It all started with a pretty olive oil bottle. Meet Michelle Stevens, Founder of The Refill Shoppe, whose shower thoughts sparked the idea for a business rooted in reducing waste. Always one for embracing the unusual (with 10 years of her life spent growing up on a sailboat), Stevens established The Refill Shoppe because nothing feels better than doing the right thing. Read on to find out more about Stevens and her Ventura, CA-based B Corp.
How that pretty olive oil bottle changed everything: “A desire to make a difference in the world and a love of shopping created the perfect storm. It all began with a pretty olive oil bottle, and then buying a bottle of olive oil to pour into the pretty bottle. While contemplating the 20 minute lifespan of that second bottle in the shower (the perfect place to ponder and wonder), an idea formed. Why not just refill all the still perfectly good bottles instead of buying new ones every time?”
The B Corp was the right fit for us: “The decision to transition to a B Corp was an easy one for us because it is a decisive way to ensure that our core values are engrained into the very structure of our organization. We love how effectively it communicates to the world our decision to use business as a force for good. Maintaining our B Corp status challenges us to become the company we want to be and to always think about how we are affecting the environment, the community, our employees and our customers.”
Celebrating our biggest milestone: “Thanks to the support of our wonderful community and loyal customers we have been able to refill over 23,000 containers! Enabling single-use containers to become reusable makes us really excited.”
If you want to become a B Corp… “Do it! The certification process is intense, but it is so worth it!”
B Corporations can only grow from here: “This movement is just going to continue to grow and we are so glad to be a part of it. Businesses caring about their people and our planet are awesome and important. We sincerely hope to see this movement become the way of the future.”
Why we believe in doing the right thing: “It’s our mission. We believe in love, gratitude and doing the right thing. We share with you what we like to use and make everyday necessities extra special, just like you! We do what we do because hot bubble baths, clean people, lovely smells, smiles on faces and a little less plastic in the world makes us so very happy.”
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About Michelle Stevens, Founder of The Refill Shoppe
This has been a Fantastic B Corps post, MyCorporation’s salute to the entity that gives back to business and society. Join us biweekly for a glimpse at the entrepreneurs using their small business to “B The Change” in this global movement for good.
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