Grand Rapids-based Essence Restaurant Group has become a certified B Corporation, according to a statement.
The owner and operator of restaurants Bistro Bella Vita, The Green Well Gastro Pub and Grove, as well as an unopened eatery in the Monroe North neighborhood, has become the first restaurant group in the nation to achieve the designation.
The designation, administered by Wayne, Pa.-based nonprofit B Lab, demonstrates through reporting and third-party verification that companies meet “rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.” To get certified, a company must get a minimum score of 80 on B Labs’ performance measurements, as well as meet certain legal requirements.
Essence Restaurant Group received a score of 89 compared with a median score of 55, according to B Lab’s online score card.
“We believe responsible business is a vehicle for improving the economic, social and environmental health of the communities we serve,” said Essence Restaurant Group Managing Partner James Berg. “Achieving B Corp Certification not only solidifies this belief, it serves as evidence of our unwavering commitment to designing, building and living green – and, of using the power of business to make the world a better place.”
Essence Restaurant Group is now one of 1,128 certified B Corps in the world. They join local companies such as Bazzani Building Co., Catalyst Partners LLC and Cascade Engineering Inc.
