Bloomin — Fantastic B Corps

At Bloomin, there’s no such thing as an ordinary piece of paper. This B Corp specializes in making seed paper, paper embedded with flower, herb, and vegetable seeds, that actually grows into a garden. (After planting, watering, and caring for the paper first, of course!) Founded by Don Martin, Bloomin wants to reshape the promotional industry away from disposable goods and towards sustainable product alternatives instead. Read on to find out more about Don and his Boulder, CO-based B Corp.

How seed paper factors into our mission: “We want to be the worldwide authority on all things seed paper; to create the most environmentally friendly products and be a socially responsible producer of promotional goods. We’re reshaping the promotional industry, away from imported and disposable goods, towards sustainable products. Our vision statement is to be instrumental in bridging the gap between landfill products to sustainable alternatives. We want to educate distributors and guide them to sell responsible promotional products and transform the promotional industry.”

How we knew the B Corp was right for us: “Bloomin helps those we touch become more aware of our responsibility towards one another, our industry and our planet. We hope to continue to spread the Bloomin word. With the help of our distributors, we can reshape the industry with a sustainable focus on buying and selling promotional products that is not only good for business, but good for our planet.”

A look at our continued success: “Bloomin has had many success stories throughout its 23-year history. We have produced orders of seed cards in the millions and sent them around the globe. Companies like Coca-Cola, General Mills, Boeing, Disney and more have sent seed cards to their valued customers to help communicate their own environmental initiatives and sustainability messages. The fact that we have been a pioneer in this new medium and remained a relevant and surviving entity in the social stationery world is a success story in and of itself.”

The unique way Bloomin embodies the “B The Change” motto: “Bloomin walks the walk each day with everything we do.  We manufacture and repurpose tons of recycled postconsumer paper into a unique marketing medium that helps businesses tell their own sustainability story. Our 30-kw solar installation is able to offset 100% of the energy required to power our entire production facility. We remain 100% vertically integrated: we make, print, cut, assemble, QC, pack, and ship our products right here in Boulder, Colorado.”

If you want to form a B Corp… “Stay true to your mission and passion.  A commitment to doing business the right way will have long-lasting, far-reaching impacts each and every day.”

Why the world needs B Corps: “With the rate of new companies that continue to come on board, the future is certain. Companies that choose to do business as a force of good is something we all need and will all soon want. I think most businesses will adopt B Corp standards as the only way to truly succeed in business.”

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About Don Martin, Founder of Bloomin

Don Martin has spent most of his life in Boulder, Colorado surrounded by paper. Having worked in the greeting card industry for several years, Don worked to achieve his MBA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Armed with a degree in marketing and entrepreneurship, he struck out with his partners of 23 years (Tom Noyes and Sue Swanson) to start Bloomin back in 1995. The trio also own and operate several buildings in Boulder, including the one used to house Bloomin in Downtown Boulder. Don is the father of two boys, an avid telemark skier, tennis player and aspiring kite surfer.

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.