Greyston Bakery

Brownie_ice
Greyston Bakery has the ultimate business model.  It is a $6.5 million for-profit business which gives all of the proceeds to the Greyston Foundation.  The Greyston Foundation then supports community development initiatives from low-income housing, childcare, health services, technology education, HIV health care and community gardens mostly for Yonkers.  They supply desserts and baked goods to top-rated restaurants in and around NYC.  They also supply the brownies in Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.   From the beginning, Greyston employed economically and socially challenged people.  Through Greyston’s efforts, they have helped break the cycle of poverty by creating opportunity for the hard to employ. 

I also like that they are a profit company with a social conscious.  They have decided to pour all their money back into the community but it is run like a profit business which makes all the difference in the world.  The profit world creates a different set of standards which is probably one of the many reasons for the success.  The people who have been employed by Greyston see what it means to run a profit company every day.

They have just launched a new product.  It is called the do-goodie brownie.   You can buy this brownie at Whole Foods, Balducci’s, Gristedes, Good & Natural (Bronx), Health & Harmony, Park Slope Co-op and Westerly Natural Market and at their site.  All profits from the brownie are donated directly to the Greyston Foundation so as they say, you can feed your conscience too.

There are four different flavors; chocolate fudge, espresso bean, walnut fudge and brown sugar brownie.  Yes, good for your conscience but they are delicious.  I mean fantastic.  Rich, gooey, full of flavor, intensely delicious.  Also, they make cakes to order.  Next big event,  I am going to buy from them.  They make wedding cakes too.  If the brownies are any indication of what their other sweets taste like, then doing business with Greyston Bakery is a winner on all sides.  Good for the soul and good for the taste buds.   

Comments (Archived):

  1. ellen

    Are the brownies only in the N.Y whole fooods or can we get them here in Boston?

  2. gotham gal

    Not sure about Boston but click on Greyston Bakery and you can buy brownies and send them to your door. You can probably shoot them an email and ask them about Boston retailers. The brownies are packaged in a way that there is no reason why they can’t be rolled out in retailers across the country.

  3. anon

    I don’t want this to come out the wrong way but last couple of posts have gotten me thinking –

    There is something contradictory about the idea of buying from Greyston Bakery to help the community, and also owning a $3,000 espresso machine.

    I have read of your many contributions to various charities, and while I do appreciate that, I couldn’t help but notice the incongruence of this post and the last. Why not skip the coffee in the morning and donate the money straight to the Greyston foundation?

  4. Ariel

    Hello!

    Thank you for supporting Greyston and our new Do-Goodie Brownies! You may purchase the Do-Goodie Brownies in the Whole Foods stores in BOSTON & FLORIDA too!

    You may also visit http://www.greyston.org for information on the Foundation and to make donations!

    THANK YOU!!!

  5. ellen

    Because the Gotham Gal didn’t receive the the $50 expresso machine like I did 29 yrs ago for Mother’s Day, she shouldn’t tell the public about Greyston bakery and support other charities? At least maybe she will use her machine more than I did. Maybe she will host charity events at her house to benefit charities and serve yummy coffee with that machine. Should she have bought a $400 stove for her kitchen or wash dishes by hand instead of purchasing a dishwasher? Should I not buy Greyston brownies if I am purchasing beef filet at $25 a pound also at Whole Foods? Your comment makes no sense.