Benefit Corporation Report for Year 2014
knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com, Inc.

I. Introduction

Knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com, Inc. came into existence on April 2, 2012 when the New York State Department of State (Division of Corporations and State Records) issued a filing receipt noting its “Exist Date” as of April 2, 2012.  Pursuant to its Certificate of Incorporation, knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com, Inc. is “a benefit corporation;”

Pursuant to the New York Business Corporation Law Sec. 1708(a), a benefit corporation must deliver to each shareholder an annual benefit report and pursuant to Sec. 1708(d) deliver a copy of the benefit report for filing to the Department of State for filing.  Pursuant to Sec. 1708(c), a benefit corporation must post its most recent benefit report on the public portion of its website.

This Benefit Report for Year 2014 for knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com, Inc. has been prepared by Frank W. Barrie, the benefit corporation’s President/Secretary.  The incorporator, Frank W. Barrie, is the President and Secretary of the benefit corporation pursuant to organizational meeting resolutions dated August 22, 2012. On October 16, 2014, the benefit corporation issued one-hundred shares of corporation stock to Frank W. Barrie, and on December 19, 2014, shares of corporation stock were issued to three minority shareholders. Pursuant to the benefit corporation’s bylaws, at an annual meeting to be held on the first business day of February 2015, directors of the benefit corporation will be elected for the first time by shareholders.

II.  Process and rationale for selecting the third party standard used to prepare the benefit report

The mission of knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com, Inc. conforms to the mission statement set forth on the website knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com, i.e., to promote local agriculture by encouraging consumers to eat locally grown foods, which are produced in a sustainable and healthy way, or “organically” grown, so as to preserve and support small farm economies and to ensure a healthy environment for future generations.  The Benefit Corp Information Center (www.benefitcorp.net) provides guidance on selecting a third party standard.  Utilizing this guidance, the third party standard to assess the social and environmental performance of knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com, Inc. was selected.  Food Alliance (www.foodalliance.org) provides comprehensive third-party certification for social and environmental responsibility in agriculture and the food industry.

The voluntary, third-party certification program of Food Alliance is based on these six principles: 1. Protect, conserve and enhance soil, water, wildlife habitat and biodiversity; 2. Conserve energy, reduce and recycle waste; 3. Reduce use of pesticides and other toxic or hazardous materials; 4. Maintain transparent and traceable supply chains; 5. Support safe and fair working conditions; 6.  Guarantee food product integrity, with no genetically engineered or artificial ingredients.

III.  Ways in which the benefit corporation pursued general and specific public benefit during the year and the extent to which general public benefit was created

The benefit corporation was created in order to operate the website knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com.  This website has three major directories, organized geographically, to provide information on (1) farmers markets, (2) community supported agriculture (CSA) farms, and (3) farm to table restaurants committed to the use of local foods.  Under each of these three categories, the website has a page for each state of the United States and each province of Canada, and under the dining category, there are also directories for Australia, New Zealand, China and in Europe: Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Russia, Scotland and Wales.  This information has been made available at no cost to visitors to the website thereby conferring a “general public benefit.”

The website has also posted the following specific articles/items during 2014  (also at no cost to visitors to the website):

(1) A news report, “Environmentalists Name 5 Foods to Avoid” (1/15/2014);
(2) A news report, “Industrial Food Image Bureau Runs Full-Page Ad in NY Times” (1/28/14);
(3) A film review of Forks Over Knives, Preventing Disease with a Plant-Based, Whole-Food Diet (2/12/14);
(4) A news report, “Dirty Dozen Plus Two: Conventionally Grown Produce To Avoid” (3/11/14);
(5) An exhibit review of Art and Appetite: American Art Inspired by Food at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas (4/9/14);
(6) A film review of The Auction (Le Dématelement) (5/1/14);
(7) A film review of the documentary Fed-Up (6/11/14);
(8) A news report, “From One NYC CSA in 1995 to 100+ Today” (7/7/14);
(9) A book review of the cookbook/memoir 30 Years At Ballymaloe by Darina Allen (7/10/14);
(10) A restaurant review of 204 Main Bar & Bistro in Sharon Springs, NY (7/14/14);
(11) A news report, Photos of Farming and Rural Life from 19^th Century to Present On-Line from the Farmers Museum in Cooperstown, NY (8/5/14);
(12) A news report, Greenest Colleges for Food Ranked by Sierra Magazine (8/17/14);
(13) A news report, 2014 Farm Aid Concert in Raleigh’s Walnut Creek Amphitheater (9/6/14);
(14) A news report, Live Webcast of 2014 Farm Aid Concert in Raleigh (9/9/14);
(15) A restaurant review of Lazy Daisy’s Café in Toronto (9/16/14);
(16) A book review of Julene Bair’s memoir, The Ogallala Road (10/1/14)
(17) A recipe for Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) With Kalamata Olives (10/2/14);
(18) A news report, Six B & Bs With Breakfasts That Don’t Get Any Fresher (11/10/14);
(19) An exhibit review of Food Related Archaeological & Anthropological Treasures at Philadelphia’s Penn Museum (11/19/14);
(20) A restaurant review of White Dog Café in Philadelphia (11/20/14);
(21) A restaurant review of the Mitstam Café at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC (12/16/14); and
(22) A Recipe, Holiday Side Dish of an Uncommon Root Vegetable from a CSA share: Colorful Roasted Watermelon Radishes (12/17/14).

The website has also freely provided information on the following topics:

(1) Food Co-ops;
(2) Sources for the following local foods: cheeses, honey, pasture raised meat and yogurt;
(3) Fair-traded tropical foods: coffee, tea and chocolate;
(4) Employment opportunities related to “meaningful food work” by providing links to (i) www.goodfoodjobs.com, (ii) Northeast Organic Farming Association, www.nofa.org; and (iii) the Greenhorns, http://thegreenhorns.wordpress.com;
(5) opportunities for organic farming experience by providing links to (i) World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) and (ii) Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture (MESA); and
(6) Gardening topics including community gardens, home food preservation, container gardening, gardening tips and edible garden design/install.

The content appearing on the website knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com  is in harmony with the six principles of the Food Alliance certification program delineated above.

Small ads appearing on the website during 2014 have promoted the following organizations/entities (at no cost to these organizations/entities): (1) Native Seeds, www.nativeseeds.org, (2) the documentary, Brunswick, www.brunswickfilm.com, (3) Equal Exchange, www.equalexchange.coop, and (4) American Farmland Trust, www.farmland.org

These 4 organizations/entities reflect principles in harmony with the six principles of the Food Alliance certification program delineated above.

A small ad appeared on the three New York related pages for dining, CSA farms and farmers markets, respectively, to promote the Bees Knees Café operated by Heather Ridge Farm on the farm in Preston Hollow, NY which has a “fiercely local” food menu (at no cost to this farm café)).

IV.  Any circumstances that have hindered the creation by the benefit corporation of general or specific public benefit

None.

V.  Assessment of the performance of the benefit corporation

In the period January 1 through December 31, 2014, the website, knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com had the following traffic from visitors:

The geographic location of visitors:

VI. Compensation paid by the benefit corporation during the year to each director in that capacity?

None

VII.  The name of each person that owns beneficially or of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the benefit corporation:

Frank W. Barrie