![6 natural brands that support pollinators 6 natural brands that support pollinators](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/blt44dd6b781b0674e7/64ff1fe07c38d2162d06bf81/ew17-pollinators-promo.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Justin’s, maker of natural, high-quality nut butters, nut butter snacks and organic peanut butter cups, used Expo West to launch its new corporate social responsibility campaign focused on creating awareness and educating consumers on pollinator decline. Determined to stop the regression, Justin’s has teamed up with The Xerces Society, a nonprofit recognized internationally as a leader in pollinator conservation. On the state level, Justin’s will support People and Pollinators Action Network, a Colorado-based organization that works to promote sustainable agricultural practices and improve our environment by creating a movement to build community awareness, change policies and support best practices in pollinator conservation. In their own backyard in Boulder, Colorado, the company is joining forces with Growing Gardens, a local nonprofit dedicated to enriching lives through sustainable, urban agriculture. Their contribution and volunteer days will replace 16 hives, help to plant and maintain Growing Garden’s Pollinator Garden, and provide scholarships and classroom visits for more than 800 children to learn about pollinator conservation.
Upon entering the convention center main lobby, Expo West attendees were greeted by the WhiteWave Bee Friendly green kiosk, which was erected in support of The Xerces Society’s Bring Back the Pollinators program. When show visitors stopped at the kiosk, they were encouraged to pledge to support pollinators with a few easy steps, such as planting pollinator friendly plants, avoiding persistent pesticides and sharing info with friends and neighbors. In exchange, they were give a complementary sunflower seed packet and $5 was donated to The Xerces Society by WhiteWave on their behalf. As a result of this initiative at Expo West, WhiteWave donated a total of $20,000 to the Xerces Society. In addition to supporting the Xerces Society’s broader efforts, WhiteWave—parent of natural brand giants such as Silk, So Delicious and Vega—also leverages its expertise to support pollinator health in its own supply chain by working to cultivate pollinator habitats and identify best practices in integrated pest management.
Loveland, Colorado-based Ona Treats makes grain-free cookies and energy bars sweetened with honey. Ona Treats has partnered with Pollinator Partnerships, a nonprofit that promotes the conservation of, education about and research on pollinators. Ona Treats is the main sponsor of Pollinator Partnership’s Bee Friendly Farming Program, a certification that recognizes farmers that provide pollinators with enough habitat, plants and water. With honey being one of the main ingredients in Ona's products, the brand used Expo West and its packaging to convey its bee-friendly mission.
Savannah Bee Company, makers of honey and honey-based body care, grew out of a passion for bees, beekeeping and honey. The company is the proud parent and sponsor of The Bee Cause Project, which puts honeybee observation hives in schools to inspire young people to understand, appreciate and protect the noble honeybee. Savannah Bee Company has help install 225 observation hives across the United States and four countries. At Expo West, the company shared its mission to support bees through in-booth signage, dedicated pages in their catalog and through the sale of its product lines—Bee Cause honey and Bee Cause Lip Balm—that have proceeds donated to The Bee Cause Project.
Money on Honey, a product line of confection-maker Droga Chocolates, is committed to helping protect pollinators through donations to Project Apis m., a nonprofit organization with a mission to fund and direct research to enhance the health and vitality of honeybee colonies and improve crop production. Droga Chocolate and Money on Honey used Expo West as a platform to share its pollinator-support story and educate attendees about why working with responsible companies is good for business, the environment and the bee population.
Portland Bee Balm (makers of lip balm made from beeswax, organic cold-pressed coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil and essential oil) and its sister company Cascadia Candle Co. (makers of topographically shaped 100 percent beeswax candles) used Expo West to share their love of honeybees. Knowing the importance that bees have on our food system and urban landscape, and motivated by the joy they’ve had in keeping our own bees, the company holds an annual Portland Urban Beekeeper Contest. Each year Portland Bee Balm, in partnership with Bee Thinking, gives away bee hives, bees and beekeeping equipment to people that want to be urban beekeepers but cannot afford the start-up costs. “We think it is important to keep bees in an urban environment because it is easy to become disconnected from nature when living in a city. If you keep bees in your backyard, you are more likely to notice the first blooms of spring, or whether your neighbor is using pesticides on their plants,” says the company’s cofounder Brad Swift. “By keeping bees, one cannot help but become more aware of our interconnected interdependence.”
Portland Bee Balm (makers of lip balm made from beeswax, organic cold-pressed coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil and essential oil) and its sister company Cascadia Candle Co. (makers of topographically shaped 100 percent beeswax candles) used Expo West to share their love of honeybees. Knowing the importance that bees have on our food system and urban landscape, and motivated by the joy they’ve had in keeping our own bees, the company holds an annual Portland Urban Beekeeper Contest. Each year Portland Bee Balm, in partnership with Bee Thinking, gives away bee hives, bees and beekeeping equipment to people that want to be urban beekeepers but cannot afford the start-up costs. “We think it is important to keep bees in an urban environment because it is easy to become disconnected from nature when living in a city. If you keep bees in your backyard, you are more likely to notice the first blooms of spring, or whether your neighbor is using pesticides on their plants,” says the company’s cofounder Brad Swift. “By keeping bees, one cannot help but become more aware of our interconnected interdependence.”
At Natural Products Expo West 2017, there was a buzz in the air. The palpable quandary was about more than just the exciting growth of the industry, what with record-breaking attendance and exhibitors filling wall-to-wall space in the convention center, Hilton and the Marriott. This year, many natural brands used their precious booth space to drive education about the plight of pollinators.
Why care about the bees? For starters, the statistics are alarming: One in every three bites of food you eat is dependent on pollinating bees, and about 75 percent of the world’s food crops and 90 percent of wild plants depend on pollinators for survival. The problem? Bees are dying at a rate of 30 percent per year due to several reasons, including mysterious colony collapse disorder, reduced sources of food and habitat, and modern-day agricultural practices. In California’s Salinas Valley, dubbed “America’s Salad Bowl,” bees are shipped in from as far as Florida, Michigan and Maine to help pollinate dependent crops, such as tree nuts, cacao, beans, avocados and nearly all fruits and vegetables. Recently, a few New Hope editors visited this part of California to learn more about the solution of planting hedgerows to reduce dependence on commercial beekeepers.
Many natural brands are learning and educating more about this topic, too, by dedicating their profits, packaging and/or their platforms to help change the trajectory of the pollinator problem. Here are six standout brands from Expo West that are doing something to help save the bees.
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