Small "ethical" companies that are really owned by huge corporations

[aggieterpkatie]

I knew about Seeds of Change. Burt's Bees is a big downer though. Love their products (well, I guess I'll be rethinking buying them).

Why? If the products are still good and you think the price is right, does it really matter who profits from your sale? Now if the products change or the price goes up thats the time to switch. BTW Mars is not a huge corporation it is family owned by a very rich family!

Exactly.

 

[FarmerChick]

don't forget to bash the other side. the small local company owner THAT became big enough to be bought for TONS of cash --going from that little old fellow working out of his garage to being a multi-millionaire from his company sale!! HE is laughing all the way to the bank and living high on the hog after 'selling out to the big bad corporation!"



oh wait, that is the American dream right? :/

???? Hmmm, don't really see how I was "bashing" anyone, just stating an opinion on how I see it. Maybe you should go back and read my post again... s l o w l y. You seem to have missed my point by a country mile.

I wasn't referring to your post.

I was just throwing out a statement I wanted to make. If I reference you, I would pull the quote up in my response.

I didn't miss your point. I wasn't responding to it

 

[moolie]

Interesting discussion.

I just personally prefer to purchase from local producers, and purchase my family's food in the most natural state possible (most of it from the farmer's market). We don't buy a lot in the way of cleaning or personal products, and also purchase these from local producers (e.g. shampoo from a BC company ). I also buy my heritage/heirloom seeds from a western Canadian company (as close as I can get to home).

This ensures that my purchases travel as short a distance to the consumer (me) as possible, that I support local businesses, and that I have the opportunity to get to know the people who produce what I consume.

It takes some research, some label reading, and some time to get to know people, but our family believes our efforts pay off in so many ways--both for us and our health, as well as for the producers.

Big multi-national corporations are great for capitalism and spreading the "American dream", I guess (I'm not an American), but not good for average people the world over for many reasons (my opinion). YMMV.

 

[abifae]

America isn't capitalist. Capitalism requires laissez-faire and our govvie has its hands deep in business.

 

[k15n1]

The fact that these ethically branded companies are being aquired could mean that they're profitable and there's a trend in the market that the big companies see growing.

 

[moolie]

The fact that these ethically branded companies are being aquired could mean that they're profitable and there's a trend in the market that the big companies see growing.

Oh, absolutely. And I don't fault them for not re-inventing the wheel, especially if the small entrepreneurs are willing to sell out. Big corps can run these niche market companies cheaper.

But at what cost to the environment, the workers, and the consumer?

People are always looking for a deal. If we actually paid the true cost of the goods we buy, everyone would be better off. People would have jobs that pay well, companies might actually take care of the environment, and the end product might actually be of better quality, Unfortunately, people are lazy, greedy and cheap.

 

[old fashioned]

...Why? If the products are still good and you think the price is right, does it really matter who profits from your sale? Now if the products change or the price goes up thats the time to switch. BTW Mars is not a huge corporation it is family owned by a very rich family!

Actually yes it does matter who profits. Consumer dollars are the biggest determining factor of business. Just for instance, you continue to buy your seeds from Burpee you are in turn supporting Seminis aka Monsanto & with those profits Monsanto is even more able to monopolize the worlds seeds, food, chemicals & pharmacuticals & who knows what else. By giving your dollars to Mega corps or even very rich families (whether directly or indirectly) you are not only supporting their pockets, but also their causes and their power.
If you instead only buy from reputable companies or the people just starting out in their garage or whatever that have similar ethical standards as yourself, you are in essence taking the 'power' away from the big greedy guys & giving it to what you believe in and thereby making a statement to the biggies...that you won't stand for what they are selling.

Consumer dollars have created these small companies into 'serious competition' to Mega corps. and that's why they have bought them out. The most dishearting thing about it all is that the small companies weren't able to stand against being taken over.

Just sayin

 

[moolie]

Consumer dollars have created these small companies into 'serious competition' to Mega corps. and that's why they have bought them out. The most dishearting thing about it all is that the small companies weren't able to stand against being taken over.

Just sayin

This isn't always the case, check out a very enlightening book called "The E-Myth".

It basically states that if you start a business because you love what you do, you won't necessarily succeed, because you also have to run the business. Hire and supervise staff, deal with inventory and suppliers, keep the books. It burns out a LOT of entrepreneurs and most sell out to people who are good at running the business side, but just didn't have the idea for the particular business.

 

[hoosier]

America isn't capitalist. Capitalism requires laissez-faire and our govvie has its hands deep in business.

true

 

[old fashioned]

Moolie, I agree to a point. I may very well be wrong here, but I think you are talking on a much smaller scale than I was. Any of the small companies mentioned in the earlier post (Tom's, Burt's Bee's, Cascadian, etc) had already made it past those initial business 'bumps in the road' and were doing quite well on their own before their Corperate competition got greedy and bought them out.
I can't imagine if I started a business in my own kitchen and was doing well enough that I'd have to expand enough to start looking for a few employees &/or a larger place that ConAgra would come knocking on my front door. They wouldn't show up until 'after' that when I already had employees & a factory, etc (the business bugs worked out). If I weren't able to handle those 'business bugs' I'd just be selling out to a larger local type business or a person or persons that would have a better 'business' mind or loose it entirely.