We’re proud to share a milestone that’s been quietly unfolding behind the scenes for quite some time: Big Spoon Roasters is now a Certified B Corporation™!
For us, this isn’t about adding another logo to our website or checking a box. It’s about joining a global community committed to using business as a force for good and strengthening the foundation we’ve been building for 15 years as a small, independent, and founder-led food company.
When we started Big Spoon Roasters in 2010, the idea was simple but ambitious: to handcraft truly delicious nut butters and small-batch energy bars using exceptional ingredients, while building a business that treated people, land, and community with care and respect. What began as a single farmers’ market stand has grown into an award-winning, nationally recognized brand, and yet we’ve worked hard to stay rooted in small-batch craft, transparency, and long-term stewardship rather than short-term growth.
Earning B Corp certification affirms that these foundational values aren’t just ideals; they’re embedded in how we operate.
What It Means to Be a B Corp
Certified B Corporations meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. The assessment evaluates everything from sourcing and environmental practices to employee wellbeing, governance, community impact, and customer stewardship. It’s not a one-time achievement, either. Certified companies are re-evaluated regularly and encouraged to continuously improve.
For an self-funded, small-scale business like ours, pursuing certification required real commitment: documenting systems, formalizing policies, measuring impact, and challenging ourselves to look honestly at how we operate. The process was not easy, but it was deeply worthwhile.
As Megan puts it:
“As a small, founder-led company, the B Corp framework has helped provide us with additional benchmarks and tools to strengthen the sustainability work we’ve been committed to since day one. It gives internationally recognized structure and accountability to our decision-making and challenges us to look critically at how we operate so that we can keep raising the bar as we grow.
Why This Matters for Independent Businesses
B Corp certification is often associated with larger companies that have dedicated compliance teams and outside funding. For independent makers operating with lean teams and tight margins, the path to certification is inherently more challenging, which is exactly why we believe this milestone matters.
We’ve built Big Spoon without outside investment, guided by values rather than venture capital expectations. Achieving B Corp certification shows that thoughtful, responsible business practices are not limited to large corporations. Small businesses can lead, too.
It’s also a reminder that independence and accountability can go hand in hand. We don’t believe that staying small means staying informal or complacent. On the contrary, we see structure, measurement, and transparency as tools that help protect our values as we grow.
Joining a Global Community
One of the most inspiring parts of becoming a B Corp is joining an international network of thousands of businesses across industries and continents who are collectively working toward a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.
These are companies asking honest questions about their impact. They’re experimenting, sharing learnings, collaborating, and pushing the boundaries of what responsible business can look like. Being part of this community connects us to a much larger movement and reminds us that we’re not doing this work alone. It’s humbling and energizing all at once!
A Natural Next Step in Our Journey
This milestone also reflects a broader shift we began in early 2025, when we made the intentional decision to step away from national grocery distribution and refocus on direct relationships with customers and independent retailers. That choice was driven by our desire to align growth with our values — prioritizing product integrity, employee wellbeing, environmental responsibility, and long-term resilience over volume, speed, and a definition of “success” that was increasingly divergent from the values we hold dear.
Earning B Corp certification feels like a natural continuation of that commitment, as we choose depth over scale, stewardship over shortcuts, and clarity over convenience.
As Mark shares:
“We’re honored to join the B Corp community and to be part of a global network of businesses committed to positive social and environmental impact. We’re grateful that our community values not only what we make, but how we make it. This certification helps make visible the commitments and practices that have long guided our decisions behind the scenes.”
Looking Ahead
Becoming a Certified B Corporation doesn’t mean we’ve arrived, but it does mean we’ve raised the bar for ourselves. The framework gives us new tools to measure progress, identify opportunities for improvement, and hold ourselves accountable as we continue to evolve.
We remain deeply committed to:
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Thoughtfully sourced ingredients and sustainable partnerships
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Exceptional food safety and product integrity
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Fair labor practices and team wellbeing
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Responsible packaging and waste reduction
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Community investment and food access initiatives
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Long-term independence and transparency
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Environmental stewardship toward a healthier planet
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Culinary innovation and the joy of sharing well-made food
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And now, we're grateful to have a globally recognized structure to support that work.
To our customers, partners, farmers, makers, team members, and community: thank you for believing in this approach to food and business. You’ve made this milestone possible.
A special thanks to NC State University’s B Lab program, which helped us organize our approach to certification, and to Whitney K., whose focused help during the summer of 2025 was instrumental in getting us to the finish line.
We’re excited to keep building, learning, and sharing good food with purpose.
With gratitude,
Mark & Megan
Co-Founders, Big Spoon Roasters
