Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, a small ice cream company in Columbus, OH, announced today that B Lab, the B Corporation certification body, has recognized Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams as a Certified B Corporation. The prestigious designation is awarded to companies that use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems and meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

“We are proud to be a company that is more than just a business, we are a community,” says Jeni Britton Bauer, Founder and Chief Creative Officer. “We feel a sense of responsibility to every community that we serve, including our coworkers, our suppliers, and our customers. Becoming a Certified B Corporation shows that our business is truly dedicated to this responsibility.”

To become a Certified B Corporation, B Lab conducted a rigorous evaluation of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and determined the company met the comprehensive performance standards to qualify for certification. As part of the certification, Jeni’s will join other Certified B Corporations and be legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their employees, suppliers, community, consumers and environment.

The original framework of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is built on the same philosophies and beliefs on which B Corporations stand. From the beginning, Jeni’s has supported small, independent farms and businesses whenever possible. Jeni’s also strives to build community in all the places in which they operate, whether that’s Columbus, Nashville or Uganda. By donating over 30% of their net profits, Jeni’s supports local social and environmental efforts. And while ingredients are first chosen for flavor, Jeni and her team know that taking care of animals and plants in a respectful way makes their bounty all the more delicious.

In addition to Jeni’s strong community support, they are dedicated to empowering their employees by providing a welcoming, open community in which to work. Jeni’s supports many of the interests and values of its team through art and music events and other employee-valued organizations. Whether that support is through the creation of a flavor that fills seats at the symphony, or through their support of the company’s cycling team, Community and Company are synonymous at Jeni’s.

“The B Corp assessment and certification gives us a framework to measure our success as we grow,” says John Lowe, CEO of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. “It challenges us to see our business as a power of good and to always consider our social and environmental impact in the way we do business. We are proud to join this community of like-minded businesses.”

Additionally, to further Jeni’s commitment to community and planet, the company has created a new role in the company, Director of Community & Environmental Stewardship. Filling this responsibility, Christine Bunker Deye, has stepped into the paladin title with lofty aspirations. Deye will lead the company’s efforts in environmental stewardship, social impact and philanthropy. “Christine’s background and passion for social causes and all things green will help extend Jeni’s commitment to being a good steward of both our planet and our community” adds Lowe. As Jeni’s grows, their commitment to being a mindful, responsible company will now have a formal champion within the organization.

Jeni’s joins more than 900 B Corporations from over 60 industries, representing a diverse multi-billion dollar marketplace. Certification is provided by B Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Jeni’s is in good company as a Certified B Corp with likes of Patagonia, Method and Ben & Jerry’s.

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About Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams showcases Founder and Chief Creative Officer Jeni Britton Bauer’s artful attention to detail, while emphasizing every facet of the ice cream eating experience. Jeni’s has been praised by The Washington Post (“Sublime”), Cooking Light (“Deadly delicious”), Saveur (“Revolutionary”) and Time (“The best ice cream in America”).

Jeni opened Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002 in Columbus, Ohio’s historic North Market. Today, in addition to her small company’s thriving home, grocery and restaurant delivery business to all 50 states, Jeni and her small staff operate 15 scoop shops from Chicago to Atlanta. The hands-on crew at Jeni’s makes every batch of ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt in their Columbus kitchen using luscious grass-grazed cream from Ohio cows, Ohio wildflower honey, whole fruits, vegetables and herbs, and an array of carefully sourced ingredients from around the world including rare, fair-trade ingredients.

In 2011, Artisan Books published Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Now in its 8th printing, The New York Times best-selling cookbook was dubbed “the homemade-ice cream-making Bible” by The Wall Street Journal, while The Washington Post proclaimed Jeni “an ice cream wizard.” In 2012, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home earned Jeni her first James Beard Award, America's most coveted honor for journalists, broadcast media and authors writing about food and the culinary arts.

About B Corp
Certified B Corporations meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests, and build collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand. As of September 2013, there are more than 800 Certified B Corporations from over 60 industries and 28 countries, representing a diverse multi-billion dollar marketplace.

About B Lab
B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement to redefine success in business so that all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world. B Lab drives this systemic change through a number of interrelated initiatives. Among them, B Lab is building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and good marketing. They are also passing legislation to accelerate growth of social entrepreneurship and impact investing (12 states have already passed benefit corporation legislation).

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams was founded in 2002 in Columbus, Ohio's historic North Market by Jeni Britton Bauer. Now, Jeni and her small team operate 15 shops. Known for their beautiful and inviting design, Jeni's scoop shops are found from Chicago to Atlanta. Pints, in signature, perennial, and limited flavors just like the scoops in shops, are also available at more than 1,000 US groceries and online through Jeni's home-shipping business. As a strong believer in community, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is committed to being good stewards of every community they touch, from employees to suppliers to farmers to neighborhood shops. With more than 30% of their profits donated to mission-aligned causes and initiatives, Jeni's puts actions to their beliefs.

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