Gisele, president of women-led Coopecuna, supervises her farm™s visionary restoration project with Thrive Natural Care.

Thrive Natural Care, creator of the first regenerative supply chain in the personal care industry, made another significant step forward this month as it finalized a historic partnership with a woman-led co-op in rural Costa Rica. The company continues to break new ground with its innovative business model that produces unique and healthy men’s shave & skincare products while dramatically improving the environment and the lives of stakeholders.

After more than a year of piloting, the Coopecuna co-op will operate a high-performance distillation unit, built with financial support and technical expertise from Thrive. The co-op will use the distillation unit to transform soil-restoring native plants into new-to-market essential oils for Thrive’s products.

Thrive’s shave & skin care products deliver restorative qualities from the farm to the face. Soil isn’t just used, it’s made better. Farmers aren’t just employed, they are partners in improving rural livelihoods. Thrive’s regenerative business model works to improve the vitality of the elements along its supply chain, all the way to the end customers seeking better skin health from uniquely effective, truly natural products at an affordable price.

This strategic vision is shared by Interface, Patagonia, and a few other visionary companies, and is a transformative step beyond traditional business approaches to sustainability.

“We’re proud to be one of a few companies at the vanguard of a new kind of business model,” explains CEO, Alex McIntosh, “It’s one that intentionally designs and creates products with a positive footprint, moving from ‘do no harm’ (sustainable) to ‘leave things better’ (restorative).  If a small young company like Thrive can do it, so can the big guys, whether its personal care, food & beverage, clothing or cellphones.”

Thrive’s regenerative business model is showing results. After three years, the income of Thrive’s farmers has increased by 40% and Thrive’s regenerative farming practices continue to improve local soil composition and ecological biodiversity. Yet even with these positive social and ecological impacts, Thrive’s team managed to reduce the cost of their unique essential oil ingredients by more than 75%.

These oils are unique to Thrive, which can offer its premium shave and skincare products at an affordable price because the company buys the oils directly from the co-op running the distillation unit. The co-op is able to produce other valuable plant oils when Thrive isn’t buying, and then sell the oils to other businesses. This innovative partnership transforms farmers from commodity producers to value-added producers with multiple buyers.

Director of Sustainable Operations in Costa Rica, Mario García, emphasizes the company’s vision, “We have made audacious steps to invest in our farming partners and the land in our supply chain. We want our farmers and their community to be healthy and vibrant. This is better for everybody involved and our success so far demonstrates it is also good for business.”

Thrive’s regenerative model, and the impactful growth that has come with it in three short years, is a powerful proof point in a broader movement by some of the world’s most innovative companies to build the supply chains of the future.

Thrive Natural Care is headquartered in San Francisco, CA and works in tandem with a passionate team of formulators, ecologists, students and rural farmers in Costa Rica. The company conducted extensive R&D in the Costa Rican ecosystem in order to appropriately source premium ingredients before bringing their truly healthy and natural product to market in 2014.

About: Founded in 2013, Thrive currently sells online at www.thrivecare.co and Amazon, in addition to more than 60 Whole Foods Markets from Seattle to Santa Cruz, as well as other leading men’s and natural retailers across the USA. Thrive’s products are all certified Premium Body Care by Whole Foods, the retailer’s highest level of certification for efficacy, safety and sustainability. The unique men’s shave and skin care line, inspiring mission, and regenerative business model have been featured in Esquire, Progressive Grocer, and Travel & Leisure Magazine.

Thrive Natural Care

Thrive Natural Care

Thrive is a leading men’s natural care brand founded in 2012. Born in Costa Rica and powered by two unique plants rich in antioxidants and other skin-enhancing properties, Thrive products - currently Face Wash, Shave Oil & Face Balm - contain only premium natural ingredients and zero synthetics or toxins. Thrive with us at thrivecare.co

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