Innovation

Green Table Foods' biggest innovation is its environmentally friendly and sustainable business plan. Everything it sells is locally sourced and prepared entirely in store. For over a decade, it has been committed to providing nutritious, great tasting food while supporting the Canadian economy through local fair trade. "In terms of brand recognition and trust, it helps us a lot," said Caroline Pilon, company founder.

Green Table Foods' customers value that their purchase of Green Table Foods' products helps local farmers and lessens the carbon footprint by reducing pollution through decreased transportation. The company also uses 100% reusable and recyclable glass jars. "It's a decision that is informed by our want to recycle and our concern about the interaction with plastic packaging, especially with the type of product we are doing," Pilon said.

Green Table Foods was the brainchild of Caroline and Joshua Pilon. They had a passion for healthy cooking and together, they developed many organic products that are free of all leading allergens. The Pilons knew their customers were very conscious of what they were putting in their bodies, and wanted to ensure the health and authenticity of their products by creating this health conscious and sustainable business model. They purchased local organic products to reduce environmental damage, and began making their popular products. Essentially, their innovative business plan emerged because the Pilons felt a strong desire to provide the best products they could for their customers while also trying to become a more environmentally sustainable organization. This allowed their business to grow successfully. As the company's website states, "Our enterprise is based on a simple idea: that we can support our planet and our health with sustainable, quality, Living Organic Food."

Inspiration

Green Table Foods began as a meal service called Meals that Heal. For years, co-founder Josh Pilon, a chef by trade, had been making kimchi, a Korean dish consisting of fermented cabbage. But "you would never hear about this unless you had been to Korea or knew a Korean family," Caroline Pilon said. Through farmers markets, the Pilons created an awareness of kimchi to local Guelph consumers, but it wasn't an easy sell. “I remember him starting to make kimchi, and it reeks. We had staff and different business partners who thought he was nuts. But he he persevered and showed me that people were buying it," she noted. Today, the biggest seller at Green Table Foods is their original kimchi.

The Pilons had a desire to provide the best for their customers and the environment even at a cost to themselves. Ms. Pilon noted that their customers probably don't realize that buying American made glass jars for their quality and ecological benefits costs a premium. But the Pilons believe that organic, locally sourced foods are better for both people and the environment. As a result, it was only logical that they approach their business in the same way, and Green Table Foods was born.

The purpose of designing their company to be sustainable was to create better products and a better life for all. By sourcing their produce from local farms and their jars from the United States, they help reduce their greenhouse gas emissions which reduces their carbon footprint. In addition, Ms. Pilon believes that the organic sourced produce means that the land is better maintained and cared for when compared to farmland that is fertilized and then mono cultivated year after year. The glass jars also reduce fears that plastic containers are leaching components of that plastic into their products such as BPA.

Overall impact

Choosing to package their products in glass jars instead of plastic containers has affected Green Table Foods' bottom line. While profit margins are lower due to this choice, the Pilons have made a conscious decision to impact the environment in a positive way with their product line. On the other hand, Ms. Pilon believes the glass helps with sales volume. "Aesthetics does sell. It looks better, so this is going to your bottom line," she noted. Another business decision impacted by their eco-friendly business plan is their contract with local cabbage suppliers that stays at a fixed price across the year. “We agree with our growers to decide upon a fair price and we pay that consistently throughout the year." she said. "This is a number that works for all parties involved." This mutual agreement goes a long way in supply chain relations which can have extensive long term benefits. “If you have high volume, you’re able to drive the price down, and for the suppliers, that’s OK. That way, a grower can say 'I don’t need to go to a market, I can just do this. My costs are less.'" These long term benefits are specifically the vision Green Table had in mind when entering the food production business. While Green Table could try to find the lowest priced cabbage at all times in order to keep food costs down, it is another instance of putting the environment first.

Green Table’s products are free from the leading allergens such as nuts and shellfish, making them consumable by all. This is crucial for a small company looking to grow. Green Table also believes they are filling the changing needs of consumers. “We can see consumers demanding this. If you look at the big corporations, you’re seeing a switch, different options. Organic is becoming a big deal," she said. In terms of giving back to the community, Ms. Pilon noted Green Table’s passion for donating food to charities and sponsoring activities that follow the mission of the company.

In addition, Green Table reduces greenhouse effects by transporting product locally. Focusing on local sourcing could also create opportunity for local farms to operate at more times throughout the year. “Up north, there’s not a lot going on there agriculturally, but cabbage likes the cold," Ms. Pilon said. Cabbage is integral to Green Table’s success, as it is a key ingredient in its most popular item, organic kimchi. The decision to use US made, 100% recyclable glass in place of plastic was also made specifically with the environment in mind, not the bottom line. "It's not just what it is doing to our bodies, it's what it is doing to the earth," she said. Organic farming is more sustainable due to the absence of harmful pesticide use that transfers into our foods.

Business benefit

The sustainable practices that Green Table Foods implements within their business plan creates value for their consumers. For instance, their customers know that the glass jars being used are better for the environment and consumers' health. With glass, there is no risk of the product containing chemicals, which is common for plastic containers. In today's health conscious society, consumers value sustainable foods and are willing to pay more for these products, such as organic foods. Green Table Foods has successfully appealed to these customers through their organic, local fair trade, and environmental sustainability initiatives. This gives an intangible benefit to their business in terms of image and social capital.

Social and environmental benefit

Green Table Foods has benefited the environment through their business plan. They use recyclable, local glass jars for their products which reduces the amount of waste generated by plastic containers and lessens pollution from decreased transportation. They ensure that their products are purchased from local farmers which also reduces their carbon footprint. It is also important to them that their products are organic. Organic farming has an abundance of benefits for our environment, including no use of harmful pesticides and increases soil fertility.

Interview

Caroline Pilon, Founder & CFO