Dan Gadra, President, Virginia Specialty Foods

We are so proud of Virginia Specialty Foods, Inc. and its mission. We’re not a typical company – our mission actually requires the company to give a percentage of its profits to effect positive change in the world. Why would we do that?  Because it’s not only good for our world, it’s also good business.

I began my career as a business lawyer. I worked for many years helping entrepreneurs start, and executives grow, all kinds of businesses. Most of these folks did very well, some not so well, and almost all of their businesses had one thing in common: waste.

Economic waste is an interesting concept. Boring to most, I’m sure, but I’ve also got a degree in International Economics, so this kind of stuff gets me thinking. And as the economy began to crash a few years back, and the questions and comments from friends at parties turned from “so I got this legal problem…” to “what do you think is the cause of this mess?” I wasn’t able to get my mind off waste – a sadly common characteristic of most American businesses.

Businesses use resources, whether natural, capital, technical or human, to generate profits. Without them, businesses cannot survive. Waste is basically the inefficient use of those resources. It’s the result of an activity that consumes resources but adds little or no value.

Waste is bad for business, and when profits begin to fall (for whatever reason) executives should first look to cut waste as much as possible. Makes sense, right? You don’t need an Econ degree to know that.

Did waste bring down our economy? Well, our economic troubles are complicated, but certain kinds of unchecked waste did occur on massive levels, and they did have a particularly negative effect. Too many businesses wasted their capital resources irresponsibly to achieve high profits in the short term. In the end, when those resources were gone, the businesses failed.

One way to cut waste is to help replenish resources as you consume them. This is one of the core principles of our company’s mission. For example, Virginia Specialty Foods, Inc. companies take resources from the environment to produce their products and, in turn, their profits. If those resources run out, so do the profits. Virginia Specialty Foods’ mission requires each of its companies to give a portion of their profits back to the environment in some way to help preserve and replenish the resources they use to produce their profits. This practice is an integral part of a truly sustainable business model, and it proves that the business of “good” is also good business.

To learn more about how you can invest in Virginia Specialty Foods, Inc. and be part of our efforts to create healthy food and a healthy environment, as well as healthy profits, contact us at invest@virginiaspecialtyfoods.com.

All the best,

Daniel A. Gadra
President