Gourmate becomes New Zealand’s first B Corp certified petfood brand, a certification which recognises the company’s social and environmental impact, accountability and transparency.
The process required the company to investigate and prove all of their processes – from sourcing of the Green Lipped Mussels they use in their recipes to how much contractors are paid – were above board.
Although New Zealand’s first B Corp certified petfood brand, they join the ranks of other New Zealand B Corps which include Ethique, a plastics-free beauty company, Allbirds, sustainable shoewear makers and international pet business West Paw.
For the co-founders Laura and Steph, the certification recognises their commitment to the welfare of people, the planet and pets. Since the company’s launch in 2020, the focus has been on producing dog treats from locally and fairly sourced ingredients meeting a human food grade standard.
Gourmate also donates a portion of their annual profit to local animal welfare charities through their initiative Gourmate Giving, which in 2020 supported local charity New Zealand Chihuahua Rescue, and are “advocates” for better standards within New Zealand’s pet sector.
To gain a B Corp certification businesses must score a minimum of 80 points out of 200 across a range of categories that identify high social and environmental performance. Median scores for companies that complete the assessment is 51, where Gourmate scored 88.9.
Having received this certification, they join other petfood brands which include US-based Petaluma, Guardian Pet Food Company and Only Natural Pet. You can read more about Petaluma’s efforts to tackle plastics in packaging, HERE.
Commenting on achieving the certification, the company said that they were not “perfect”, and that the B Corp framework provides “guidance” on where they can improve, striving to provide better treat options for pet owners.
For more information on Gourmate visit their website, HERE.
Image credit: Gourmate
