It's a great time to give a shout out to companies that sell products in a thoughtful way. Even if you don't have a Business degree, you have to know that the goal of any business is to make money.  Even non-profits have to make money. Today I’m highlighting two companies that put a lot of thought into their products and services and I hope you will agree that they just can't help but sell thoughtful pinches.   

This year for my birthday I received a gift box that contained three bottles of wine.  Not just one bottle of wine, three bottles of wine!!  I quickly looked thru the catalog that was included in the box but I obviously didn’t look close enough because I would’ve discovered asap that this company is rad! Soon after my birthday, I was invited to my friend's wine party who was raising money for Parkinson's Disease, a cause that is close to her heart. I caught the name of the event and remembered that I already had the catalog from the birthday box of wine.  I was excited to attend the One Hope event so that I could learn more about this company in person. Their tag line is “Serve + Celebrate”.  To me, the play on words is fantastic.  Serve wine and serve the world. The mission: To bring people together to celebrate and serve the world (via the money generated thru sales). Wine was the first product that One Hope sold but now they offer coffee, food products and thoughtfully crafted gifts. One Hope supports the following causes: they provide meals, plant trees, support children with Autism, support veterans, provides life-changing medications, pairs animals with “forever” homes and educates people on heart health.  One Hope’s wine partner is Robert Mondavi and the business set up is designed so that sales of each type of wine supports a specific, dedicated cause. There is much more information on the website but I wanted to share what I bought at my friend’s party because I have been giving out these thoughtful pinches as my hostess gifts this season. I bought a case of the sparkling brut “Glitter Edition”.  Every bottle funds 15 meals for children in need.  Triple jackpot.  The glitter bottles look festive, they give the hostess a chance to sample the wine AND the proceeds feed children.  For the Millennial (everything has to have a purpose), this is a one-stop shopping trip. The company also offers cool gift packages which makes it too easy to pinch someone you care about and in the meantime, you're helping causes that make your heart sing. You're already buying the wine, why not be a hero and help out a good cause?  Of course you can find less expensive products out there but the padded retail price is intentionally helping those in need.  Everyone wins and the company who came up with this thoughtful way to do business deserves to make some money.

The next featured company was discovered while I was shopping during a holiday luncheon.  Tables were set up with crates on display and I recognized products from my local farmer’s market.  At first I assumed the company was just a distributor for locally made items.  However, in having an informative conversation with the owner/vendor, I learned about the logo which is part of the name of the company.  It's logo is an updated version of a bird's nest with a heart inside. Love From the Nest is a company that helps parents send love (in the form of care packages) to their grown up children who are either in college or moved away from home. Even though my first born won't be going off to college for another 7.5 years, here's why I love this company: 1) first and foremost their premise of their business is LOVE. 2) they only include items for the care packages bought from small, local businesses.  This not only serves the purpose of keeping small companies in business but it also keeps the packages very unique and fresh. 3) the packaging is thoughtful because instead of discarding it, you may want to hold onto this container.  The wooden crate used to ship the goodies in can be used as a shelf.  The company drills a small hole in the back so that all you need is a nail in the wall or a 3M hook.  4) The cover of the crate slides out and when flipped over you will find artwork from a commissioned, local art student. Unique art to decorate a dorm room or home away from home.  5) Did I mention that the art student gets paid to feature their artwork on these crate covers?  6) you can personalize the care package by taking advantage of the opportunity to download up to 3 pictures and enclose a personalized card.  There are such wonderful care package options - check out  www.lovefromthenest.com .  I love the vibes of the care packages and how everything has a purpose.  However, I'm not going to lie - you will pay more for these care packages. But not much more at all if you consider: supporting local art students, sending love that is unique and not mass-produced and most of all you're not running all over town to curate your own box!  One other priceless detail...you may not have the time or the talent to make that wooden crate into a convertible shelf and artwork. Leave this up to the company who has already thought of everything. They have your back and because they provide this service, they deserve to make money too. 

There are businesses and then there are thoughtful businesses.  I like these companies a lot and wish them luck as they continue to evolve and find more purposeful ways to make money by delivering thoughtfulness. 

Pinches,

Barb