what-is-a-b-corporation
Since 2013, Certified B Corp Pete & Gerry's has been on a mission to produce nutritious, sustainable food from small family farms for a meaningful impact. | peteandgerrys.com
Since 2013, Certified B Corp Pete & Gerry's has been on a mission to produce nutritious, sustainable food from small family farms for a meaningful impact. | peteandgerrys.com Since 2013, Certified B Corp Pete & Gerry's has been on a mission to produce nutritious, sustainable food from small family farms for a meaningful impact. | peteandgerrys.com

Farm News

What is a B Corporation?

As the first B Corporation Certified egg producer in the country, Pete & Gerry's is proud to use our business as a societal force for good via our triple bottom line of people, profit, and planet. We are fully committed to our mission to produce nutritious, sustainable, and healthy food while partnering with small family farmers to make the most meaningful impact.

Words by: Family Farm Team

If you’ve ever taken a look at our Pete & Gerry’s cartons, you’ve probably noticed the phrase “Certified B Corporation” on the side. More than a simple letter or label, the B Corp logo comes with many benefits for you, our hens, and the planet we call home. When you purchase products from certified B Corporations, you’re voting with your dollars for a more just and equitable approach to doing business.

So, what is a B Corp?

The B Corporation community was established in 2006 by three friends with a shared vision of using business to make a positive impact. Since then, it has steadily grown into a vibrant global network of passionate, mission-driven businesses. Like us, B Corps are guided by strong values and a triple bottom line of people, profits, and the planet to ensure there’s a greater benefit behind every decision made. B Corps are also held accountable with regular assessments that measure the social, economic, and environmental impact of their business.

Extending far beyond the egg aisle, the B Corp community of today spans numerous countries and continents. Pete & Gerry’s is a proud member of B Lab U.S. & Canada, the non-profit that handles our B Corp recertification, alongside other trusted and purpose-driven businesses of North America. We also partner with B Local Boston to provide resources and facilitate collaboration between New England B Corps, including leadership development opportunities for Pete & Gerry’s employees.

The first B Corp Certified eggs on the shelf

Upon earning our certification as a B Corporation in 2013, Pete & Gerry’s became the very first egg producer in the U.S. with this meaningful title. Since leading the way for other egg producers and food companies to join the B Corp movement, we continue to maintain the same high standard of thoughtful and responsible business practices across every facet of our company. Whether it’s raising our hens to high Certified Humane standards or providing a supportive workplace and competitive wages for our employees, we’re putting our values first as we help bring nutritious food to grocery stores nationwide.

How do you become a B Corporation?

The first step in every B Corporation’s journey is starting the B Impact Assessment. We work with B Lab for our assessment each term, which is a rigorous process that happens every three years and takes several months to complete. Each assessment dives deep into the impact of our business on all stakeholders, not just shareholders. This means that Pete & Gerry’s can’t simply be good at selling eggs to be a B Corp; we must be working towards the greater good in all we do, with the records to back it up.

While most questions remain the same across each assessment, the weight of each question's impact on the final score or certification status varies depending on the size, industry, and location of the company. Each assessment measures the following five key areas of impact:

  1. Environment
  2. Communities
  3. Customers
  4. Suppliers
  5. Employees
  6. Shareholders

How are B Corps certified?

After completing the B Impact Assessment, each organization is awarded an "impact score." This score has two goals: measuring the impact of the business today, and setting the roadmap for future improvement opportunities. Businesses must receive a minimum impact score of 80 to become a Certified B Corp.

Think of it like searching for the Fair Trade Certified seal when you buy coffee, or like seeing the USDA Organic Certification when you buy Pete & Gerry’s Eggs, but with the confidence that the score is a reflection of the entire company's business practices. And because transparency is key for a thriving and equitable economy, B Lab makes it easy for anyone to review impact scores and track a B Corp’s progress over time.

Pete and Gerry's 2022 Best for the World Community

Pete & Gerry’s named Best for the World™ B Corp

Just like there are halls of fame for sports and music, B Lab also recognizes the top-performing B Corps each year that show a notable impact through their work. The Best for the World B Corp™ distinction is granted to Certified B Corps whose verified scores in the five impact areas evaluated in the B Impact Assessment rank in the top 5% of all B Corps in their corresponding size group.

In 2022, Pete & Gerry’s had the honor of being named a Best for the World B Corp for Communities. B Corps recognized for their exceptional commitment to community have mission-driven cultures that embrace supplier relations, social engagement, charitable giving, and strong, diverse communities. Here at Pete & Gerry’s, we’re passionate about partnering with small family farms and raising our flocks in a way that’s better for our environment. We’ve always put people and the well-being of our local communities first in all we do, and earning this recognition means we’re continuing down the right track with plenty more work ahead.

Better eggs for the greater good

Since becoming the first egg producer to join the B Corp community, we’ve continued to strengthen our commitment to a better way to produce nutritious food for families across the country. In the years since our first assessment, we have participated in several recertification audits and proudly maintain our B Corp status today. For a closer look at our detailed report, click here.

Curious about having your own company become a B Corp? Learn more about joining the B hive here.

COMMENTS

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Paulette E Walters

March 20, 2022

What an awesome business philosophy!! This is what the world needs but lacks. Thank you, and we love & appreciate your delicious organic eggs.

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Jacqueline

March 04, 2022

Thank you for the information and great tasting eggs!

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1 Reply

Marco

March 04, 2022

Hi Jacqueline, Thanks for the kindness and the loyalty toward our small family farms!

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Dan P

July 03, 2021

Just bought my first dozen at Vons in SoCal. Great story! Eggs are tasty, and love the fact that you are a B Corp. Hope you can get them in to Sprouts.

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1 Reply

[email protected]

July 08, 2021

We're so glad to hear that you found our eggs, Dan! Send us an email at [email protected] and we'll send a product request form your way. You can fill that out bring it into your local Sprouts!

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Donna

April 05, 2021

Hi, can you please take another look at your egg cartons? The extra large eggs are always in great condition, no cracks but something more environmentally friendly would really be appreciated

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2 Replies

Rick

March 03, 2022

Recycling the egg cartons creates numerous jobs. look into it. It is good for the earth and most importantly the human need for employment.

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Marco

April 06, 2021

Hi Donna, Thank you for your follow-up. We are so glad you are enjoying our small family farm organic eggs! Please visit our section on sustainability to see how we have addressed our choices to using a 100% recycled carton as well as our Takeback program!

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Anneliese Henderson

March 05, 2021

Fantastic job you guys do! Been buying your delicious eggs from Walmart here in Hinesville, GA for a while. Keep up the great work! Thank you!

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1 Reply

Marco

March 06, 2021

Hi Anneliese, Thank you for those really sweet words! Our family farmers truly appreciate it!

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Kelly Gerard

May 03, 2020

Do you feed your hens food that contains gluten

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[email protected]

May 04, 2020

Hi Kelly, that's a great question. In addition to the insects our hens peck around for on organic pastures, they receive a supplemental feed consisting of organic corn and soy along with some additional minerals. Although gluten is not contained in soy, corn, or the wheat midds that the chickens occasionally eat, we unfortunately cannot guarantee that the feed is completely gluten-free. Our feed ingredients can change slightly depending on flock age and time of year, and the ingredients will sometimes include small amounts of barley and/or rye. Though we have not heard of any gluten allergies or sensitivities being triggered by the consumption of our eggs, we encourage you to contact your healthcare provider if you have any concerns of this nature.

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Cheryl Cave

April 11, 2020

Your eggs are so good! Eggs. That taste fresh from the hen house.

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1 Reply

[email protected]

April 13, 2020

Thank you so much, Cheryl! We're so glad that you're enjoying them and that farm fresh flavor!

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Ralph Swain

March 30, 2020

What breed of hens do you raise? Are they Rhode Island Reds?

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1 Reply

Deneé@peteandgerrys

March 30, 2020

That's a great question! Each of our small family partner farms raises Bovans Browns or Hylines.

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Lenore O'Black

December 24, 2019

Yea for you! And great for us all...So many of us really appreciare your efforts.

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1 Reply

[email protected]

December 26, 2019

Thank you for your kind words and support Lenore!

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Charlotte Pusey

August 13, 2019

I’m confused about whether your cartons can be recycled as well as being made of recycled material.

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1 Reply

[email protected]

August 14, 2019

Hi Charlotte! Great question. Yes, our cartons are indeed recyclable again. Our cartons are originally made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. In many parts of the country, there’s a surplus of recycled soda bottle plastic, and each carton puts that surplus to good use. The cartons are made from the world’s most widely recycled plastic, so they are readily accepted by most recycling programs and considered a #1 plastic. When recycled again, our cartons are significantly less harmful to the environment than recycling pulp packaging, consuming far less energy and water, with no waste or added chemicals. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any additional questions.

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G . Tagliaferri

April 27, 2019

We so proud of you family how you are honest and produce healthy eggs.Our family buy your eggs for long time and after eats the eggs we can feel the different from other brand ,we prepare different dishes include cake the result is amazing to use you eggs. (Long time ago I prepare zabaglione using you eggs for the Prince Of Monaco was good but I wish I was use you eggs. Gourmet magazine I got 3/12 start for that if I was use you eggs probably 4/12 )Now I make hot and cold zabaglione and I use you eggs is incredible the results Now we are very happy find up you the member of you family was service as well . Our family have two sons and one daughter serving in the Navy to . God bless all you for all you doing.

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1 Reply

[email protected]

April 27, 2019

We kind thank you enough for the kind words of support, G. We're so glad that you've been enjoying our eggs in many of your favorite recipes! Your zabaglione sounds delicious, and we hope you'll check out our version with grilled peaches - perfect for summertime: https://www.peteandgerrys.com/egg-recipes/grilled-peaches-with-zabaglione.

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Roberta ferris

March 03, 2019

Do the chickens go to slaughter factories when they are old?

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1 Reply

[email protected]

March 05, 2019

Thank you for this important question, Roberta. At the end of a flock’s natural laying cycle, we contract with several poultry transportation and processing companies to purchase our birds. These companies send trained and certified humane handling poultry crews to our farms to pick up the hens. At this point, the hens belong to that company, but we have worked with them to ensure that our birds are going to acceptable follow-on markets. You can learn more about this process here: https://www.peteandgerrys.com/faqs.

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Diane

February 24, 2019

Do you use fertilizer on your land, and if so, from what company?

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1 Reply

[email protected]

February 25, 2019

Hi Diane, we often use chicken manure from our home farm here in New Hampshire for our fields and pasture. Since we work with a network of small family farms across the country, we don't have a list of companies that provide fertilizer to all of our farms, but we can tell you that many of them do the same.

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Barb Wiltz

January 19, 2019

Thank you for being a B Corp. I'm buying your eggs from now on. I'll be looking for the B Corp on other products too.

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[email protected]

January 21, 2019

We're honored to hear this, Barb. Thank you so much for supporting B Corps in the egg aisle and beyond - it really does make a difference.

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Les

January 03, 2019

Why are the eggs packed in plastic and not cardboard? Is the plastic recyclable? Also we have failures with this packaging with shell breakage.

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1 Reply

[email protected]

January 03, 2019

Hi Les, we're incredibly sorry that you've had issues with our cartons not protecting our eggs adequately. Do you mind sending us a email at [email protected] so that we can replace these cartons that have given you trouble? In the meantime, we invite you to check out our blog post explaining our choice to use plastic over cardboard: https://www.peteandgerrys.com/blog/paper-or-plastic. As you'll read there, our cartons are made from recycled water bottles and are indeed recyclable themselves!

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Kim

January 02, 2019

Do your eggs travel to CT? If so, what stores carry them? Happy New Years

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1 Reply

[email protected]

January 02, 2019

Hi Kim! Happy New Year! Yes, our eggs are found in CT. Here's a link to our egg locator where you can find stores near you: http://fal.cn/rxIG Thanks for reaching out!

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Steven

December 29, 2018

Wonderful! You guys make a great product and the fact that you do it with integrity makes me a happy consumer.

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1 Reply

[email protected]

December 31, 2018

We appreciate that, Steven. Thank you so much for supporting B Corps like us!

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Karen

November 28, 2018

What do you feed the hens

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1 Reply

[email protected]

November 29, 2018

Great question, Karen. When our free range hens aren’t pecking around for insects in the pasture, they enjoy a supplemental feed consisting mainly of organic corn and soy. The soy provides them with the extra protein they need to maintain a well balanced diet, and the corn is a great source of carbohydrates. There are also a wide range of other beneficial nutrients and minerals in our feed that help to keep the hens healthy, such as electrolytes, sodium bicarbonate, and more. Let us know if you have any follow-up questions!

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DianneB

November 20, 2018

Since most soy is GMO, I'm not sure how you can say eggs [from the chickens you feed soy to] are organic. Have purchased Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs the last couple weeks - afraid I will have to stop now as I don't eat GMO foods (when I know I'm doing so).

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1 Reply

[email protected]

November 20, 2018

Hi Dianne, the soy that we use (along with any other ingredients in our supplemental chicken feed) is USDA Certified Organic, as are our eggs. This means they are free of GMOs and synthetic pesticides. If you're interested in reading more about the importance that the organic seal holds for us, we invite you to check out this blog post: https://www.peteandgerrys.com/organic-eggs/organic-matters. Please let us know if we can answer any questions for you!

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Sandra

October 16, 2018

What diet is fed to your chickens. Thank you, Sandra

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1 Reply

[email protected]

October 17, 2018

Hi Sandra! Great question. When our free range hens aren’t pecking around for insects in the pasture, they enjoy a supplemental feed consisting mainly of organic corn and soy. The soy provides them with the extra protein they need to maintain a well balanced diet, and the corn is a great source of carbohydrates. There are also a wide range of other beneficial nutrients and minerals in our feed that help to keep the hens healthy, such as electrolytes, sodium bicarbonate, and more. Let us know if you have any follow-up questions!

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Nancy Rivera

October 14, 2018

Good Afternoon, I would like to say Thank you for think about us raising up chickens. the way God show us to raise. God Bless you and Family.

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1 Reply

[email protected]

October 15, 2018

Thank you so much for the kind and heartfelt message, Nancy. We couldn't do it without your support!

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