The Good Kiind - A Business with Purpose

Meet Courtney, Founder and CEO of The Good Kiind.  Courtney is the epitome of a strong woman poised to change the world - an entrepreneur, an advocate, a mom, and a warrior for social justice on behalf of Mary’s Meals Canada.  And it all started with a lunch box - but not just any lunch box, one that was made from safe and easily recycled materials, ethically sourced, encouraging sustainability and litter-free lunching.

The name the Good Kiind evolved from a familiar saying in the family's household.  The mom of two precious daughters, Courtney and her husband take their responsibility to raise intentional world citizens very seriously.

“We always say to our girls be the good kind of sister or good kind of friend and this family mantra turned into the value base for the business.  We really wanted to inspire parents to choose more purposeful products for their children - to choose the good alternative for the planet and the people who live here. Being a DO-GOOD business should be the baseline for how we ALL do business in the 21st century!”

Courtney’s journey to partner with Mary’s Meals Canada seemed like a fated one.  “A couple of friends, also business owners, were already working with Mary’s Meals and had nothing but wonderful things to say. So, I reached out to Keli, their Community Engagement Director, to chat about how we could connect our product with their mission to feed a child a daily meal in their place of education.  The synergy between filling a stomach to learn and filling a lunchbox to learn was just too perfect to overlook.”

For so many years business has been all about profit, bottom line, and cutting costs.  Not wanting to take the easy way out, Courtney believes it’s important to run her business differently – more ethically and with what she calls her deeper ‘why’.

“In addition to profit being important, people are important too.  It’s always been critical to make sure that as we grow as a business, we simultaneously grow what we can contribute to future generations.  If we can inspire and uplift consumers to ensure all children have access to the basic resources they need, we can encourage more children to flourish.”

Courtney whole-heartedly believes each and every child, near and far, should have an equal opportunity to leave a positive, lasting impact on the world, moving it forward with purpose for all people and the planet.

“Educating youth is the way to break the cycle of generational poverty for families and communities.  We are proud and honoured to be partnering with our global giving family at Mary's Meals to help remove the barriers preventing any child, near and far, from attending school - it is our goal to get these children off the streets, into the classroom so they have the opportunity to make a better life for themselves, their communities, and ultimately making the world a better place, for us all.” 

When asked what advice Courtney would give to her daughters, or any child for that matter, about finding their bliss and becoming a responsible world citizen, her answer was not-surprisingly thoughtful and conviction-filled.

“You can be good at anything and turn it into a career.  I tell my daughters; I don’t care what you do, just be a kind person and do what you love.  Do it with utmost passion and work ethic.  Find what makes you excited.  Work needs satisfaction.  Aligning your values with your career is incredibly important.  I love doing what I do.  It lights me up inside.”

For more information on The Good Kiind and the products they offer, visit www.thegoodkiind.com.  If you or your business want to connect with Mary’s Meals Canada to assist with our mission to reduce hunger and promote education in the world’s most vulnerable communities, please email us at info@marysmeals.ca.