Special things are brewing in Canteen’s coffee world. We work hard to make the most of the coffee services we offer. After all, a great cup of coffee isn’t just a means to an end; it can transform your workday. Coffee boosts your mood and energy levels. Plus, it leaves you with a robust, bold taste you can savor with every sip. Just that first gulp of Monday morning coffee can change your mindset and help you start the week right.

We’ve recently partnered with a Texas-based coffee roaster, Parks Coffee. Parks Coffee is a trusted source for great-tasting coffee. And Parks workers deliver it with even better service. With unique products and a commitment to customer service, Parks Coffee is a cut above the rest.

In this blog, we’ll deep dive into who Parks Coffee is and how its coffee services can better your workplace.

Who is Parks Coffee?

Since 1986, Parks Coffee has delivered delicious coffee across the southwestern United States. Parks now has about 15,000 corporate accounts. It guarantees a first-rate coffee experience for its clients.

Commitment to Excellence

A passion for great coffee has fueled this company for over 30 years.

Parks sources its beans directly from families and farmers across the coffee-growing region. From Honduras to Guatemala, from Hawaii to Nicaragua. It imports over three tons of green coffee beans and roast them fresh daily at its roastery in Carrollton, Texas. Parks workers deliver these beans directly to your breakroom as quickly as possible to give you the freshest coffee beans.

Growth

Starting from humble beginnings, Parks served its local community with small deliveries. It has since expanded to a national coffee roaster and service provider, serving cities in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, California, and more.

It even has a café location in Carrollton, Texas open for dine in, take out, and mobile ordering. Patrons can even stop by and tour the roastery.

Values

Service

When someone thinks of Parks Coffee, they think of award-winning service. And Parks doesn’t just talk the talk; they also walk the walk! Over the years, Parks Coffee has received numerous awards. This includes the National Automatic Merchandising Association’s (NAMA) Coffee Service of the Year Award, the Avanti Markets Operator of the Year, and the FLAVIA Outstanding Distributor Award.

The Parks Promise guarantees that Parks will deliver excellent service with every cup. No matter the size of your organization, it’s here to serve you. Your employees matter most. And the breakroom is where they can refresh throughout the day. Parks takes that seriously. You can taste the Parks freshness. And the Parks Coffee service is even better.

Charity

Parks Coffee believes in giving back. Annually, Parks supports the community by volunteering and raising funds alongside an organization. This organization provides emergency support, food, care, education, counseling, and medical aid.

Sustainability

Another “S” word that’s important to the Parks team is sustainability. Parks Coffee is constantly looking for ways to optimize their production and maximize efficiency. Parks makes its packaging from recycled materials.

The company also works directly with farmers to source their coffee. These farmers prioritize ethical growing practices. Parks contributes to a greener future for coffee production, distribution, and consumption.

What Does Parks Coffee Offer?

So you might be asking yourself, “Why should I have Parks Coffee in my workplace? What does it have to offer?” If you need great coffee, the Parks Coffee team might be a good fit for your worksite. Its top-of-the-line coffee services can make a difference. And that difference could be in your office, breakroom, boardroom, or coffee bar.

Product Offerings

As you might expect, Parks Coffee has… Well, coffee! Parks provides the beans and blends to keep your workplace well-caffeinated. As we mentioned, Parks coffee is fresh as can be. Parks workers roast the coffee daily and deliver it directly to the client.

Additionally, there’s something for everyone. Parks has over 20 of their own house-roasted coffee flavors. Parks workers provide a full array of gourmet blends made with 100% arabica beans. They steep their cold brew coffee in distilled room temperature water. This creates the freshest taste and well-rounded flavor with a refreshing chill.

Parks Coffee and Canteen

We don’t want to toot our own horn too much, but we think Parks Coffee and Canteen is a match made in heaven. We are two companies that are experts in breakroom experience, elevating your employees’ everyday moments.

Parks and Canteen are both companies that want to work with you, not against you. We tailor our customizable options to your business. And we serve workplaces of all sizes!

Parks Coffee also folds into Canteen’s national service model. Our companies create an unparalleled customer experience. We designed our service models to maximize convenience and efficiency. As the customer, you don’t need to worry about a thing!

We can’t wait to see what this partnership has in store for our clients. With an expansive collection of artisan coffees roasted fresh daily, Parks Coffee can transform your breakroom.

At Canteen, we believe great coffee can spark great moments. Our new partnership with Parks Coffee is all about delivering just that. Parks Coffee is the perfect addition to our lineup of premium breakroom offerings. Parks’ values— dedication to quality, craft roasting, and exceptional service— align with ours. Looking to energize your team, impress clients, or bring more joy to the daily grind? This collaboration ensures your coffee experience is anything but ordinary. Ready to bring Parks Coffee to your breakroom? Let’s brew something great together!

Ready to refresh your breakroom with premium coffee? Reach out today to get started.

The post Meet Parks Coffee: Canteen’s New Coffee Partner first appeared on Canteen.

At Me & the Bees Lemonade, business is naturally sweet thanks to one of their primary ingredients: honey.

When she was four years old, two bee stings changed Mikaila Fulmer’s life forever. She learned more about the importance of the little creatures and their impact on the world around us.

With the creation of her honey-sweetened lemonade, Mikaila sought to not only create a delicious drink but also save the bees! What started as a simple lemonade stand has bloomed into a beautiful business focused on giving back to the community and the planet. We sat down with Mikaila Ulmer to tell you more about this amazing brand that has everyone buzzing.

Me & the Bees has an awesome background and story we’d love to hear about. Can you give us a quick introduction to who you are and what your brand stands for?

Me & the Bees Lemonade is an all-natural, honey-sweetened lemonade offered in five fun and functional flavors. It is a fresh twist on a classic beverage that provides consumers with a refreshing way to stay hydrated, with about 120 calories per bottle. Made with premium ingredients, including flaxseed, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, our drinks contain no high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, or additives.

I founded the company when I was just four years old after being stung by two bees in one week. My parents encouraged me to learn about bees instead of being scared of them, and in doing so, I learned they needed help. This prompted me to start a lemonade stand in my front yard in Austin, Texas, using my Great Granny Helen’s flaxseed lemonade recipe and dedicating a portion of her sales to help save the bees. That mission is still at the forefront of her purpose-based brand today, 14 years later, with our shelf-stable bottled lemonades that are now available nationwide.

All of this started with an old recipe from Great Granny Helen. What does it mean to have a family recipe involved in this business? Does that influence how the company operates?

It’s the bedrock of our business. We’ve been a family-run operation from the start, with my mom as Chief Marketing Bee, my dad as Chief Worker Bee (COO), my little brother as Head of Photograbee, and my older brother as Head Tech Bee. We have been able to operate with a lean staff thanks to our family coming together to put our individual talents to good use, but we’ve also added more talent to our hive as we’ve scaled, and those team members also really embrace the social entrepreneur mindset.

Based on the website and photos the company has shared, it seems like it’s an all-hands-on-deck operation! How does having the whole Ulmer family involved impact the business?

As a social entrepreneur, I believe it’s important to embrace a growth mindset, and that comes from our family values. Having us all involved allows us to keep growing, keep evolving, and keep learning. And when I’m stuck on an idea or need help, I know there’s always help back at the hive.

What does being a Black-owned and woman-owned business mean to you?

As we continue to expand and grow as a Black-owned, minority-certified business, it’s an honor to be among the amazing women and black-owned businesses in this country.

Given the number of black businesses in the U.S. and the obstacles we face, it’s a privilege to be one that keeps growing. After nearly 14 years in business, we truly value the support of those who rally behind us as we continue our quest to become America’s number-one lemonade brand.

Where is Me & the Bees Lemonade available? Can we expect its availability to continue to expand soon?

Me & the Bees can be found nationally at Whole Foods Market, The Fresh Market, Natural Grocers, Target, Cost Plus World Market, and also at regional and local grocers, such as H-E-B, Publix, and Meijer. It can also be purchased online at Instacart, GoPuff, and at www.meandthebees.com.

We are super excited to further expand into food service, especially with Compass Group, to serve award-winning restaurants, corporate cafes, hospitals, schools, and even museums. We also recently started offering our lemonades at airports, including in our hometown of Austin, Texas, and coming soon to my second hometown, Atlanta, Georgia.

Buy a Bottle. Save a Bee. Find a store near you here.

Last year, Inc. 5000 included Me & the Bees in its list of fastest-growing U.S. companies! How has this changed Me & the Bees’ approach, if at all? Has growing quickly affected business operations?

We have been steadily growing for 14 years, but we’ve experienced our biggest growth here in the last two. We’ve certainly had to evolve our operations, and we are making some changes not only to accommodate our growth but also our efficiencies due to higher costs and supply chain challenges. We are excited about this evolution, and we are thankful for our partners like Compass Group, giving us the opportunity to expand into new channels, especially food service.

This company was founded on social entrepreneurship. What does social entrepreneurship look like for you and the Me & the Bees Lemonade team?

We always keep our mission of saving the bees at the forefront, helping educate consumers about bees’ role in the ecosystem and the alarming decline in their populations. We give a percentage of its profits to the non-profit organization that I founded, the Healthy Hive Foundation, which is dedicated to increasing bee awareness and safe environments through research, education, and preservation.

We remind ourselves and consumers every day that we are a purpose-based brand, and we believe that sets us apart in the marketplace. It’s not just the product you sell but the story you tell! To date, we have donated over a quarter of a million dollars to our community while saving the bees and inspiring youth entrepreneurship.

How has your book “Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid” impacted Me & the Bees? Has it helped spread the company’s story? What has the response to the book been like?

I’m super proud of this book. The whole goal of writing it was to inspire the next generation of changemakers, and I think it’s doing exactly that. I get a lot of requests to go out and speak, whether it’s for a large keynote opportunity or to visit classrooms. And while I’d love to do that every week, school and work come first. With the book and the free Buzziness Guide that I created to accompany it, people can be inspired to find their passion and start their own purpose-based brands. It is available in schools, bookstores, and online and, to date, has sold over 30K books.

The current Me & the Bees flavors are Classic, Black Cherry, Ginger, Iced Tea, Prickly Pear, and Mint. Which flavor Is your favorite?

It’s so hard to choose, but I’ll go with Prickly Pear because it has a yummy flavor profile with watermelon and berry notes. I like it because prickly pears are super prevalent in my home state of Texas. The fruit is also called “tuna” in Spanish, and it grows on a cactus plant and is classified as both a fruit and vegetable— and is full of vitamins.

And I’ll pick Black Cherry as my second favorite. We spent a lot of time brainstorming our newest lemonade flavor. Our team wanted a flavor that isn’t only delicious but also one that packs a powerful punch, and I think we nailed it!

What are some ways we can support Me & the Bees Lemonade outside of buying the product(s)?

By helping spread the word about the need to save the bees. The more people know this, the more we can help. And individuals and businesses can help support my Healthy Hive Foundation to advance the projects we will continue to advance.

And I also appreciate spreading the word about my book to help inspire the next generation of changemakers. With more social entrepreneurial companies, we can all make a big impact. On a personal level, I would love a partner to help me launch my lemonade into school cafeterias. This is where I can inspire youth with my lemonade, as well as help teach about bees/stem (my bee curriculum) and entrepreneurship (“Bee Fearless” book).

Me & the Bees is a company interested in bee preservation and education. How does the business contribute to spreading education surrounding bees and their importance?

Through our Healthy Hive Foundation and bee education efforts, we are able to be a megaphone for bee awareness. Whether it’s funding research grants at universities or installing beehives in schools, we are steadfast in our mission to do our part for the bees.

How can we contribute to saving the bees in our own communities?

Look for conservation efforts. There are a lot. Check out www.healthyhivefoundation.org for ideas and information.

My blog post also shares practical ways: https://www.meandthebees.com/blogs/beelieve/17349908-mikailas-ways-to-save-the-bees

Keep your breakrooms sweet as can be and get Me & the Bees! Fill out our quick form here to get started.

The post Celebrating Black History Month with Me & the Bees Lemonade first appeared on Canteen.

Partake’s Inspiring Story

Denise founded Partake after her daughter was diagnosed with several food allergies after her first birthday. Denise sought safe and delicious snacks that Vivi could enjoy, but her shopping trips came up short. So she decided to leave her corporate career and start Partake—a line of gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, allergy-friendly cookies and baking mixes. You can learn more about Denise and Vivi’s story at partakefoods.com.

Partake’s Products

Partake’s delicious and nutritious snacks come in a variety of tasty flavors like Chocolate Chip and Carrot Cake. All of the ingredients used to make Partake’s products are carefully sourced and scrutinized to ensure that they meet the highest standards for allergen safety. Plus, all the products are vegan, non-GMO, free of the top nine allergens, and made with clean ingredients like cassava flour and aquafaba (the liquid from cooked garbanzo beans). Partake’s cookies are great for the workplace, but if you’re looking for something sweet at home, try the delicious baking mixes for cakes and brownies. What’s more, these treats are indulgent enough that even those without food allergies or dietary restrictions will love them!

Giving Back

Partake is passionate about helping families living with food allergies as well as lifting up Black voices within the food & beverage industry. That’s why it donates a portion of proceeds to support food-insecure families living with food allergies. Additionally, Denise has founded the Black Futures in Food & Beverage fellowship program in partnership with other leading food & beverage companies and several historically Black colleges and universities. The program provides mentorship opportunities to Black college students interested in pursuing careers in the industry and provides access to internships at these partner companies.

National Gluten-Free Day is an excellent opportunity to celebrate one of our favorite allergy-friendly snack brands – Partake. With delicious flavors like Chocolate Chip or Carrot Cake plus allergen safety measures taken on every product they make, it’s no wonder why so many people reach for Partake when looking for something sweet but safe for their sensitivities. Plus, Partake’s commitment to supporting those living with food allergies through donations and providing mentorship opportunities via the Black Futures in Food & Beverage fellowship program shows us how dedicated it is to ensuring everyone can enjoy yummy treats without sacrificing their health or safety! So don’t forget to grab your favorite bag of Partake today – your taste buds will thank you later! Don’t have any Partake snacks handy? Get started with Canteen today to stock your break room!

The post Celebrate National Gluten-Free Day with Partake first appeared on Canteen.

Our friends and partners at BLK & Bold have built a powerful brand behind a simple concept: daily rituals with social impacts. Co-founders Pernell Cezar and Rod Johnson, lifetime friends and coffee fanatics, pour into a company model that takes delicious coffee and uses it to provide for and shape the future through children across America.

How it began:

Pernell and Rod are lifelong friends, having grown up across the street from each other in Indiana. After years of conversation over casual cups of coffee, the epiphany struck to leverage their favorite beverage for the causes they believe in. BLK & Bold was born from a tabletop coffee roaster and a rudimentary website. As this disruptive brand evolved, its cornerstone remained the same — supporting at-risk youth in underserved communities. BLK & Bold pledges to support non-profit organizations across America that equip children with the confidence, exposure, and guidance to manifest their potential.

5% For Our Youth

“We feel an obligation to equip young people with tools to live their best lives and overcome familiar unfortunate circumstances by turning a daily ritual, enjoying a cup of coffee & tea, into a means of giving back.”

The 5% For Our Youth program supports 13 non-profit organizations nationwide, providing general support and unique operations to uplift traditionally underserved youth.

BLK & Bold’s pledge partners

Cloud 9 Community Farms

Philadelphia, PA

Cloud 9 operated, Urbanstead of Francisville Village in Philadelphia, uses urban farming programs to educate and develop skills through internships with youth and young adults.

Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project

Oakland, CA

Founded and led by the community it serves, ANV engages and educates young people on nutrition, food production, and healthy living through urban farming.

City Growers

New York, NY

City Growers uses urban rooftop farming to provide experiential learning to thousands of kids each year, teaching environmental and food literacy and cultivating curiosity.

Code Fever Miami

Miami, FL

Code Fever Miami offers opportunities and resources to the Black community, reshaping how it engages and contributes to the innovation sector.

Compudopt

Houston, TX

Compudopt provides computers, technology education, and internet connectivity solutions to kids and families who otherwise wouldn’t have access.

Greening Youth Foundation

Atlanta, GA

GYF connects under-represented youth and young adults to the outdoors through conservation and cultural-based environmental education programs to create an overall healthier community.

Juxtaposition

Minneapolis, MN

Juxtaposition mentors young North Minneapolis artists with industry-leading professionals to inspire and foster creativity in future generations.

LA Conservation Corps

Los Angeles, CA

The LA Conservation Corps is an environmentally focused youth development non-profit organization providing programs and educational programs designed around conservation and service projects.

Sunset Youth Services

San Francisco, CA

Sunset Youth Services fosters long-term stability and growth in at-risk communities through caring relationships and supportive services.

Urban Growers Collective

Chicago, IL

Working closely with community partners, UGC leads communities in developing community-based food systems where food is grown, prepared, and distributed locally.

Youth Guidance

Chicago, IL

Youth Guidance, through a presence in elementary and high schools, carefully guides and enables students to realize their full potential.

By Degrees Foundation

Des Moines, IA

By Degrees partners with schools to increase graduation rates with extensive future-focused planning and saving.

Kid Power

Washington, D.C.

Kid Power promotes academic advancement, physical and emotional wellness, and positive civic engagement in underserved communities to inspire youth leadership.

Want to support these initiatives and enjoy top-shelf coffee in your workplace? Get started today!

The post Boldly Giving with BLK & Bold first appeared on Canteen.

Great coffee, diversity and gender equality, sustainability, and sloths. How are these four seemingly random topics even remotely related? Well, the mother-daughter team at New York-based Bean & Bean Coffee Roasters dabbles in each and does a pretty good job at it. We sat down with Jiyoon Han, who, with her mom, Rachel, brings this complicated Venn diagram together and does it by making really good coffee.

You’re a mother-daughter team. How did you get started roasting coffee together? Has coffee always been significant to your family, or did the passion project start with you two?

My parents have been in the food and beverage industries for basically my entire life, so coffee has always had meaning in our household. When we opened our first Bean & Bean location in 2008, I quickly took on the responsibilities of helping out around the shop after school and learning more about coffee alongside my mom. This eventually evolved into my mom and I going on trips across the world to seek out the best coffees and becoming certified Q-Graders (coffee sommeliers) together.

My mom’s and I’s mutual curiosity and passion for coffee have made our relationship as strong as it is today.

How has being a mother-daughter team influenced your approach to coffee?

It influences everything we do—my mom and I make decisions together as a team on who we want to do business with. My mom’s opinion is so important, especially when we’re tasting new varieties!

What are some of your best-selling products? What’s the best-selling drink on your menu?

Our Downtown Blend and Peru Las Damas are our top-selling beans for our e-commerce customers. And in stores, our customers love our iced honey oat latte, which is an iced latte made with honey powder and oat milk.

What are your personal favorite menu items (drinks or otherwise?)

No surprise here, but I’m also a huge fan of the iced honey oat latte. Our Gesha pour-overs are amazing too, and my go-to is a classic espresso shot made with our Downtown Blend.

With so many coffee shops in New York, how do you stand out amongst the crowd?

We’ve stood out since our opening day because of our commitment to freshly roasted beans. We roast our beans in New York, so our coffee is always as fresh as it can possibly be. That’s how and why we were able to cultivate such a loyal customer base since the beginning—customers noticed how fresh our coffee is and how amazing our stores smell that it was enough to move the needle.

In recent years, Bean & Bean launched an e-commerce shop. How has being online changed Bean & Bean’s business? What opportunities have you found in the online landscape?

Through our online business, we’ve been able to connect with and reach customers that we wouldn’t be able to otherwise. We have customers everywhere from the west coast, Canada, and Europe.

Since we’re able to have a wider reach, we’ve also been able to expand our press coverage beyond New York-only or specialty coffee publications. It’s been incredible seeing Bean & Bean on sites like Buzzfeed, CNet, and Forbes.

Your website mentions your commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing by prioritizing organic and fair-trade coffee. It also states there is more to be done than that. What other methods does Bean & Bean use to ensure ethical and sustainable practices?

Some of the other things we do to be more sustainable include minimizing carbon emissions in our roasting process by using a Loring roaster (which cuts CO2 emissions by up to 80%) and ensuring our packaging is recyclable and/or compostable.

The sloth on your logo is adorable! Can you tell us a bit about how your partnership with The Sloth Institute came about? How did you hear about The Sloth Institute and its mission to combat sloth endangerment?

Thank you! Our very first coffee-origin trip was to Costa Rica, where we saw a sloth in real life for the first time. While there, we learned that when coffee is grown sustainably, coffee trees provide shelter for sloths, so we took the initiative to reach out to the world’s leading sloth research institute and proposed a partnership.

Were you passionate about conservation in the sloth population before or after partnering with The Sloth Institute?

I was definitely passionate about it before, and partnering with The Sloth Institute has only made that passion grow even stronger.

How has the coffee industry impacted sloths and deforestation? How does Bean & Bean work to combat this?

Almost 2.5 million acres of sloth habitats in Central America have been cleared to make coffee. When sloths lose their home, they are more likely to become injured, orphaned, sick, or killed.

Bean & Bean works to combat this by donating a portion of our online coffee bean sales each month. We also symbolically adopt a sloth to help sloths grow, heal, and return to the rainforest. We advocate for them through our marketing and promotional materials to raise awareness. Working with farmers who produce their coffee ethically and sustainably also supports this commitment.

Aside from your environmental efforts, Bean & Bean is also focused on breaking the glass ceiling of the coffee industry. When did you become aware of the gender gap in your industry, and what efforts has Bean & Bean put into combating it?

Through our sourcing efforts, it became very apparent to me that coffee is a very male-dominated industry. Most coffee experts and farm owners are male—and their female counterparts are underpaid comparatively. As a women-led coffee shop, my mom and I decided that we should use our positions to uplift other women in the coffee industry.

Can you tell us about some of Bean & Bean’s meaningful relationships with female-operated partners like farms, organizations, and intermediaries? How has Bean & Bean worked to make coffee training and resources more accessible to women in the coffee business?

Absolutely. Two of our relationships I’d like to highlight here are our relationship with Cooperativa Agraria Frontera San Ignacio, COOPAFSI, which is a women-run cooperative in Peru that produces our bestselling Peru Las Damas beans. COOPAFSI has been around since 1969 and has been championing women’s advancement in the coffee industry since its founding, which is pretty incredible.

We also work with Anabella Meneses to source most of our Gesha coffees, which are rare and extraordinary. Anabella leads the Santa Felisa farm in Guatemala, and her Geshas have been awarded the Cup of Excellence, which is one of the highest honors a coffee can earn.

By choosing to work with female-operated partners, we’re giving them a bigger platform and audience, which opens up more economic and social opportunities.

What are some key factors in closing this gender gap in coffee farming, distribution, and production?

One of the biggest factors is giving women equal opportunity to own land. A huge reason the gender gap is so wide is because owning land, historically, culturally, and legally, has been much more accessible to men than to women.

When fewer women are involved in coffee, those who are involved feel less supported and have a significantly harder time advocating for fair treatment and pay. When we support women by working with them and buying the coffee that they work to produce, we are giving them both economic and social capital.

How can consumers support these efforts?

Consumers can support these efforts by choosing coffee companies that work with and are committed to working with smaller, female-led farms and producers, rather than larger corporations.

Interested in bringing authentic great New York coffee like Bean & Bean to your workplace? Get started today!

The post This Mother-Daughter Coffee Team is Advocating for Sloth-Safe Coffee Farming first appeared on Canteen.

Our suppliers’ coffee is what keeps us going… quite literally! We’re honored to work with coffee roasters whose mission is to give back to the communities in which they’re based.

This Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month, we celebrate Back of the Yards Coffee Co., a Latinx-owned coffee business based in Chicago. We sat down with this pioneering team to discuss their drive and passions in the coffee space and how they work every day to lift their community and culture.

Back of the Yards’ mission statement mentions that Back of the Yards “strives to honor the immigrant working class tradition of Chicago.” What does this look like in your organization, and how do you demonstrate this goal?

We do this in many ways, such as by honoring our working-class roots in our branding and the names of the coffees and products that we create. We honor our immigrant roots through the unique and authentic flavors and blends that we offer, such as cafe de olla. Most importantly to us, however, is that we are job creators, bringing meaningful employment and job training to folks in a community that sorely needs them, in many ways like how the old Union Stockyards and theindustrial park that followed provided to generations of immigrants looking for stability for themselves and their families.

What does Latinx Heritage Month mean to you?

To me, it’s a small sign of recognition of the many contributions made by a community of over 62 million people and our ancestors to this country and the world. Especially because that history is often overlooked in our school history books. It’s also an opportunity to show our growth and share our beautiful culture with the world. We are as American as apple pie, with a dash of sazón!

What about your culture/heritage are you most proud of, or do you value most?

Specifically for immigrants and the children of immigrants, like myself, what I’m most proud of is our resiliency. What it took for our parents to get here, to thrive, and then for us to jump through all kinds of hurdles and excel is just amazing. Being bilingual and bicultural is a beautiful thing.

How does your cultural background influence how you operate your business?

We are one of the only Latinx-owned coffee companies in the country. The flavors that we offer, the locations where we are looking to set up, and the areas that we market are 100% informed by our cultural background. Coffee on this side ofthe hemisphere is grown 100% in Latin America, and the Latinx community drinks more coffee than any other ethnicity in the US.

How can we continue to raise awareness about celebrating Latinx heritage in our businesses and communities?

Buy Latinx. Support Latinx-owned businesses. Hire Latinx and promote them to positions of leadership, as we bring a unique and important point of view and perspective that is shared with 20% of the U.S. population. The best way to celebrate our heritage is by opening doors and supporting our endeavors.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Thank you to Tradecraft for your partnership in advancing Latinx-owned coffee companies and for helping us reach our success. Gracias!

For Back of the Yards and more roasters with our partners at Tradecraft, contact us today!

The post Celebrating Hispanic Heritage & Latinx Heritage Month with Back of the Yards Coffee Co. first appeared on Canteen.

The global food system is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. That’s a huge deal, and our partners at Oatly are leading the charge against climate change by innovating with plant-based alternatives, dropping emissions, and promoting healthy living with delicious oat milks, creamers, ice creams, and so much more. We sat with their thought leaders to break down goals, climate impact, and sweet treats. We’re partial to the ice cream. Alright, let’s dive in!

Oatly – brand or movement? Give us a quick rundown of who Oatly is, what you make, and what the brand stands for.

Both! We’re the global leader in oat-based foods and aim to transform the food system into one that is healthier for people and the planet. Exclusively using oats, we’re able to make great-tasting oat milks, frozen desserts, soft serve, Oatgurts, and other delicious, nutritious, and allergen-friendly foods with the same creamy taste, frothy feel, and functionality as cow’s milk but with substantially fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Oatly is an easy choice for people who want to upgrade their lives and protect the planet without sacrificing taste or experience. 

How was Oatly started?

In the late 1980s, a research group at Lund University in Sweden, including Oatly founder, Rickard Öste, set out to create a plant-based, nutritious and delicious drink with qualities similar to cow’s milk for people who were intolerant to traditional dairy. By 1990, Rickard and his team patented the process, which resulted in a milk alternative perfectly adapted for human consumption using oats – aka oat milk. The parent company was established in 1994, and the rest is history! 

Your sustainability platform is robust. Can you give a brief overview of some of the big projects you’re supporting?

We have big ambitions! We aim to drive a systemic shift in society—in the ways people eat, food is produced, and the planet is treated—where people can make small changes, like switching to plant-based foods, that improve their lives and ensure a healthy planet for future generations. These small actions can be multiplied to create a plant-based movement.

We have three pillars that make up our sustainability ambitions we’re working toward achieving globally by 2029. These include: driving a food system shift, setting the example as a future company, and empowering a plant-based revolution.

One of our recent achievements we’re excited about is the transition of our North American factories to 100% renewable electricity.

You can find our full list of commitments, which are continuously being worked against, here.

How was the brand’s passion for sustainability born, and why is plant-based your main focus?

The global food system is responsible for about a third of global emissions (UN); about 50% of those emissions come from the livestock and animal agriculture industries. The greatest impact we can have as a company is to convert dairy users into Oatly consumers, empowering the plant-based revolution. Food is delicious, it’s personal, and it’s something tangible that people make choices about every single day. We want to set an example for how food companies (and all companies) should act to benefit the planet and people. We’re working to prove that change is possible and that it’s good business to center around what’s best for the planet and humans.   

How does plant-based living benefit people and the planet?

For our products, in particular, oats can grow around the world, require less land and fewer resources to cultivate than livestock, and are great for soil health. With oats being our core ingredient, we’re able to produce dairy alternatives that emit significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than cow’s milk. From a nutritional standpoint, our oat milks have an excellent combination of macronutrients, including fats, carbs, protein, and fibers, and are allergen friendly. Oatly is a plant-based, nutritious and delicious drink with qualities similar to cow’s milk for people who are intolerant to traditional dairy, which, as it turns out, is a significant portion of the population.

What’s the future of the plant-based movement?

It continues to grow! We’re incredibly excited that Oatly continues to grow significantly year over year, proving a growing shift in consumer habits and tastes. Consumers are increasingly more aware of the impact their choices can have on the planet and are also looking for more suitable products for their nutritional needs. We feel we have products that are a win-win for both, and we see no signs of slowing down.

How is that reflected in your marketing and packaging as a brand with an opinion?

We’re a fearless brand. That means that we don’t always do what other brands would traditionally do, especially when it comes to marketing. We’re a creative-led brand with no traditional marketing team, and we focus on talking to consumers like real humans. We’re honest yet irreverent, so it keeps consumers on their toes. You’ll never know what to expect next from Oatly.

What are some of your team’s favorite Oatly products?

How could you possibly make us choose? We love all our products equally, but a company and fan-favorite continue to be our Chocolate Oatmilk, especially in the convenient 11oz size when you need an on-to-go indulgence. It’s out-of-this-world delicious.

What are you most excited about in Oatly’s sustainability vision?

Again, hard to choose just one thing. Many of the sustainability initiatives our team is working on ladder up to one of our main ambitions: to reduce our carbon footprint per liter of Oatly produced by 70% by 2029 and align that ambition with a 1.5-degree °C climate pathway. The 1.5 °C target is the goal of the Paris Agreement, which calls for countries to take concerted climate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming. 

In five words or less, what advice would you give someone wanting to lead a more sustainable life?

Realize the impact of your consumption choices. We stretched to seven words!

Final thoughts. Anything you want to leave with our readers?

If you haven’t yet, try plant-based. At least give it a shot. Consider the impact that animal-based products have on the future of our planet. If our Oatly non-frozen desserts don’t convince you there are great non-dairy alternatives out there, then I guess we have even more work to do!

To get Oatly and other plant-based, sustainable favorites in your breakroom, click here to get started!

The post Sustainable Plant-Based Living with Oatly! first appeared on Canteen.

How did ShineWater get started?

ShineWater® was originally developed by an FDA physician, Phillip Davis.  He saw a lot of vitamin D deficiency in his practice and decided to create a beverage to help people stay hydrated and address the lack of vitamin D in their lives. Our current owners, Rod Hildebrant and Matthew Meehan, bought ShineWater in October of 2019, and it’s been in high growth mode since.

Where did the name come from?

Vitamin D is the “sunshine vitamin.” And since every bottle of ShineWater® has 100% of your daily vitamin D, it was the obvious name choice. That’s why we call it Sunshine In A Bottle®.

What does your tagline, “Hydration without compromise,” mean for ShineWater?

ShineWater® reimagined what a hydration beverage should be, with zero compromises. We create superior beverages that promote optimum health using the power of natural ingredients, zero sugar, and vitamin D – the ultimate powerful hydration. ShineWater® provides the vitamins, electrolytes, and minerals you need without the addition of sugar or artificial ingredients. Each nutrient is carefully chosen based on nutrition science and delivered in amounts that matter.

Your product provides 100% of somebody’s daily Vitamin D. Why is Vitamin D so important?

Vitamin D supports bone and muscle health, immune function, and cardiovascular health, and ShineWater® battles against insufficient vitamin D levels with 100% of your recommended daily intake per bottle – Shine on. That’s why we call it Sunshine In A Bottle®.

What makes ShineWater so good for you?

ShineWater® is all-natural hydration and has just the right amount of so many key ingredients that our bodies need. Every bottle has ZERO sugar, electrolytes, magnesium, and zinc PLUS vitamin D.

What variety of flavors are you bringing for people to try?

We now have seven wonderful flavor fusions to offer our ShineWater® fans: Mixed Berry Acai, Watermelon Blackberry, Strawberry Lemon, Kiwi Cucumber, Peach Mango, Coconut Lime, Pomegranate Grape, and our newest flavor is set to hit shelves near the end of this summer – but it’s a surprise!

What’s your favorite flavor that you’re trying to snag for yourself?

We can’t pick just one – they are all FANTASTIC!

Outside of only drinking ShineWater, what else can you do with the product?

OHHHH, what a great question! We have a full catalog of adult beverage recipes. You can find them on our website at www.shinewater.com /blog. It’s a great way to enjoy ShineWater® and other recipes without adding sugar!

You donate a portion of sales to your social partner, OneWorld Health. Tell us more about that partnership.

We partner with OneWorld health to help provide lifesaving vitamins and minerals to children in East Africa and Central America. A portion of every ShineWater® sale goes to help fund their programs.

What’s one major takeaway you want the reader of this blog to learn after reading about ShineWater?

ShineWater® is the ONLY ready-to-drink hydration brand on the market providing 100% of your recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin D. Our unique formula is physician engineered to promote optimum health by delivering meaningful amounts of the nutrition our body needs most – without compromise. And the flavors are so unlike any other flavored water on the market. Just try it for yourself to see what all the buzz is about.

As temps skyrocket and you’re looking for that perfect refreshing sip, hydrate and load up on essential vitamins with ShineWater®. Contact Us today to get this great option in your workplace.

The post How ShineWater is Changing Hydration with Vitamin D first appeared on Canteen.

Everyone meet MUSH! MUSH, our ready-to-eat oats partner, fuels the peak performer in all of us. MUSH believes in the simple combination of natural ingredients that provides you a plant-based, protein-rich, good fiber, gluten-free, dairy-free, artificial flavor & color free, preservative-free, filler-free snack that’s easy to eat when you need to keep your day going, saving you time and keeping you energized throughout the day. Speaking of oats, they are great for heart health. We recently connected with Ashley Thompson, co-founder of MUSH, to learn her inspiration for this unique take on overnight oats, how she meets and exceeds goals, and how MUSH powers it all.

MUSH. What inspired the name?

Growing up, I soaked different mixtures of cereal in milk overnight in preparation for breakfast. Believe it or not, I really enjoyed soggy cereal as well as the convenience of having my breakfast ‘already ready’ by the time I woke up. My father took note of my routine and frequently asked me, “what’s in your MUSH today?” on our drive to school. It was a nice way to start early morning conversations and a simple pleasure that brightened my day. My father is also an entrepreneur, and I love that his DNA is baked into my own entrepreneurial journey in this way.

How does MUSH fuel an active and productive lifestyle?

Active lifestyles require time efficiency and clean energy, both of which MUSH provides. Our oats are made with simple, delicious, nutrient-dense ingredients that keep you fuller for longer, and they’re ready to eat, so you don’t have to worry about wasting any time cooking or prepping. Our products are also great for any age or time of day, and that versatility really empowers people to seize the day!

MUSH in the morning, afternoon, or night?

Any and all! MUSH is the perfect breakfast, pre/post-workout snack, or even dessert after dinner. We make a variety of delicious flavors to suit all daytimes.

How do you set performance goals and achieve them? Any tips?

I like to use the SMART framework for goal setting – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. Scoping all five of those vectors effectively enables success, especially the ‘attainable’ part of a goal. Setting realistic expectations is incredibly important. One of the main reasons people don’t achieve their goals is because they give up! People and teams often set unrealistic beliefs about what it will take to achieve a goal, and they quit before getting to the finish line. Spend time understanding what a goal truly entails, and you’ll be sure to experience higher rates of success.

Finance to snacks sounds like a big jump. How did you approach that transition?

I approached the transition with a ton of humility, curiosity, and discipline. I acknowledged that I knew nothing about CPG, asked as many questions as possible about CPG, and maintained a maniacal focus on my goal of building a great product, brand, and company.

How have MUSH’s humble beginnings influenced the brand today?

Environment is the hidden force that guides our behavior. Our humble beginnings have shaped the culture at MUSH by instilling six core values in our people – learning, innovating, taking action, being resourceful, demanding excellence, and being customer-obsessed. We have a deep appreciation for our roots because of this.

When was the “A-HA!” moment? When did it click that MUSH was right for you?

So many different experiences and aspects of my life led me to this crazy idea of selling cold oatmeal. It was a long and iterative thought process that ended in an “A-HA” moment right before I quit my job. I had collected and connected countless data points to make sense of a bigger picture. The key to all of it was never giving up on ideating and thinking and dreaming and then mustering up enough courage to take the first step. You don’t need courage for the entire journey, in the beginning, only enough for those first few steps.

Favorite MUSH product?

My favorite flavor hasn’t been released yet… cliff-hanger! I absolutely love our dark chocolate, though. It satisfies any craving at any time of day, it’s so flavorful and delicious, and it’s packed full of antioxidants. Win-win-win in my book.

“Start Even If You Don’t Know How” – How do you apply this mantra to your life?

As Confucius once said, “I hear, and I forget; I see, and I remember; I do, and I understand.” I am a big believer in action learning, which is the process of doing, then reflecting, and learning. Why? Because you actually learn and understand far more by doing than through any other method of learning like reading or observing. Also, there’s asymmetric risk/reward with action in the beginning of a journey. You have so much to gain by doing something, even if it’s the ‘wrong’ thing, and so much to lose by doing nothing. Take a small step in any direction, and it will undoubtedly lead you to a better one.

MUSH and other great brands owned by great people are available right now for 15% off. Check it out and get started today.

The post How Ready-to-Eat Oats Fuel Active and Productive Lifestyles with Ashley Thompson of MUSH first appeared on Canteen.

Let’s give our readers some background on Truly Good Foods to kick this off. What exactly does Truly Good Foods do, and what kind of products do you offer?

Truly Good Foods has a passion for snacks, and we’ve specialized in quality snacking for 45 years. Women-owned and second-generation family-operated, Truly Good Foods is headquartered in Charlotte, NC, with five additional locations across the U.S. 

With more than 400 manufactured snacks and thousands of distributed items, we believe in BETTER ingredients and MORE of those ingredients in every bite. Our core specialty is snack mixes, and our SQF, Kosher and organic production facility in Charlotte roasts nuts & seeds daily and blends over 30 bulk snack mixes. Our facility also packages and re-boxes many of our items to meet our customers’ varied needs. We partner with over 6,000 customers to provide top-level products and customer service.

We like to let our customers speak for us on why they choose to partner with Truly Good Foods:

“Best customer service in the industry”
“Variety of Products”
“Quality of product for price is outstanding”
“Quick turnaround on order placement”
“Unique products I can’t get through other suppliers”
“Ability to order in small quantities”
“No wholesale order minimum, low free shipping minimum”
“Ordering is super easy. Love the ability to order online”
“Tons of bulk options”
“Love the seasonal offerings”

There’s a lot of history in your brand. Could you tell some of that story?

After 45 years of success in this industry, it’s very important for us to stay innovative with our customer needs, but to always remember our roots. Our company was founded in 1977 by my parents, Jerry and Betty York. 

Mr. York got into the industry purely by accident. A Dayton, Ohio native and University of Dayton graduate, he returned from the Korean War and went to the college’s placement office, looking for job leads. Having grown up in an area that was heavily linked to the automobile industry, he saw “Dayton Nut Products Co” on the office list and assumed it was a screw and nut manufacturer. He walked in the door, smelled peanuts cooking, and started to leave, but the owner grabbed him and gave him a sales job – for $70 a week. A lifelong career in the snack industry followed.

The company has continued to grow year after year, now being run by myself, my sister Carolyn and my husband, John. It’s been important for the second generation to remember our company’s roots and instill those same values in the current generation of employees. 

What’s it like to work with family?

Working together with family is fun. Most of the time. We have common values and knowledge that binds us. Truly Good Foods is like having a fourth kid – I love it immensely and care a lot!

How do you think the family business mindset influences your brands and values?

Being family-owned is an advantage in that you have many people engaged for the same purpose and success of the company. You know each other’s strengths and apply that to the area of the company that works best. We have an advantage over competition because we have a lot of years experience between our family members as well as many of our long-term employees who are “family” as well.

One of the core values here at Truly Good Foods is treating all employees as if they are family. Without the original building blocks set in place by our founders, we would not be able to carry out our company’s mission, which is to get better every day by efficiently providing the best product, market expertise, and business solutions in an integrated, responsive fashion. We will continually strive to be a prosperous company for the growth and benefit of our employees, customers, vendors, and community.

We have to ask – of Truly Good Foods’ huge selection, what are some of your team’s favorite snacks?

We all love to snack here, and even though we have a huge selection, there are some overall team favorites. Sweet Heat, The Big Cheese, Firecracker, and Happy Hour are the most popular around here, which aligns with our customers since these are some of our best sellers. What’s interesting is our newest mix Buffalo Stampede has skyrocketed to the top of most of our employees’ lists! I haven’t met anyone yet who doesn’t love the bold, spicy and smoky flavor of the mix. 

As thought leaders in your space, how do you approach market trends?

It’s integral for us to stay on top and ahead of market trends. We owe it to our customers to be a leader in the industry and provide them with the most innovative products we can. When you love what you do, and you have a passion for this industry, it makes it easy. Our product development team follows the current trends and stays ahead of the curve. In the snack space, a lot of times, trends will start in food service and restaurants. It’s important for us to understand those flavor trends and how they could be applied to snacks. We also regularly survey our customers and have a Customer Focus Group that we go to when developing new products.

Where do you see this snack space going in the future?

Functional ingredients that add additional value to snacks will continue to be a huge trend in our space, and we will see it evolve in new applications. The pandemic has reinforced consumers’ desire to snack with purpose and with snacking replacing meals in a lot of instances, it’s important that they are getting added benefits from those snacks. 

As popular as our packaged snacks are, we have been a bulk company since inception. Even though the pandemic hurt that side of the business, we do see it bouncing back since sustainability and cost are major considerations for consumers.  

As the new year kicks off, wellness is front of mind. How does Truly Good focus on wellness within your teams and for your customers? Or what advice do you have for companies focusing on wellness?

We believe in focusing on both your physical mental wellness. From a physical wellness standpoint, we have company initiatives in place to support our employees’ goals with their own physical well-being. Emotional and mental wellness is something we are putting a bigger focus on this year and beyond. The pandemic has affected people in a lot of long-lasting ways, and we want to make sure their mental health is as much of a consideration as their physical.

Being in the food business, our employees are around a variety of products – both better-for-you and indulgent. We regularly educate our employees and customers on the importance of balanced snacking and the health benefits gained from nuts and seeds. 

What snacks would you promote as a better-for-you treat to someone with wellness in mind?

Nuts and seeds are some of the healthiest snacks you can choose. They are a source of good fat and a lot of natural antioxidants. They are also on trend with some of the biggest diets like Mediterranean, Keto, and High Protein. 

A couple of our packaged snack lines come to mind as our better-for-you options. Our ReCharge line offers snacks with an energy boost. Using lots of ingredients that focus on immunity benefits, our mixes in this line have added probiotics and antioxidants to keep you energized and feeling good. Our trEAT4u line are 1oz bags that were specifically designed around some of our customers’ wellness programs. No artificial ingredients, low sodium, under 100 calories, etc. All in a grab-and-go pack for an easy midday pick-me-up snack.

What are some of your or your team’s new year’s resolutions? What would you recommend for a resolution?

After this past year, I think most of our team’s resolutions would be to focus on their mental and physical wellness. Resolutions can sometimes be disappointing if you feel like you failed at them, so I like to recommend focuses for the year – little changes each month that can equal a big change at the end of the year – baby steps and one day at a time.

For more about our great partners, and to bring some delicious, healthy, and diverse-owned snacks into your workplace, get started today!

The post Wellness, Family, and the New Year with Truly Good Foods first appeared on Canteen.