(Photos Via Triple Bottom Brewing, Gold + Water Co, and Vellum Street on Instagram)
Supporting women-owned businesses is extremely important, especially those that are local to your own community. According to some estimates there are now 12.3 million woman-owned businesses in the US, and it is important to uplift them, remembering that women have only been able to take out their own business loan without a male cosigner since 1988 (Aeoworks.org). Supporting these businesses encourages having a rich and unique local business landscape. Many women-owned businesses are small businesses rooted in their local communities, so helping them helps communities thrive. It is also common for women-owned businesses to incorporate social causes in their mission, all three that we will be highlighting today are doing amazing things for the Philadelphia community.
ThefFirst business that we would like to highlight is Triple Bottom Brewing. A certified B-Corp and a certified member of the independent craft brewer’s association, Triple bottom calls themselves “Philly’s Fair Chance Brewery”. Their cofounder Tess Hart, has a history of working in nonprofits, and is in charge of their social outreach. She is motivated by both community and communication. Tess and her business partner, Bil,l met their third business partner Kyle online and brewed beers in his home-built driveway brewery for years before moving to their own tap room. The company prides itself on being a Fair chance employer, and prioritizes employing people from all walks of life. They also make conscious efforts to recognize and off put their environmental impact as a brewery, recycle their waste grains, and offset their energy and water usage. You can visit their tap room for a beer and a meal made by one of their monthly chefs in residence at 915 Spring Garden Street.
Next up is Gold & Water Co, a Philly-based online perfume and soapery. Their owner, Chartel Findlater, seeks to remind people that they are the luxury, and that self care is an essential part of daily life. In her own words, “Caring for one's self *well* is not optional. It does not need to take hours. It does not need to deplete your bank account. It is a moment of quiet. It is a deep breath. It is washing with a beautiful soap”(Chartel of Gold+Water Co). Their products, in addition to being made with the user in mind, are made from high quality ingredients sourced from reputable sources. They also work hard to support causes in abuse and violence protection, working with Project Hygiene and OODAP (Open Door Abuse Awareness Prevention) in order to advocate for others in their community. You can shop their array of luxurious self care products at https://goldandwaterco.com/.
Our last business is Vellum Street, a company which makes tallow products such as soap, lotion, and lip balm. They were founded by Melissa Torres, a chef who was interested in both food sustainability and nutrition. After starting her restaurant Melissa realized that many personal care products have ingredients that aren’t safe for our skin, so she set out to start Vellum St, which uses only food safe, locally sourced ingredients in their products. Additionally, all the glass that they use in their packaging is 100% second use, coming from baby food jars, salsa jars, and other upcycled containers. Through this business model, they are also able to use many food scraps and animal byproducts that would otherwise end up in the landfill, and turn them into usable self care products. You can shop their super moisturizing bath and body products at https://vellumstsoapcompany.com/.