2022 Impact Report Building Teams
Silk Grass Farms
Natural products from Belize
Silk Grass Farms is a vertically integrated agribusiness in Southern Belize committed to reimagining the way food is grown and processed, for good.
OUR MISSION
To model a regenerative approach to agribusiness that is sustainable, replicable, and fair
OUR VISION
A thriving planet, alive with biodiversity and healthy, happy people
Table of Contents
Silk Grass Farms 2022 Impact Report 2
Company Timeline Measuring What Matters Progress Highlights (2022) • People • Prosperity
Planet Sandy Creek Elementary School Future Commitments 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10
A Letter from Our Co-Founder
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A letter from our co-founder
No enterprise—especially not one as multifaceted and ambitious as Silk Grass Farms—can meaningfully report on impact without highlighting and celebrating the myriad contributions of its team. 2022 saw a series of large-scale projects and significant advancements—none of which could have been achieved without the passion and dedication of the people working at Silk Grass Farms.
I sincerely thank our Managers and Team Leads, whose extensive lists of individual and departmental accomplishments made it difficult to choose what to feature in our 2022 Impact Report. On the farm, in our factory, and in our offices, these leaders established an approachable, open work environment where employees could see and appreciate their contributions to the mission of Silk Grass Farms.
This collaborative spirit empowers team members at every level to recommend improvements to important aspects of our operations, such as quality assurance, data recording, and safety. Given this focus on team building, we are able to provide personal and professional growth opportunities, and embody our core values of lifelong learning, integrity, interdependence, stewardship, and diversity.
As you review the array of projects we launched and completed in 2022, I hope you will keep in mind that each one was the result of collaboration and the work ethic upheld by every member of our team.
In community,
Mandy Cabot, Silk Grass Farms co-founder
Silk Grass Farms 2022 Impact Report 3
2019
Company Timeline
FOUNDED
Purchased Citrus & Cattle Ltd. and Belize Fruit Processors Ltd.; incorporated Silk Grass Farms Ltd.; repaired roads and worker housing; cleared abandoned orchards for rehabilitation.
STRUCTURED + REBRANDED
2020
Established company policies and developed business model; branded Silk Grass Farms; legally protected 24,700 acres of rainforest; planted 87,926 trees; created water retention basins; expanded workforce.
BUILT CAPACITY
2021
Built and equipped 130,000 square foot factory; planted new crops; built new worker housing; increased workforce; added coconut water and honey to sales mix; launched website; achieved B Corp and HACCP certifications.
BUILT TEAMS
Developed leadership teams; expanded workforce and improved compensation and benefits; built onsite elementary school for children of employees; installed state-of-the-art food processing equipment in the factory; expanded regenerative agriculture practices; established relationships with raw materials suppliers, co-packers, and new customers; activated monitoring of the wildlife preserve.
REDUCING WASTE + BUILDING EFFICIENCIES
2023 GOALS
Complete commissioning of new factory and begin large scale fruit processing; install 2 MW solar array to provide power to the factory; install bio-reactor to convert bio-waste into heat energy, biochar, and wood vinegar; complete renovation of the Great House into a modern field station and formalize stakeholder engagement programs; track fossil fuel use and carbon footprint.
Silk Grass Farms 2022 Impact Report 4
2022
Measuring What Matters
Silk Grass Farms identified six of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to measure our impact and make positive change in the world. Silk Grass Farms is uniquely positioned to align our strategies and operations with the aspirations of the SDGs. We are committed to:
GOOD HEALTH + WELL BEING
• Ensuring employee health and safety
• Upholding food safety certifications (SQF and HACCP)
• Producing healthy consumer products
DECENT WORK + ECONOMIC GROWTH
• Offering a living wage (fair compensation, benefits, and onsite housing)
• Expanding employment opportunities
• Offering job training and professional development
SUSTAINABLE CITIES + COMMUNITIES
• Maintaining B Corp certification
• Engaging in long-range planning
• Reducing reliance on imported goods and increasing GDP
RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION + PRODUCTION
• Restoring biodiversity and health to our soils
• Growing diverse crops and adding value at source
• Engaging in zero-waste circular economics
CLIMATE ACTION
• Developing biorefinery and bio-waste solutions
• Committing to Pledge Carbon Negative operations by 2030
• Operating a solar-powered factory
LIFE ON LAND
• Responsibly managing the Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve
• Conserving rainforest, wildlife, and biodiversity
• Engaging in soil health, water, and carbon management
Silk Grass Farms 2022 Impact Report 5
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
People
Good Health + Well-Being Decent Work + Economic Growth
In 2022, we increased our workforce by 12%, while continuing to provide support and resources for our employees. This included increasing compensation across all levels; providing a pension plan for all full-time employees; and providing housing, child-care, counseling, transportation, and financial support when needed.
Highlights by the Numbers: 2022
Increased minimum wages for lowest paid employees by
10%
Established a company-wide pension plan for all full-time employees
61
Paid primary school fees for employees and their families were provided safe, clean, rent-free housing
children of employees
55
Silk Grass Farms 2022 Impact Report 6
Completed construction of Women’s and Men’s dormitories, housing up to 36 people in each
Rehabilitated
20% more farm area, bringing the overall rehabilitation plan to 90% completion
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
prosperity
Sustainable Cities + Communities Responsible Consumption + Production
In 2022, we continued our work to rehabilitate the farm, increase food production, and complete our state-of-the-art food processing facility. We also supported our staff’s ability to contribute to our shared ongoing success through continuing education and professional development opportunities.
Highlights by the Numbers: 2022
Established field trials of an assortment of fruits, vegetables, and root crops, donating excess production to local small businesses
Initiated working relationships with local farmers and producers for a variety of crops such as watermelon, soursop, grapefruit, ginger, and more
Provided training and higher education for 184 employees; hosted learning opportunities for 15 interns (13 in the engineering and technical fields)
Silk Grass Farms 2022 Impact Report 7
2022 90% rehabilitated 10% left 70% rehabilitated 50% rehabilitated 2021 2020
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
Planet
Climate Action Life on Land
Our sustainability and conservation efforts in 2022 focused on expanding our regenerative agriculture techniques including the propagation of cover crops, erosion control, improved soil fertility, planting native plants, integrated pest management and vermiculture. We also increased monitoring of our wildlife preserve by hiring an additional ranger to patrol for illegal hunting/fishing/lumber activities and using wildlife cameras to capture activity of our wild animal species.
Highlights by the Numbers: 2022
Transplanted more than 2,000 native hardwoods from nursery to strategic areas around the farm
Established and maintained 24-acre test plot of experimental cover crops for seed multiplication, pollination, shade, erosion control, and improved soil fertility
Incorporated vermiculture and chickens into our exploration of regenerative agriculture practices
Activated five cameras to monitor the Preserve and record images of wildlife, including Jaguarundi, Scarlet Macaws, Whitetailed Deer, and Jaguars.
Silk Grass Farms 2022 Impact Report 8
Sandy Creek Elementary School
In 2022, Silk Grass Farms built an onsite school and daycare facility. Six students were enrolled at Sandy Creek Elementary for the 2022 school year — all children of Silk Grass Farms employees. Sandy Creek Elementary, in its pursuit to prepare students for lifelong learning, provides a holistic education curriculum with an emphasis on teaching core competencies, life skills, and traditional academic subjects.
Sandy Creek Elementary is a safe, secure, and enriching environment designed to cater to every child’s needs through individualized education plans.
Silk Grass Farms 2022 Impact Report 9
The solar array will conserve enough power to supply about 8,000 Belizean homes, or about 7 percent of all the homes in the nation.
GOALS AND PROJECTS
2023 and beyond
PLANNING + INFRASTRUCTURE
• Complete 10-year business plans for SGF and partner farms
• Complete installation and commissioning of a 2MW solar PV system
• Complete installation and commissioning of a three-train Biochar Production Unit to upcycle post-harvest and post-processing biomass into carbon-stable, value-added outputs
• Develop and implement a management plan for energy conservation in the factory.
• Implement a waste management plan for wastewater and solids from the factory.
• Complete renovation of the Great House to accommodate visiting consultants, researchers, customers, vendors, and other guests
• Complete Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve Management Plan
FARMING
• Complete rehabilitation of all plantable (previously farmed) areas, planting balance of tree-acres with coconuts, citrus, cacao, soursop, mangoes, avocados, nutmeg, and passionfruit, interspersed with hardwood trees, bamboo, cover crops, and annual crops
• Conduct soil health assessment in all blocks; create soil plan that includes use of inoculated biochar, vermiculture and compost tea
CERTIFICATIONS
• Complete SQF certification for coconut oil, coconut water, and assorted juice lines
• Complete HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) plans for other fruit types
• Research, and if indicated, begin preparing for Rainforest Alliance and Fair-Trade certifications
Silk Grass Farms 2022 Impact Report 10
GOALS AND PROJECTS
2023 and beyond
PRODUCTS + SALES
• Continue product development for “All Things Coconut,” juice blends and fruit purees
• Launch coconut milks/creams and fruit juices/blends/purees in local and regional markets
• Develop and implement regional sales strategy; identify target customers, develop sales relationships, begin marketing select products in select regions
PARTNERSHIPS
• Establish co-packing relationships with Belizean and other Caricom producers who wish to utilize our processing capabilities
• Collaborate with ClimeCo to explore and develop carbon market opportunities
• Partner with Fox Farm to repurpose coconut pith into valuable planting media for the US market
• Partner with Hypochlorous to replace dangerous ammonia-based sanitizers with benign alternatives certified by the FDA and certified organic
• Begin collaborations with Stroud Water Research Center, Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society (T.R.E.E.S), Wild Earth Allies, Universities of Athabasca and Calgary, and Panthera, gathering baseline data on the health of the Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve
VISIBILITY
• Partner with Bark Media to raise awareness of the Silk Grass Farms model as an example for sustainable, community-based agribusiness enterprises
• Participate in Belize Uncovered film launch; produce 15 minute “Welcome To Silk Grass Farms” video
• Begin conducting tours of Silk Grass Farms and factory
Silk Grass Farms 2022 Impact Report 11
Prosperity
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Planet W i l d l i f e C o n s e r v a t i o n S o i l R e g e n e r a t i o n W a t e r M a n a g e m e n t R e n e w a b l e E n e r g y W a s t e R e d u c t i o n
C u l t u r e & V a l u e s C o m m u n i t y H e a l t h & W e l l n e s s E d u c a t i o n W a g e s & B e n e f i t s Viable Fair R e g e n e r a t i v e Sustainable silkgrassfarms com info@silkgrassfarms com @silkgrassfarms silkgrassfarmsltd
Triple Bottom Line Impacts
People