Mission
Boston Organics provides access to fresh, organic produce to promote and support healthy living in a mindful and sustainable way that respects the environment, supports local farms, local businesses, and fair-trade practices.
Values
Service: It is with thankfulness and gratefulness that we serve our customers. It is their support that ultimately sustains our livelihoods.
Great Quality: If the produce is not fresh, it does not matter if we do everything else perfectly.
Sustainability: "Planet, People, and Profit." We believe that a truly successful, enduring business must operate in a way that benefits all of its stakeholders.
Interdependence: From the farmer in the field to the customer placing the order, it is only through a collective effort that we can make this happen.
Here are some of our practices and affiliations that support our values and help us achieve our mission:
Sustainable Business Leader Program
In 2007, we became one of the first companies in Boston to get certified through the Sustainable Business Leader Program (SBLP). The SBLP is a six-step certification program that takes a holistic approach to improving the environmental performance of businesses. We were re-certified by the SBLP in 2012.
Community Involvement
We support several organizations and participate in a variety of events in the communities we serve. Click here to see some of the great local organizations we regularly support.
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Sensible Fuel Use
Our delivery routes are mapped out for our drivers prior to their departure from our warehouse, so that we can deliver our produce boxes in the most efficient manner possible. We also ask that our drivers shut off their vehicles whenever possible, so that we can keep our emissions and fuel use to a minimum. Weather permitting, we use a cargo bike to deliver produce boxes close to our warehouse and in areas that are difficult to access with a van.
Food Donations
Each time that we order produce from farms and wholesalers, we keep our orders as trim as possible, to minimize the potential for food to go to waste.
At the end of each week we distribute leftover produce amongst Boston Organics employees, and donate any additional produce to Food for Free . Food for Free is an organization that aims to reduce food waste while guaranteeing access to fresh produce for emergency food programs.
Composting & Recycling:
Here at Boston Organics, we strive to reduce waste by reusing and recycling as much as possible. Here are some programs we have joined to assist us in our recycling efforts:
WasteWise Program
WasteWise is a voluntary partnership program launched by EPA in 1994 to help private and public organizations work toward waste reduction. Boston Organics has partnered with WasteWise to track our recycling efforts and minimize our environmental footprint.
Boston Organics also joined the WasteWise Food Recovery Challenge, which encourages participants to reduce, donate, and recycle as much of their food waste as possible. Participants conduct a food waste assessment, undertake specific waste reduction activities, create a food waste recovery plan and report progress.
Save That Stuff
We work with Save that Stuff to recycle our recyclables and to compost whatever we can. The compost that is picked up from Boston Organics eventually makes its way to Rocky Hill Farm in Saugus, Massachusetts.
Year in Review:
From the number of deliveries we made via cargo bike to the amount of produce we purchased from local farms, check out out annual milestones in our year-in-review infographics:
Awards & Affiliations
2014 & 2015 Bike Friendly Business Awards Boston Bikes as a Bike Friendly Business , Boston Organics received this award which is given to a select group of local companies who encourage their employees to bike to work by making their office culture and environment more bike-friendly.
2014 Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Small Business Award
2012 National Sustainable Materials Management Program Regional Award
2011 Sustainable Food Leadership Award
2011 MassRecycle Silver Recycling Award - Food Establishment MassRecycle recognizes a select group of individuals, businesses, municipalities and organizations for their leadership and innovation in promoting recycling and waste reduction by presenting them with the “Green Binnie’ Recycling Award.
Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN). SBN engages business and community leaders in building economies that are green, local, and fair. SBN supports locally owned and independent businesses in improving their environmental business practices, reducing their carbon footprint, and saving money.
Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Northeast Organic Farming Association of Massachusetts (NOFA/MASS). NOFA/MASS works to educate members and the general public about the benefits of local organic systems based on complete cycles, natural materials, and minimal waste for the health of individual beings, communities and the living planet.
The Non-GMO Project Non-GMO Project . The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and building sources of non-GMO products, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices.
The Non-GMO Project believe that everyone deserves an informed choice about whether or not to consume genetically modified organisms.