Brewing a Better Future: Fraser Tea's B Corp Certification Journey
For John, Tom and Bernie Fraser, love and care for others was an expectation, not a decision. These values were established in their childhood and were carried with them through life. When they joined to create Fraser Tea, those values were transformed into the company’s core values: organic, sustainable, farm direct, and family owned.
It is those same values that led Fraser Tea to becoming a certified B corporation. In this certification, we join a global movement committed to benefiting people and the planet of tomorrow through our business practices today.
What is a B Corp?
A B Corp certified company is a broad recognition of a company’s commitment to benefiting workers, society, and the environment – all while maintaining sustainable profitability. Certification comes from the Standards Advisory Council at the B Lab, a non-profit organization.
According to the B Lab Global Group, it's a designation affirming that a business meets high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency. These standards encompass a range of factors, from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. B Corp signifies a commitment for a company to both be profitable and prioritize their environmental and social impact.
Fraser Tea being a certified B corporation means that every cup of tea delights your taste buds, and reflects a commitment to happy families, content employees, a preserved environment and satisfied customers.
B Corp Certification Requirements
To achieve a B Corp certification, a company must meet rigorous requirements, scoring 80 points or above (Fraser Tea proudly scored a total of 109.3) across 5 core impact areas:
-
Governance
- Workers
- Community
- Environment
- Customers
Join us as we explore the specifics of these five-core requirements that set our organic tea company apart:
Governance: Nurturing Accountability and Transparency
In the realm of B Corp Certification, governance encompasses a set of rules, practices or mission statements that guide a business to be profitable while remaining accountable to all stakeholders.
At Fraser Tea, every decision we make revolves around accountability, transparency, fairness and responsibility in our sourcing, manufacturing and selling. As a purpose-driven business, we consider our effect on society and the environment, not just profitability.
You can see our commitment to transparency through our farm direct practices. We only source from eco-conscious farms, and we personally visit them to ensure ethical and humanitarian practices. We have visited our green tea farms in Asia, rooibos farms in South Africa, black tea farms in Nepal and India, and matcha farms in Japan, and we have only found quality in the product and standards.
This hands-on approach aligns with our governance principles, ensuring that our sourcing practices adhere to the highest standards of accountability and transparency.
Workers: A Family-Centric Approach to Empowerment
The 2nd core impact area evaluated is workers. The focus is on evaluating a company's capacity to provide a safe, sustainable work environment and empower its staff.
Fraser Tea is a family business with most of our employees being Frasers spanning two generations. But those who are not Frasers by blood are still welcomed into the love of our family. We work very hard for everyone to feel connected, valued and supported while in a safe and sustainable environment.
Outside of our facility walls, we see family in the distributors and farms in our supply chain. From the farms that grow our premium tea leaves to the distributors that connect Fraser Tea to the world, we have built personal relationships and view them as an extension of the Fraser family.
Community: Making a Difference Where It Matters
The community impact area looks at a businesses impact on the communities it operates in and sources from.
At Fraser Tea, giving back is important to what we do. For the communities that we operate in, we have had many partnerships to support communities close to us. Here are some of our giving back initiatives:
· New Mothers Support: Partnering with the Say Detroit baby shower, we provided gift baskets to support new mothers in need. We cherish the opportunity to stand by these women and their community, spreading support and blessings.
Education Initiatives: We've engaged with the community by educating the Madonna University nutrition class on the benefits of tea, offering tours, and conducting tastings.
Nature Center Partnership: Collaborating with the Farmington Nature Center for their Children’s Garden program
· Support of Nonprofit Causes: Supporting the animal rescue nonprofit Moyo Village with tea donations to their rescue puppy yoga events throughout the Midwest.
Religious community support: Giving tea to various church communities in Michigan during the holiday season. This program is called advent tea, and it has been running since 2022.
Environment: Nurturing Nature, One Tea Bag at a Time
The environment impact area examines a business’s direct and indirect environmental impact, and environmental management practices. When examining, B Lab focused on waste reduction, environmental impact, and sustainability across various fronts—air, water, land, biodiversity, and the supply chain.
With sustainability being a core value of Fraser Tea, we have committed ourselves to creating a product with a minimal environmental impact. We are a USDA certified organic company, so we source from farms free from environmentally harmful pesticides.
We also work to package our products as sustainably as possible, with the majority of our packaging being made of compostable and recyclable materials. The most sustainable way to buy tea is loose leaf, due to its lack of packaging waste, which we offer as well.
Customers: An Extension of the Fraser Tea Family!
Finally, the customer impact area evaluates how a company looks after and listens to its customers. Much like how we view our farms and distributors as family, our customers are a part of the Fraser family too.
We work hard to make you feel welcomed through our handwritten notes with every order, our listening to your suggestions, and our help if any problems arise. Your voice is a strong guide for the innovations our company makes, because we would not be here without you.
Please message us if you have any questions so we can help you make the most out of your Fraser Tea experience. If you are enjoying your experience, we would appreciate it if you left a review on google or followed us on our social channels, such as Instagram and Facebook!