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King Arthur Flour Becomes a Vermont Benefit Corporation

Employee-owned Company also Named to ‘Best for the World’ List

King Arthur Flour Becomes a Vermont Benefit Corporation

Employee-owned Company also Named to ‘Best for the World’ List

Published 03-20-12

Submitted by King Arthur Flour Company, Inc.

The employee-owners of King Arthur Flour have elevated their company’s commitment to being a business that does good by voting to become a Benefit Corporation in the state of Vermont. Vermont was the second state to pass legislation allowing companies to demonstrate higher standards of corporate purpose, accountability, and transparency. Benefit Corporations are also recognized in Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Hawaii, and California. 

“King Arthur Flour is a 222-year-old company interested in preserving its mission and values into the next two centuries,” says President Steve Voigt. “King Arthur looks forward to helping our baking community with ingredients, information, and inspiration for a long time to come.” King Arthur Flour appointed Carol Atwood, current Chair of the Board, to also serve as the Benefit Director. This position will oversee the company’s commitment to its corporate purpose and multiple stakeholders.

In becoming a Benefit Corporation recognized by Vermont state law, King Arthur Flour must adopt a corporate purpose of creating a material positive impact on society and the environment, and to require its directors to consider non-financial interests when making decisions.

Further confirming the company’s commitment to these standards, King Arthur Flour has been named to the first ‘Best for the World’ list as a business creating the most positive worker impact. King Arthur Flour and the other ‘Best for the World’ businesses earned a score in the top 10% of all Certified B Corporations – a certification distinct from Vermont Benefit Corporation – and, on average, two times higher than the average score of nearly 2,000 other sustainable businesses that have completed the B Impact Assessment. 

“King Arthur Flour is a leader in the global movement to redefine success in business,” says Jay Coen Gilbert, cofounder of B Lab, the nonprofit organization that governs the B Impact Assessment and certifies B Corporations. “King Arthur Flour is among the best in the world at being the best for the world.” 

The ‘Best for the World’ lists appear in the 2012 B Corp Annual Report published by B Lab. For more information on benefit corporations, see benefitcorp.net.

King Arthur Flour is America’s oldest flour company and premier baking resource, offering ingredients, mixes, tools, recipes, educational opportunities, and inspiration to bakers worldwide. Found online at kingarthurflour.com. Learn more about how King Arthur Flour creates positive social and environmental impact at bcorporation.net/kingarthurflour

King Arthur Flour Company, Inc. logo

King Arthur Flour Company, Inc.

King Arthur Flour Company, Inc.

America’s oldest flour company, King Arthur Flour was founded in Boston, Mass., in 1790 and moved its headquarters to Vermont in 1984. The company has grown since then from a regional staple to a brand known nationwide for its purity and consistently high quality; from a small mail-order business with five employees in 1990 to the premier baking resource with nearly 200 employees today; from a family-owned operation for five generations to a 100 percent employee-owned business. King Arthur Flour has received several recent recognitions, including the Best Place to Work in Vermont Award in 2006 and 2007; the Outstanding Vermont Business Award and Better Business Bureau Local Torch Award for Excellence in 2006; and the Business Ethics magazine Social Legacy Award in 2004. King Arthur Flour offers more than 1,000 professional-grade baking tools and hard-to-find ingredients through its catalogue, online at www.kingarthurflour.com, and at The Baker's Store in Norwich, Vt.

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