This quarter’s Minnesota B Corps spotlight is on Finley’s.

Founded in Minneapolis in March 2016, Finley’s is a premium pet brand that makes healthy, delicious dog treats that are free of wheat, corn, soy, fillers, and chemical preservatives. Dedicated to inclusion and support for people with disabilities, Finley’s donates 50% of net-profits to initiatives that provide skills training, paid work experiences, and a path to independence for individuals with disabilities around the country.

Finley’s products are all-natural with limited-ingredients to make treating with kindness deliciously easy for people and their pets. Crafted from the world’s best “superfoods” and allergen-friendly ingredients, their treats are loved among dogs of all ages with current products including crunchy oven baked biscuits and soft chew trainer bites.

Check them out on Facebook and Instagram for more information on their products and some cute pet photos.

Why was Finley’s interested in becoming a B Corporation?
When we started Finley’s, we made bold and critical commitments to serve people, pets, and the planet together. Using Finley’s as a platform to combat the over 80% unemployment rate people with disabilities experience, we wanted to always push ourselves to drive decisions based on how we could best serve our purpose. We realized quickly, to make progress towards our goals, we needed our customers to walk alongside us. The best way to accomplish that was to learn from other businesses in the B Corp Community paving the way for businesses to be a force for good.

What has been the most rewarding part of the decision?
Bringing focus and attention to our mission, alongside so many other great companies doing good in the community. Seeing the adoption and championing of what a B Corp is from team members, customers, retailers, and vendor partners. Now more than ever people deserve to trust the brands they buy from. Seeing our team members get to blend their passion for pets, with the empowering experience of representing a brand that they’re proud of is a win-win.

How is your company using business as a force for good / demonstrating the commitment to the B Corp values and mission?
We recognized early in our process how many employment gaps and opportunities there are in the consumer product journey from production to customers’ homes. With the lens to improve this experience, and fill critical roles with people of all abilities we were able to not only create opportunities through Finley’s, but also our retail and vendor partners that join our mission. Today, our team members are out in the community at stores across the country representing our mission, as well as expanding their skill sets and sharing their talents with retailers and vendors who support our mission.

Who are some of your role models in the business community? Who or what company can we all learn from? 
A few years ago, we were introduced to Tom Mondragon, who shares a passion for the disability community and using business to drive consumer habits to tackle causes that better the world. We were immediately inspired and intrigued to align Finley’s mission to the B Corp community. His experience at Olly PBC and now Welly Health PBC and the missions they serve were great examples to Finley’s of how to approach doing good, while sustaining business practices that better the world. They are two great examples of understanding a need and executing in many business areas to build a culture among their teams, customers, and partners to be leaders for positive change.

What are your goals as a B Corp and what accomplishments are you most proud of since becoming a B Corp?
We’re most proud of the jobs created for people who are excited to work, and contribute their skills to the world. We tend to overlook some of the most important aspects of our daily lives, and having purpose and pride in where you work is something we never want to take for granted. Creating more of those opportunities for people around the country and bringing inclusion to our partners is something that we hope to build on this coming year. We’re also excited to continue our giving and focus on investing in marketing efforts that directly support people in need. Inclusion is more than a word at Finley’s, and we want to continue making it an action felt by everyone in the Finley’s and B-corp community.