Purpose-driven group of food brands, The Alt Saints, has launched an equity crowdfunding campaign with Birchal to raise up to $1 million to accelerate the global shift towards conscious consumerism.
Developed by serial entrepreneur, Charbel Zeaiter, founder of Academy Xi and the Moose General Store, The Alt Saints encompasses four food sub-brands inspired by unique patron saints characters. Each brand has its own high-margin food category – ‘Saint Frankie’ (Cereals), ‘Saint Dottie’ (Donuts), ‘Saint Buzz’ (Salad and Juice) and ‘Saint Estelle’ (Ice-cream) – and collectively shares 10% of revenue with organisations actively working to solve ecological challenges.
The focus of The Alt Saint’s Birchal campaign will be to expand Saint Frankie, a natural breakfast food company that produces quality, plant-based items, including muesli and granola, alternative milks and ready to drink (R2D) coffee, and help save critically endangered animals from extinction along the way.
Alt Saints and Saint Frankie founder and creator, Charbel Zeaiter said, “Our environment and all the living things that inhabit our planet are under threat, and we have no how-to handbook to navigate these challenges.
“With The Alt Saint’s clear, intentional purpose to make the world a better place, we are uniquely positioned to lead other companies into a space of genuine corporate social responsibility. The aim with our products is to encourage consumers to take that step closer, and by doing so make a real, positive impact on the world around them.”
More than half (55%) of Gen Z believe a company’s social and environmental efforts are ‘extremely’ or ‘very important’ when considering whether to purchase a product, with Millennials not far behind at 48%, according to research from Finder’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker.
As part of its commitment to the triple bottom-line: ‘People, Planet and Prosperity’, The Alt Saints is in the process of securing B-Corp status, will actively employ people who are in a position of disadvantage, including refugees, migrants, women in crisis and people living with a disability, and will give back to early stage startups that are using emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, to fight wildlife crime.
“With an ethos of getting the best out of people, we are committed to giving people the space to develop, grow and take part in our mission. Our vision is to challenge the unskilled labour approach that permeates many foodservice companies today,” Zeaiter said
The Alt Saints has secured initial investment support from renowned chef, Manu Feildel, and will use funds raised in the campaign for manufacturing and product innovation, customer experience, sales and distribution as well as marketing.