Honeywell Bakes – committed to being good
Honeywell Bakes, Welford – committed to being good to each other and the planet and a proud B Corporation.
Honeywell Bakes, Welford – committed to being good to each other and the planet and a proud B Corporation. By Alexina Cassidy
Honeywell Bakes are a team who in their own words ‘are determined to use business as a force for good.' Why do they want to do this when surely they just want to sell as many biscuits as they can? The answer is that Honeywell Bakes is a new kind of business, a B Corporation, that balances profit and purpose and is legally required to consider the impact of their business decisions on their employees, customers, suppliers, the environment, and the local community.
Started in 2012 around a kitchen table, drinking tea and nibbling biscuits, Honeywell Bakes has grown to a team of twenty five. They supply biscuits and baking kits to a range of online customers; from individuals to London retailers to businesses wanting bespoke ‘branded’ biscuits. They supplied biscuits to Netflix for a Squid Games event replicating when contestants must carve shapes into a piece of honeycomb toffee without letting it break.
Rebecca Honeywell-Ward, Founder, has always been committed to a sustainable way of life, conscious of the beauty of the Northamptonshire countryside and keen to use local suppliers wherever possible. Their organic flour, free- range eggs and new packaging comes from local companies. Cleaning products come from Fill Refill Co in Wellingborough. Honeywell Bakes are strict with themselves about reusing and recycling everything they can and are working hard to eliminate plastic wherever possible. Any unwanted biscuits are donated to The Hope Centre and Affinity Day Care in Northampton. All food waste is composted or used as animal feed and most of their packaging is home compostable, plant-based cellulose bags, recycled wrapping paper and envelopes.
Honeywell Bakes is a Real Living Wage employer – this is a wage rate that is voluntarily paid by over 11,000 UK businesses who believe their staff deserve a wage which meets everyday needs. By investing in their employees as a socially responsible employer, Honeywell means to foster a caring and supportive environment – a place where people want to work (and not just because of the biscuits!)
In terms of Honeywell’s determination to be a force for good, over the past few years they have donated over £50k to a charity called Farm Africa, which is committed to empowering women and sustainable farming in East Africa. For 2022 they have joined 1% for the Planet with 1% of turnover directed to small grassroots charities and organisations of their choice. They are also involved with Ecologi (another B Corp) who finance reforestation and carbon offsetting projects. One project that particularly interests the Honeywell team is helping finance high efficiency cookstoves in poorer countries. In Tanzania for example the primary fuel source for over 90% of the population is firewood or charcoal. Ecologi help to install ‘cleaner cookstoves’ that benefit both people and the environment.
To find out more, see the links below