Who’s Our “Socially Responsible Business” of the Month?
An interview with Pam Plesons, founder/owner of Plow to Porch
We just heard the great news that she has received the “Spirit of Entrepreneurship” award from Women’s Economic Ventures!
I knew from the first time I spoke with Pam that we had found another kindred spirit and proponent of creating a Kinder World of Commerce. Pam’s the real deal with a real heart and real purpose.
Join me in congratulating Pam:
ML/CR: What inspired you to start a socially responsible business?
PP: Our mission at Plow to Porch is “to simplify the purchase of local fresh organic/pesticide free produce and other local foods in order to inspire good nutrition, support local farmers, protect our environment and make eating healthy food fun!”
When I started Plow to Porch in 2008, I was motivated by numerous social issues:
- Climate change and reducing carbon emissions by reducing our own individual carbon footprints.
- Supporting our local economy/community by supporting our local organic farmers and other local businesses.
- Educating families about good nutrition to combat the rise in childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes in our community.
- Providing easy access to organic options to improve individual health and the health of our environment.
ML/CR: What are your company values?
PP: Our core values are:
- Responsibility
- Environmental Sustainability
- Supporting Local
- Integrity
- Creativity
- Education/Communication
ML/CR: How do you operationalize those values on a daily basis?
PP: We take responsibility for our actions and try in every way to be a 0% waste company. We re-cycle and re-use in order to decrease the impact on our environment. Each member gets 2 boxes when they sign up that we rotate week to week. Our cooler bags and ice packs are also picked up each week, washed, sterilized and re-used. Of course, it takes clients who align with our company’s values to remember to return these items, but they do that and much more. They return egg cartons, strawberry baskets, and glass jars so that we may then give them back to our farmers and food artisans who can use them again safely.
We believe that small-scale, locally owned businesses create communities that are more prosperous and connected. When we buy from independent, locally owned businesses, rather than national chains, a significantly greater portion of our money is then cycled back through our local economy — to make purchases from our friends’ businesses, to aid our neighbors in need, and to support our local farms — ultimately strengthening the base of our whole community. We now have almost 50 local farmers, ranchers, fisherman and food artisans in our online store. By shopping with us, our members are supporting a very large number of local “mom and pop” businesses.
Integrity is huge. Santa Barbara is a small community. Word travels fast both positively and negatively. We find our best advertising to be word of mouth, so we must be doing something right!
Creativity is essential and we are always looking for ways to be more creative for our members. For example, teaming up with a local chef to make a special dish every other week highlighting our produce and other products or using our newsletter or Instagram to post delicious dishes our members have made and shared to create a sense of community.
Finally, education and communication are a vital part of the solution. Did you know “A new study done at the University of California found that eating organically-grown food for just one week can significantly reduce the levels of pesticide within the body. Researchers found the levels of toxins decreased by an average of 60.5 percent after six days of eating organic food.” May 20, 2019 foodtank.com. And every week we send out a Newsletter with information and recipes. We love to answer questions and always get back to our members in a timely manner.
ML/CR: In what ways can our readers support your business during these challenging times?
PP: The best way to support Plow to Porch and all of the other local businesses we represent is to seriously consider if you would like to reduce your carbon footprint, support local and eat a very healthy diet. If the answer is yes, we are here to support you on that path. We believe that supporting people and the planet is the only way to do business.
Monica & Claudia
Pam Plesons is the Founder/Owner of Plow to Porch Organics, Inc. She can be reached at 805-705-4786 or by email at [email protected]. To learn more, visit: www.plowtoporch.com.
And to enjoy the full video interview, click on the PLAY icon in the above photo.