Purpose of the Company

“Our mission amplifies regenerative agriculture techniques, profitability, and responsible resilience. We are in the process of becoming a Grower-Led, B Corp.”

Founded with a belief in the transformative power of our food system, Elevated Foods is dedicated to regenerating land, strengthening agrarian communities, and nurturing people. As a Grower-Led, aspiring B Corporation, Elevated Foods is pioneering a “Modern Old School '' approach that blends traditional farming methods with innovative technology. In practice this means that Elevated is actively advancing climate-smart agricultural practices across hundreds of farms, impacting several hundred thousand acres of land, in partnership with farmers of all types. Their innovative platform fosters a symbiotic relationship between all stakeholders along a food supply chain, from farm folks to city folks, creating a cohesive community driven by shared success. Their ambitious goal is to sequester over half a million metric tons of carbon in the next five years while empowering farmers to lead profitable businesses.

The Opportunity We Activated

At Decade Impact, we embarked on a transformative journey with Elevated Foods, initially approached for B Corp certification assistance. The engagement was rooted in addressing specific pain-points, brainstorming areas of opportunity, and creating comprehensive solutions that would drive growth and positive impact for people and the planet. This initiative was pivotal for Elevated Foods, compelling the team to delve into the foundational purpose and how they would work towards their mission achievement. Our workshops provided a structured environment to tackle essential topics, facilitated by a feedback loop that illuminated blind spots, fostered introspection, and stretched the team.

Prior to our collaboration, Elevated Foods’ leaders, Steve and Peter, grappled with the B Corp certification process and mission-related conversations, but realized the need for external expertise. They met with several consulting firms, yet found their approaches lacking—either too templated or not right-sized. In contrast, Decade Impact offered thoughtfulness and commitment, allowing for Elevated Foods to deepen their impact beyond what was previously considered. In addition, Elevated appreciated our clarity around the expected deliverables, timelines, and outcomes of our project.

Our partnership’s success is evident in the goals met. Elevated Foods emerged with a more defined mission, a robust operational framework, and a strategic path forward, all of which embodying the principles of the B Corp movement.

“The thoughtfulness and commitment demonstrated by Decade Impact were unparalleled. Their approach allowed Elevated Foods to deepen our impact in ways we hadn’t imagined.”

- Peter Wells, Strategy Director at Elevated Foods

How Elevated Foods and Decade Worked Together

Our team was really excited by this project as Elevated Foods was in the unique start-up stage of their business journey, meaning our work as impact designers could really be integrated into the foundational roots of the business. Sometimes we are rebuilding planes in the air, in the case of Elevated Foods, we knew that we were working with a team of experts to construct a rocket on the tarmac. From this perspective, we considered what work would be most important to support Elevated Foods in being the purpose-driven business leader they aspired to be.

Using the B Corp Assessment as a guide and design tool for identifying social and environmental impact opportunities, our project achieved these top outputs:

Farmer Relations & Impact Evaluation Tool: Working off of the discussions and outcomes from our team workshops, we developed an internal tool for Elevated Foods to use for evaluating prospective farm partners and measuring the effectiveness of their service objectives over time. Today, the company is using this tool with farm partners and it has supported them with grant applications for additional funding.
Service Design & Value Proposition: By request of Elevated Foods, we spent significant time in our workshops exploring what the unique value proposition and service would be that would lead to mutual success with farm partners and Elevated Foods’ mission. Our team offered ideas from the B Corp Movement and examples of like-businesses to generate constructive brainstorming and creative thinking. This work supported Elevated Food’s in defining their impact-centered business model.
Theory of Change: Another core topic of our workshops was to refine the company’s vision. To do this, we facilitated activities that had the team consider what mission achievement would look like. These activities supported the company in refining their brand identity and service design.
Customized Employee Handbook: To help create a strong foundation for the company, we drafted a customized employee handbook that outlined core operating principles for their team. This included topics such as Compensation Philosophy, Performance Evaluation, and a Code of Conduct. This booklet of policies continues to support the company as their team grows quickly.

Decade’s Reflections

Working with Elevated Foods was an extraordinarily meaningful experience for our team. As impact consultants, we are privileged to collaborate with clients who are not only receptive to changemaking, but also proactive in pioneering it. The dedication of Elevated Foods to creating a positive ripple effect in the industry made our collaboration not just a professional engagement, but a shared mission.

From the outset, Elevated Foods embraced our creative strategies with enthusiasm, demonstrating a remarkable openness to exploring new ideas of what “people using business as a force for good” could look like. This project was not just about working towards B Corp Certification; it was a holistic endeavor that sought to design a company that will effectively enriched the lives of farmers and regenerate our food systems to serve community and environmental health.

We eagerly anticipate future opportunities to support Elevated Foods in their continued pursuit to amplify regenerative agriculture, build farm profitability, and create responsible resilience.

In the words of Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard; “People need a new jacket every five or ten years, but they eat three times a day.” If we change food systems, we change everything.

Onwards, Elevated Foods!

Elevated Foods’ Reflections

“Our transformative journey with Decade Impact was not just about meeting the criteria for B Corp certification; it was a comprehensive engagement that addressed our specific challenges head-on. Decade’s team provided us with the creative solutions necessary to drive both growth and a positive impact that resonates with our mission.”