2025 Impact Report
Building Community
Silk Grass Farms
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 PURPOSE
OUR VISION
A thriving planet, alive with biodiversity and healthy, happy people
Sustainable prosperity with meaningful impact
OUR NICHE
Premium tropical food, beverage, and personal care products, sustainably grown through regenerative agriculture and value-added processing
Table of Contents
A letter from our co-founder
A year of partnerships and science - forward conservation.
At Silk Grass Farms, we recognize that achieving our vision and advancing our mission cannot be done in isolation. This systems-changing work requires contributions from many stakeholders – employees, customers, sourcing partners, neighbors, governmental agencies, mission-aligned conservation partners, and teams of researchers. In 2025, we focused on engaging these stakeholders and expanding science-based monitoring of our farms and forests, strengthening sales and sourcing partnerships, building operational resilience, and continuing our investment in natural lands protection.
Our key efforts included a freshwater baseline study with Stroud Water Research Center, a regenerative agriculture and bird-monitoring workshop with the National Audubon Society, and a deepened relationship with French chocolate-maker Valrhona. These initiatives advanced our conservation goals across the Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve and informed practical on-farm changes to protect waterways and habitat while increasing local value creation. We do not measure success just in profits or business growth; for us, lasting success must include people, planet, and prosperity, and the types of partnerships and initiatives we launched in 2025 are critical to achieving our triple-bottom-line outcomes now and into the future.
Looking ahead to 2026, we will take these projects forward with a focus on continuous water-quality monitoring, monitoring and scaling regenerative practices across our agricultural footprint, and modernizing our coconut and cacao processing centers. Both the Farms and the Wildlife Preserve will be under new executive leadership as we strive to achieve the ambitious goals we have set through our mission. We are honored to continue to steward this land, and to learn and grow alongside the employees we serve and communities we work with as we develop a new vision of true prosperity.
In community,
Mandy Cabot Co-founder
Company Timeline
FOUNDED
Incorporated Silk Grass Farms Ltd; cleared abandoned orchards for rehabilitation; repaired roads and worker housing.
BUILDING BLOCKS
Established policies and circular business model; upgraded infrastructure; legally protected 24,500 acres of adjacent rainforest as the Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve.
BUILDING CAPACITY
Began construction of our 130,000-sq.-ft. food processing facility; achieved HACCP and B Corp Certifications; expanded product mix.
BUILDING TEAMS
Expanded workforce and leadership team; improved compensation and benefits; built on-site elementary school for children of employees.
BUILDING EFFICIENCY
Commissioned state-of-the-art processing equipment; installed 2 MW solar; earned SQF certification; renovated Great House Field Station.
BUILDING NATURAL + HUMAN RESOURCES
Collected baseline data for forests, waterways, soils and farms; increased job training and professional development opportunities.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
Developed regenerative land management and conservation projects alongside strategic research partners; increased engagement with local artisans, companies, and schools; developed local and international sales relationships.
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 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
2025 Impact At A Glance
423 full-time employees engaged (13% increase over year prior)
31 children enrolled in Sandy Creek Academy, more than 2x the previous year
142 children provided with financial assistance to cover school tuition, books and uniforms
34% increase in B Corp Certification score, from 91.4 to 122.3 total points
16% increase in gross revenue yearover-year
178 metric tons of biochar produced
4 key certifications maintained
4,182
acres actively farmed across 4 locations in central and southern Belize
24,500 acres of Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve protected as a Belize NGO
95,000 acres of Sittee Forest Reserve co-managed with the government of Belize
127,350 Verra Verified Carbon Units registered (VCS5181 – Silk Grass Farms Forest Conservation Project – REDD+/CCB)
2,483
MW of renewable energy generated
1,800 metric tons of CO2e avoided
Triple Bottom Line Impacts
As a Certified B Corporation, Silk Grass Farms is committed to meeting the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility. We have joined the global movement to elevate agriculture into an industry that provides high-quality employment and healthy food, while protecting natural resources. To be fully sustainable, the way we operate must be regenerative, viable, and fair. This is where People, Planet, and Prosperity intersect.
People
POWERING OUR MISSION
In 2025, we:
Increased local employment by 13%
We now have 423 employees across 4 locations.
Introduced Employee Assistance Program to provide confidential support to employees for personal and work-related challenges — stress management, work-life balance, or other personal matters.
Delivered targeted trainings to employees, including:
Targeted Production and Engineering training to 25 employees
Ministry of Health on Food Safety to 90 employees
Belize Red Cross on Basic First Aid to 51 employees
Fabrigas on Fire Management to 28 employees
Psykey on Mental Health & Wellness to 56 employees
Provided additional employee benefits and supplies.
We give all employees holiday turkey and ham to enjoy as part of their Christmas celebrations.
Engaged Belize Medical Associates to provide annual physicals and Innoval Dental Care to hold our first on-site employee dental check-up. Provided on-site health care.
Supported more than 30 local community programs or events. Events included Belize Cancer Walk, Sittee River Village Council, Galen University, Belize Red Cross Society, Kidney Association of Belize, and school fairs like the one pictured here.
Routinely provided upskilling opportunities for employees across the organization.
Lydia Shal, for example, began as a farmhand, and in less than a year, grew into the Agriculture Store Assistant role.
Supported six employees enrolled in higher education or specialized training.
One example: Adrian Morales first joined us as a summer intern in 2022 and stepped into a full-time Administrative Assistant role that August while continuing his studies at Southern New Hampshire University. He earned his B.S. in Business Administration, with a concentration in International Business.
People
SANDY CREEK ACADEMY
Graduated 3 Standard Sixlevel students from Sandy Creek Academy, our on-site school for the children of our employees.
Completed the addition of new a high school classroom, science lab, assembly room and expanded kitchen.
Won 3rd Place in the 2025 National School Garden competition.
Through planting from seed and selling produce grown at the Sandy Creek Academy on-site garden, students learn the value and rewards of hard work and dedication.
Silk Grass Farms
The students performed songs and a skit for the school’s Board of Directors.
Hosted special learning and extracurricular activities. Students received lessons from a visiting Physical Education instructor from Denmark. In 2025, we: More than doubled enrollment from 2024. Provided 142 children with financial assistance to cover school tuition, books and uniforms. Hired
3 new teachers.
Planet
CONSERVATION IN ACTION
Tracked progress reports and data from Panthera.
The Panthera camera stations in the Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve recorded 24 species of mammals and four species of game birds over a 12-month period. From jaguars, ocelots, pumas, and the rarely seen jaguarundi, to Baird’s tapirs, collared peccaries, and white-tailed deer, the Panthera wildlife cameras helped provide data to shape evidence-based management strategies that protect biodiversity and reduce human-wildlife conflict.
Hosted a regenerative agriculture and bird-monitoring workshop with the National Audubon Society.
The National Audubon Society is establishing research to measure the impact of regenerative agricultural practices using bird populations as ecological indicators. This work will help align monitoring across the Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve and adjacent agricultural lands and protected areas to inform habitat management and corridor planning across Central America.
Hosted archaeological research to search for hidden evidence of Mayan settlements.
Based on the findings of archaeological geophysicist Dr. Bryan Lahey, who conducted a survey using a drone with a Light Detection and Radar (LiDAR) 3D sensor, Silk Grass has plans to bring a larger archaeological team to explore possible Mayan settlements within our boundaries.
In 2025, we: Obtained a 30-year license to protect and co-manage the 95,000-acre
Sittee Forest Reserve with the government of Belize.
Protected 24,500 acres of Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve as a Belize NGO, where we hosted multiple research groups and workshops.
Contributed to carbon reduction and sequestration through registering carbon units, generating solar power, and producing biochar.
Hosted Stroud Water Research Center researchers to explore water health.
The 2025 Stroud Water Research Center assessment documented diverse macroinvertebrate, microbial, and fish communities, and recommended riparian protection, and installation of continuous monitoring stations to track changes through time.
Hosted researchers from the Savannah Field Station.
Researchers documented such species as the Bigclaw River Shrimp and the elusive Mexican Climbing Salamander, a rarely observed arboreal species.
Prosperity
CREATING LASTING VALUE
Silk Grass Farms continues to expand through long-term investments in relationships, research, and stewardship that make regenerative agriculture and conservation possible in Belize. Our vision for shared prosperity extends beyond what we produce today; we aim to build a model that supports people, protects the land, and creates lasting value.
Mandy Cabot Co-Founder
Increased local sales by 16% and export sales by 4%.
Our best sellers remained constant year-over-year: Coconut Water, Coconut Oil, Orange Juice, Lime Juice and Watermelon Juice.
Achieved 122+ points on our B Corp™ recertification.
Certified B Corporations (B Corps) are for-profit, purposedriven companies legally bound to meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance. Silk Grass Farms first achieved B Corp Certification in October 2021. When our recertification was verified in 2025, we increased our B Corp score by 34%. As we grow our business, we are also growing our positive impact. (The median score is currently 50.9.)
Implemented Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a set of simple, practical tools that helps us to stay focused, aligned, and accountable as a team.
These goals and our progress are reviewed regularly throughout the year, including at our quarterly all-team meetings.
In 2025, we: Increased gross revenues by 16% year-over year. Completed integration of all 4 affiliate farms
including payroll and ERP/ NetSuite to best leverage financial and human capital.
Partnerships
Built a partnership to upcycle coconut husks and pith.
We built and commissioned facilities for upcycling coconut husks and pith into valuable soil amendments and planting mediums through a partnership with Fox Farm Soil & Fertilizer Company. As our co-founder Mandy says, “It’s not waste unless you waste it.”
Partnered with local farmers to prevent food waste. We worked with the Belize Marketing & Development Corp to turn an excess harvest of carrots grown by local farmers into fresh, delicious, allnatural Carrot Juice for the local market.
Hosted a giveaway featuring local women-owned Belize brands.
In April 2025, SGF hosted a gift basket giveaway to celebrate local Belizean businesses that share our values of sustainability, quality, and eco-conscious practices and use Silk Grass Farms ingredients. The companies included Naledo, iKOOMA, Locx-On, BodyBelize, Reyes Organic Beauty, Hello Body, and Che’il Mayan Chocolate. Our promotions included articles, social media posts, and email campaigns uplifting the partner brands.
Deeped our cacao partnership with on-site visits and staff training.
The French chocolate-maker Valrhona came for field visits, technical exchanges, and joint workshops to strengthen markets for sustainably produced ingredients and finished goods. This gave Valrhona hands-on experience with our impact story, which is built into their line of Tulakalum single-origin chocolates sourced entirely from our beans.
Visited local schools for presentations, tastings, and career day opportunities.
One example: We visited New Hope High School in Orange Walk, where we talked with students and shared free product samples.
Uplifted local retailers for co-promotion.
We regularly featured local retailers, such as New Flags in Santa Elena, Cayo, that carry our products, like our Melonade juice blend, on their shelves.
Future Commitments
LOOKING AHEAD, 2026 WILL FOCUS ON:
OUR LEADERSHIP
• Welcoming new Executive Leadership, with Alex Gallagher as Executive Director of Silk Grass Farms and and Dr. Johnathan Canton as Executive Director of the Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve. Alex and Johnathan will lead development of management plans for the Farms and the Preserve.
• Fully implementing our Entrepreneurial Operating System company-wide.
OUR STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT
• Measuring and improving farm and factory efficiencies toward established benchmarks.
• Developing a fully operational commercial strategy, including adding 3 new target market B2B customers.
• Developing a steady revenue stream from carbon credit sales, following the United Nations REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) framework.
• Beginning long-term research into ReMāk (Relic Mayan Cacao), starting with identifying the heirloom cacao plants and species on our properties and developing an eDNA lab facility.
OUR PEOPLE
• Providing professional and technical development opportunities to Silk Grass Farms staff.
• Expanding the Preserve’s ranger staff.
• Providing additional training to Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve staff, including wildlife management, fire management, carbon inventory assessment, conflict respolution, and more.
OUR PARTNERSHIPS AND PRACTICES
• Upgrading and expanding our capabilities and buildings for coconut processing, cacao fermentation and drying, and post-harvest sorting.
• Applying the learnings from our research partnerships, including installing continuous water-quality monitoring stations at priority stream sites, expanding bird monitoring protocols and implementing the Bird Friendliness Index across the Farms and the Preserve, reviewing and documenting the archaeological evidence uncovered by visiting researchers, and auditing and scaling riparian setbacks and restoration across agricultural parcels.
• Publishing updated monitoring reports and maintaining transparent data-sharing with partners and the community about the research taking place on the properties.
• Building an eco-tourism partnership with Coppola Family Hideaways to bring visitors to the Great House Resort at Silk Grass Farms.
