II’s great-great-great-great-great grandson Fred Danforth, along with his wife Judi Danforth, revived the family tradition in 1975 when they opened Danforth Pewter in an old dairy barn in Woodstock, Vermont. Over the next 45 years, the company has grown to include ten retail stores, a web store, a wholesale business providing products to several hundred independent gift stores around the country, a custom design business, and a corporate gift and recognition business.
From day one, Danforth Pewter has been a family-run, family-like business with a passion for working metal by hand. Some of the pieces made by colonial and early American Danforths now live in the Smithsonian, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, the Winterthur Museum in Delaware, the DeWitt-Wallace Museum in Colonial Williamsburg, and many other historical museums.
Today, Danforth Pewter carries out Judi and Fred’s vision, staying true to the family’s original values of sustainability and authentic, handmade artistry while bringing in new talent to design and explore the versatile properties of pewter. Every item at Danforth Pewter is made in their Vermont workshop by their small team of master metalworkers, receiving personal attention as it’s shaped from raw pewter to the beautiful finished product you hold in your hands.
Judi and Fred Danforth outside of their Flagship Store and Workshop on Middlebury’s Seymour Street
Locally Made by Your Friends and Neighbors:
At Danforth Pewter, their mission is to create finely crafted heirlooms that can be used every day and enjoyed for generations. When you buy Danforth Pewter, you bring a unique piece of authentic Vermont artisanship into your life. All of their goods are handmade in Middlebury, Vermont by their team of local artisans, who cast, spin, polish, paint, and assemble raw metal to form the exquisite object you hold in your hands.
Their workers all come from the local community and are trained in-house, becoming world-class artisans who are passionate about their trade. In a time when most commercially sold metalwork is machine-made in a factory, Danforth Pewter stands as one of the few uniquely personal, human-centered businesses, where working metal is an art, and their pride is in their handiwork.
Danforth Pewter’s Flagship Store and Workshop on Middlebury’s Seymour Street
Commitment to Sustainability:
Several years ago, Danforth Pewter took their first big step toward zero emissions by building a solar farm on land owned by one of their employees. The solar farm produces more electricity than they use, which means there’s extra clean power for their friends at Gardener’s Supply to use. This also means when customers charge their cars at their charging station at the Flagship Store on Middlebury’s Seymour Street, they’re getting zero-emissions transportation powered by zero-emissions electricity. Plus, recharging comes with a prime parking spot!
Danforth Pewter’s 12-panel solar array near Snake Mountain
Want to learn more about how Danforth Pewter is made? Check out this amazing video!
Get ready to start your new year right! All December, stock up on essentials from our Supplements Department. The more you buy, the more you save!
– Spend $50 on supplements, get 5% off your supplements purchase
– Spend $100 on supplements, get 10% off your supplements purchase
– Spend $150 on supplements, get 15% off your supplements purchase
And guess what? If you normally receive a discount at the Co-op (Senior, Food For All, etc.), these will still apply. The promotional discount will be applied after all other discounts.
What’s more? All other promotional prices will still be recognized before the sales discounts are applied.
As we approach the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, we are reminded of connection to the seasons, to change, to death and rebirth, to darkness and light. The more I pay attention to the seasons, the more rooted I have become. The more I have embraced the seasonal darkness, the more I have welcomed the inner darkness. Solstice is a journey from the outer world to the inner world, and then after a season of darkness, we can transition outward and toward the light. What we learn internally can help us reflect on the work that is being asked to be done as a community and a country.
In the darkness, we are confronted with our fears. In confronting our fears, we learn and can be liberated, we can be reborn. Anyone who does Jungian shadow work is familiar with this. In the “Power of Vulnerability” a talk by Brene Brown, she says that we have to sit with fear as if it were a professor and learn from it. Buddhist philosophy asks us to invite it for tea. Many would agree that this past year with a pandemic and a divisive political climate has been quite dark. Many would also agree we have grown in this darkness. A seed needs darkness to sprout. A perennial needs winter to rest so it can return in the spring.
Having grown up in northern California, I considered myself a light seeker. Moving to Vermont almost a decade ago confronted me with seasons, winter, and darkness. In my first very hard winters here, an older fellow Californian told me it would take me seven winters. That felt long but oddly it was true! I remember reading somewhere that our body fully regenerates every seven years. Seven has always been a powerful number to me, as it is for many. I hadn’t understood my seventh-generation Vermonter husband’s love of winter and the seasonal shifts. They always felt hard for me. Yet somehow in my seventh winter, something clicked. It was a curious journey with a lot of exploration and support, but I got there. I discovered ways to enjoy winter, like a massive tea collection and the ritual of lighting our wood stove. I found hot baths with oil soothing. I also learned mindfulness practices and lots of vitamins that support seasonal affective disorder. I found ways to acknowledge depression and learn from it through therapy. As I cultivated wellness within, I found more energy to cultivate wellness in my family and in my community. Seasonal death guided me to internal death and rebirth.
My work at the college focuses on developing sustainability programs and cultivating wellbeing in people, places, and the planet. I think about sustainability as an interconnected system where everything and everyone matters. I heard a lecture once where a man said that wellness is at the core of social justice work. The field of sustainability used to only be focused on the environment. My work in particular is interested in the sustainability of self. How do we cultivate wellbeing within, mind, body, soul? How do we hold space for people to do that work? As a college student at Middlebury College, I wanted to “save the world”. As I got older I realized I had to save myself to save the world. So that has become my daily practice. How do I live in alignment with my soul? After that, I ask how am I living in alignment with my husband, my children, my community/my earth. It’s all a ripple effect and if I’m not okay, the rest cannot be okay. We are an undeniably interconnected system. I clearly acknowledge the privilege that comes with this. Therefore, I also continuously ask how do we create more access and more inclusion?
On this cold dark November morning, as I write about the continued darkness and the coming light, I wonder what my future self would say to me. What will life look like in 7 years? Will our country come together? Will we grow with the seasons changing? I believe that we are learning from our collective darkness. Our country is doing its shadow work. We are addressing the injustices that this country was built on. We are going through deaths and rebirths. As a Coop and board that is actively doing anti-racism work, I believe that we are working toward a more just society. It’s messy, and we will make mistakes, but we will keep doing the work. The new era is just beginning, and many folks are waking up and remembering we are stronger together. Seeds of justice and hope are being planted and cultivated in the darkness. For someone who used to fear the darkness, I now say please come in for tea and let me listen and learn.
Sophie Esser Calvi is a Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op Board Member
We’re casting our Member Deals Spotlight on a local organic creamery that produces delicious award-winning cheeses just a few short miles from the Co-op. Champlain Valley Creamery uses traditional techniques and small-batch pasteurization to produce their cheese entirely by hand in a net-zero solar-powered facility in Middlebury. Their fantastic lineup of cheeses are all 20% off for Member-owners from December 3rd – 9th! Read on to learn more about this fabulous local creamery and the people who make it shine:
Champlain Valley Creamery was first established in 2003 by founder and owner Carleton Yoder. With a graduate degree in food science and a background in wine and hard cider making, Yoder was eager to run his own food business. With Vermont’s abundance of amazing local milk, small-scale cheesemaking just made sense. Yoder began his adventures in cheesemaking in a facility in Vergennes where he focused on two products: Organic Champlain Triple and Old Fashioned Organic Cream Cheese. Both have been awarded well-deserved honors from the prestigious American Cheese Society.
Carleton Yoder
Over the years, the creamery has continued to grow and expand its offerings, eventually moving into a net-zero solar-powered facility on Middlebury’s Exchange Street in 2012. Yoder and his small crew now produce an expanded lineup of cheeses including Queso Fresco (available in original, house-smoked, and pepper varieties), Maple Cream Cheese, a pyramid-shaped triple cream with a layer of ash known as Pyramid Scheme, and, most recently, they began importing Italian truffles to produce the Champlain Truffle Triple.
The Creamery also made a switch last year to using 100% grass-fed organic milk from the Severy Farm in Cornwall. The milk only travels a few short miles from the farm to the creamery, where the cheesemaking begins within hours of arrival. The use of grass-fed milk results in a richer, creamier cheese that displays subtle seasonal changes reflective of the changing diet of the cows as the seasons progress. It’s truly the terroir of Addison County in each decadent bite of cheese.
salting a fresh batch of Queso Fresco
Yoder is supported by a small crew that is just as dedicated to the craft as he is. They use traditional techniques and small-batch pasteurization to produce their cheeses entirely by hand. A recent visit to their facility found the crew in constant motion, measuring, stirring, monitoring temperatures, and generally putting every bit of the day’s fresh batch of milk to good use. The bulk of the cream and whole milk is used to produce the Organic Champlain Triple, Champlain Truffle Triple, and the two varieties of cream cheese. The part-skim milk is then transformed into each of the three varieties of Queso Fresco, and the whey is drained off to create hand-dipped, basket-strained ricotta that is only available to a few select restaurants in the area. The only remaining by-product is a small amount of whey, which is sent to feed the happy pigs at Hinesburg’s Full Moon Farm, resulting in an operation that is hyper-local with very minimal waste.
Amanda Warner & Carleton Yoder, with Carleton’s daughter, Lila Cook Yoder, who was helping out on a snow day
According to Yoder, “cheesemaking is hard work but we strive to let the milk, cream, culture, salt, and mold shine through with their amazing flavors.” It’s this minimalist approach and the desire to honor the high-quality local ingredients that make Champlain Valley Creamery’s cheeses shine.
Picture hanging above Yoder’s desk made by his son, Nate
Our Co-op Spotlight is shining brightly on Badger this week. This small, family-owned, family-run, and family-friendly company nestled in the woods of Gilsum, New Hampshire is beyond worthy of the spotlight. They help define what it means to be a socially accountable, environmentally responsible, people-first kind of business. They are featured in our Member Deals Spotlight this week, so all of their fabulous body care products are 20% off for member-owners from November 26th – December 2nd! We happen to think they make great stocking stuffers! Read on to learn about the ideals, principles, and practices that make their company worthy of such high praise:
Badger was born in 1995 when founder Bill Whyte was working as a carpenter in the cold New Hampshire winters and created an amazing balm that helped soothe and heal his cracked hands. Badger Bill ran the company (as CEO) along with his wife Katie Schwerin (as COO) and their two daughters Rebecca Hamilton and Emily Schwerin-Whyte and it grew to over 100 products and over 90 employees. In 2018 Bill passed the leadership of the company on to Rebecca and Emily making them both CEOs or Collaborative Executive Officers. Click HERE to read more about Badger’s amazing history.
Badger Bill and family
Quality Ingredients and Standards
Badger selects ingredients with great care, using only those that fit their rigorous natural standards for healthy agriculture, minimal processing, sustainable supply chain, and health-giving properties. Every ingredient they use is grown and processed with the highest degree of respect for protecting the environment, the workers, and the natural properties of the plants. Nearly all of Badger’s products are made from 100% USDA Certified Organic food-grade ingredients and they utilize as many fair trade certified ingredients as possible. You can view their impressive growing and processing standards on their web page.
Team of Friendly Badgers
B Corp Status
Badger became a B Corporation in 2011 to help assess and improve their business practices and ensure that they’re always doing what’s right for people and the planet. In June of 2018, Badger was named ‘Best For the World’ and ‘Best for the Environment’ by the folks at B Corp, recognizing their efforts to create a positive impact for workers, the environment, and the community. At the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid, Badger joined a group of over 500 other B corporations in committing to Net Zero by 2030. That means reaching a perfect equilibrium with the earth—drawing all of their energy from renewable sources, and releasing zero carbon into the atmosphere.
Badger Facility & Ecology Center Gardens
Going Solar
This past September, Badger was so excited to officially unveil their 1,384-unit, 486.7-kilowatt array of solar panels! Mounted on their grounds and stretching across their rooftops, the panels produce enough clean solar energy to power all of their operations—and even send extra electricity back to the grid. These panels will eliminate about 636,000 pounds of carbon pollution every year!
New Solar Panels Powering the Badger Campus in Gilsum, NH
Family-Focused Employee Programs
Badger was awarded the Connect 2016 Philosophy Award for its accommodating employee benefits and exemplary work environment. Creating a family-friendly workplace is a high priority at Badger. They aim to be supportive of new parents in their extended work family while considering the well-being of all employees and productivity in the workplace. They offer extended parental leave and a Babies At Work program, which brings together a policy that is best for baby, parent, and business. This policy allows the parent to bring the child to the workplace until it begins crawling, at which time it graduates to Badger’s Calendula Garden Childcare Center. The Center is located just a quarter-mile from the Badger campus and offers high-quality, subsidized childcare for children of their employees. Badger, in a sense, creates its own “village” to support both parent and child!
Calendula Garden Child Care Center
Another exemplary aspect of employee care is their free lunch program. This is a daily organic lunch served during a paid 30-minute break. Every day their fabulous cooks prepare a free, home-cooked lunch for all of the Badgers made from 100% organic and mostly local foods. During the summer months, much of the produce comes right from their Badger Ecology Center regenerative vegetable garden! Read more about Badger’s impressive employee benefits here.
Free Organic Lunch For Badger Staff
Product Certifications
Badger believes that third-party certifications take the guesswork out of claims made on cosmetics and personal care items. This means that they adhere to the standards and guidelines of any third party agency certifying their products. Their products are certified organic by both the USDA and the NSF, many of the ingredients are Fair Trade certified, and all products are certified gluten-free and certified cruelty-free. Recently, their full line of mineral sunscreens was among the first to bear a new Protect Land + Sea Certification, a seal verifying that a product does not contain any ingredients or contaminants considered harmful to coral reef environments, sea turtles, and other aquatic life.
