What is “fair”?

Well, it has been a long time again since my last post. If there were more people involved in running Barkwheats than just me, I’m sure I’d have some more time to put towards posting. That being said, how great is it that we’ve been so busy? It’s wonderful. Barkwheats is growing beyond anything I had imagined when Renee and I first started this in early 2008. The fact that people like you who believe that business has a larger role to play in society than gathering tubs of money is what makes us who we are.

I’d been interviewed quite a number of times over the past couple of months, and have given lectures and panel discussions all about the issues of “fairness” and how it pertains to Barkwheats. Think back to when you were younger and the elder folk told you to “play fair” and share with your friends, and treat people nice. It sometimes wasn’t the easiest thing to do, and believe me, when it came to sharing one of my mom’s brownies… well, I don’t know if I was ever really fair in cutting it perfectly in half.

Fair isn’t easy. But, how often is the right decision the easy one to make? You’re late for work or that first date, and the speed limit signs of 35 MPH just aren’t doing it for you. It’s easy to go 15-20 MPH over and get there on time, but is it right? That milk chocolate bar on the left is only 75 cents, whereas the one on the right is $2.39. You notice a Fair Trade Certified™ logo on the bar on the right, letting you know the cocoa didn’t come from child slave labor on the Ivory Coast. The easy option is to pay less, and get that extra pack of candy for later. It’s easy, but not right, or fair to those involved.

Our decisions that we make every day have consequences, good or bad. Since we are a consumption driven economy, the decisions about what we purchase have enormous implications throughout our country and our world. That chocolate bar might be more expensive, but get this: you can always just eat half of it! Save the other half for tomorrow. The dollars that you spend will put smiles on the faces of the farmers who took the care to provide you with a great piece of chocolate. Those dollars will be invested in the communities of those farmers, building schools, health clinics, safe areas for children to be children. Those dollars ensure that those children are not the ones who are enslaved to carry pesticides on their back and work 15 hours a day to give you that 75 cent chocolate bar.

As for that first date, call the restaurant and see if your date has arrived. If they have, send a glass of wine over there with a note saying you’re on your way. I bet it’ll work just fine.

We buy, we consume, and there’s no way around that. Our civilization has been built upon it. We have been duped into believing that “cheaper is better” because we can have more of what we want. When will the time of “better is better” come? Well, I think that time is now.

Not “Business as Usual”

Long time no post! So many things have been going on around here lately it’s hard to remember them all, and hard to keep my head straight most of the time. New flavors, new packaging, new items (trial size packs), new press… lots of great stuff, and it’s because of your great support that we’re able to bring your pups the most amazing snacks out there.

We have new packaging! We partnered with Abby McMillen who paints amazing Folk Dogs to bring our new look to life. They’re super adorable, heart tuggingly sweet, and oh so desirable. Collect all four!

“Blueberry & Lavender” and “Pumpkin & Sage” are our new flavors that have been getting some rave reviews so far. Tim and Lydia of Moon Hill Farm manage some amazingly sweet organic wild blueberries that we buy for our biscuits, and we’re working on getting lavender from a few places, one farm in New Hampshire and one of my friend’s aunts in Washington state. I do love knowing just where all of these ingredients come from.

Our pumpkin is coming from Two in the Bush Farm in Thorndike where Wini and Pete have been growing Long Pie Pumpkins for years for Fedco solely for the seeds. Previous to now they’ve been throwing the flesh out into the field, and now we get to make some ultra delicious snacks for your dog. The sage is coming from Snakeroot Farm and also from an herbalist, Pam, in southern Maine. She was instrumental in helping me figure out the new flavor combinations.

Our ginger finally finished up with it’s Fair Trade Certification and we’ve got the very first pet product to carry the FTC logo, which is a very big deal in certifying our fair labor practices and engagement with the farmers in Belize.

Well, that’s all I’ve got time for right now, the biscuits are calling my name down in the bakery!

Here’s to a great 2010!

Be Mindful of Your Packaging Choices

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in Maine. It wasn’t more than a week ago we had been greeted by the first snow flakes dancing about our yard, bringing a taste of what was to come. Then yesterday we had 60 degrees and bright sunshine, getting to see the last of the luxurious gold, fire red, and burnt orange leaves that were still clinging to their branches. I do love Maine in the fall.

We live on the ocean, too, so we get to have the wondrous waves of the Atlantic lapping at our feet, for the dogs to run in (but not swim… neither like to swim for some weird reason. Strangest labs in the world!). Every so often, however, we’re privy to ours and our neighbors choices for products they consume. It’s not often we see trash washed up on our shores here, but it does happen. We live in a small community, but near larger ones. Picture the rocky coastline of Maine spotted with quaint little towns, clapboard houses with sea-stained gray siding and bright white trim. Small country stores in one town, with Wal-Mart’s in the next. Strip malls, big malls, Home Depots and Lowes right next door to each other vying for customers of their competitors. Large businesses and small there to make our lives easier as consumers.

I know I’m as much a consumer as the next person. I make no excuses for needing to purchase things that come wrapped in plastic. Do I try to avoid it at all costs? Absolutely. Do I wish there was a better way? Of course. When you purchase our product, ALL of our packaging can be put back to the Earth and NOT in a landfill, or even worse, into our oceans. We encourage you to compost our bag and box, grow your own food, even if it’s just a potted tomato plant on your balcony of your apartment. Toss our bag into a fireplace/woodstove/bbq pit, and recycle our paperboard box. Whatever you do, just don’t throw it away. We made a conscious decision to rid our packaging of detriments to the environment.

What happens when you do use plastics and just toss them to the side of the road? Toss them into the trash? That lighter you use to light those cigarettes that damage not only yourself but our environment. That bottle of Coke that gave you a moment of enjoyment but seems to last forever on our Earth?

Beware, as this link I’m posting is graphic. I promised myself that I wouldn’t look at it just based on the description of it. But, I couldn’t neglect what is true, and neither can you. These pictures of birds were taken on an island that is 2,000 (two THOUSAND) miles from the nearest continent. Keep that in mind as you view what our packaging choices have on the environment. Not just packaging choices as consumers, but as manufacturers. Demand that the companies you purchase from find better ideas! Vote with your dollars. Buy a refillable lighter, use a stainless steel water bottle and make your own iced tea instead of buying Coke. Buy Barkwheats!

And now, the big show. From Chris Jordan.

Common Grounds

We all search for the best way to do things, the best way to us. Some find one’s best way too extreme, the others may find a best way too lackadaisical. But for all of these paths to the result, there is common ground. We found that to be the results of MOFGA’s Common Ground Country Fair.

In thinking about “Common Ground” you could think of it as the Earth. It’s the one thing that every single man, woman, child, animal and plant has in common. We travel the Earth looking for our answers. We had renewable energy folks, stunning silversmiths, Indian food next to dough boys, baby cloths and dog biscuits. To draw commonalities between all of those folks is no simple task. How do cloth diapers interweave with Indian food? How do felted earrings align with dog treats? Our common ground, the Earth we walk on and all strive to keep alive, vibrant, and healthy.

In today’s economic times it’s hard for people to want to purchase goods that are a little more expensive than some counterparts that might not have our common ground in mind. We realize that with our products, we aren’t going to be your run-of-the-mill dog treats that you can buy $5 for 10 pounds. The companies that produce those kinds of products have one thing in mind, and that is getting you to buy their product and them to make money, and lots of it.

I would urge you to think about the net impact of your purchasing decision. Do you want to purchase a product made by a company who has not a care about the environment, the one thing you have in common with them? The only true tie you have with that company is this Earth, and you shouldn’t take part in destroying it.

Purchase from companies who relish the fact that we all share this common ground. We all play a part in keeping the grounds we walk on clean and fertile. We all have a say in who gets the dollars we spend on products. For us, your dollars go to farmers that protect the earth. Your dollars go to help feed their families, and hundreds of other families because your dollars help their farms survive. Your dollars provide your dog with the most healthful, nutritious, and fresh treat available at the store.

Let’s work together and preserve this common ground that we all share. It’s mine, it’s yours, it’s all of ours.