We’re Proud to Announce our B-Corp Status! 🌱
Sometimes a company decides that profits can’t be everything, and that its contribution to the world should be more than just products and figures. Eventually, industry must come second, so that business can be used as a force for good.
How can a business do such a thing? By becoming a B Corp, which is exactly what we’ve done at iKhofi!
After a long campaign and application process, we are proud to announce that iKhofi is now a certified B Corp, joining a global community of businesses measuring their social and environmental impact.
What is a B Corp?
The term B Corp is an abbreviation of Beneficial Corporation, meaning that a company can now be officially recognised as one that’s making a positive impact in the world. Of course, a B Corp is still a business that has to make money, but having this title means that profits are no longer the sole focus of operations.
Some notable B Corps include:
● Patagonia
● Brewdog
● Clipper Tea
● Coutts & Co
● Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP
How Does a Company Become a B Corp?
B Corp certification comes directly from an organisation called B Lab, who are renowned for their unique capacity for measuring a company’s social and environmental contributions.
In order to become a B Corp, companies must:
● Achieve a score of 80 or higher on the B Impact Assessment, used to measure social and environmental performance.
● Legally commit to altering their internal governance structure, by holding themselves accountable to all stakeholders in a business, rather than shareholders alone.
● Achieve self-assessed benefit corporation status if available in their jurisdiction.
● Be fully transparent about their performances when measured by B Lab’s standards, with results being publicly available on the B Corp on the B Lab sites.
What’s the Benefit to the Company?
You might be wondering why a company would need certification to do good things for the planet. Being a B Corp is more than just a title; it signifies trust. The B Lab system requires regular reviews to ensure companies are continuing to move in the right direction, whilst also allowing businesses to use B Lab resources to analyse their contributions in more concrete and quantifiable ways.
It essentially means for us that the contributions we aim to make for the planet and for people all along our supply chain will be held to account, in more detailed and analytical ways than before. It lets us do what we’ve always worked to do, but even better.
How Did We Become a B Corp?
Now you might be wondering how it is that we’ve joined the highly adorned B Corp movement, but really, we’ve been working as a B Corp in our own right since our inception!
Here’s a few ways that iKhofi has become a force for good:
Direct Trade Coffee Beans
Rather than working with middlemen, we source our coffee beans directly from the farmers. This helps to ensure the farmers receive a fair, recurring wage, and that their local communities are properly supported, instead of being at the mercy of exploitative industry types.
Whether our support leads to building houses, advancing education, or providing recreational space, alongside a sustainable income, we’re proud to offer financial support to those who truly deserve it.
Donations to Ripple Effect
Beyond working with farmers directly, we also make significant donations to the charity Ripple Effect, formerly known as Send a Cow. Through various grass-root projects across rural Africa, their work continues to bring smallholder famers together to learn new skills and share knowledge so they can improve their livelihoods and thrive.
Compostable Packaging
From our coffee bean packets to our cups and sugar sachets, we’re committed to compostable materials. There’s no reason that workplace coffee should make such a contribution to landfills, and we’re doing what we can, one cappuccino at a time.
Plastic-free Teabags
All of our tea is supplied by Clipper, who we’re very proud to be collaborators of. This means that every teabag that we provide to our clients is made entirely from organic, natural, unbleached, and plastic-free materials, continuing our bio-degradable trend!
Fuel-Free iBaristas & Electric Vehicles
Our expert iBaristas operate on an entirely fuel-free basis. This involves getting to your office on foot, by bike, or in one of our very own fully-electric vehicles. You might be running off fumes without that morning flat white, but we’re dedicated to reducing our emissions!
London Living Wage Certified
We don’t just want our employees to survive, we want them to thrive. That’s why we’re proud to be certified as a London Living Wage provider, so our team can live their best life in the city!
Employee Benefits
It’s not all about the money, which is why we support employees with much more than just a salary. All our team receive private healthcare, discounted gym membership, and a Pret subscription, on us, giving them further financial freedom and security in their daily life.
The Wimbledon Guild
The Wimbledon Guild is an amazing charity, working in the borough or Merton to combat loneliness and isolation in amongst people of all ages. At iKhofi, we volunteer at their exercise classes, festive lunches, and their overall befriending program, because we know the importance of a good conversation, with or without coffee.
As one of our key priorities, iKhofi is always working to ensure that we give back to the people and the planet that’s made our business what it is, which is why we’ve been awarded this coveted status!
What does this mean for the future? Well, we plan on doing things in much the same way, but better! With B Corp status and collaborations with other certified B Corp companies, we can grow our initiatives to become even more ethical and sustainable than we already are, while still providing the best workplace coffee in London.
So after all of that, we think it’s about time for a latte!