The Value of Social Enterprise – Some get it, Some Don’t!

It’s been an amazing several months.  We’re still very wary of an economic melt down ( like many other small businesses) because of the economy.  We have a double whammy!  We are also losing  state and federal support for our workers with disabilities.   Let’s face it , survival of a real social purpose enterprise depends on a lot of hard work,  some luck,  and, as we’re finding out, constant communications to reach  more and more people. The essential ingredients of this social enterprise are  our purpose,  our social impacts, our quality products and service and our efforts of  branding all these elements into one .   Let’s restate that. It’s a matter of touching a maximum number of people with the importance of  our mission,  the significance of it’s outcomes and the quality of our products  to gain financial stability to continue operations and to grow.  That contact,  if successful should be enough to get by and hopefully grow our enterprises.

If, like The Nezinscot Guild,  you are creating businesses to employ people with developmental disabilities, you were always more social enterprise than the “dreaded” stereotype of   sheltered shops.  Most people who actually visit our manufacturing business or purchase our products and services see this immediately.  Over the last few years it has come as quite a shock and an enormous frustration that the management team in the Maine DHHS  has chosen to abandon The Nezinscot Guild’s social purpose enterprise after 30 years of partnership.  After all, we continue to provide 25 meaningful manufacturing jobs .  We are 90 + %  self sustaining.  To put that into perspective,  just one DHHS management position  salary and benefits would have been more than we needed for some breathing room on the balance sheet.  We were certainly giving the state of Maine a better bang for their buck than the Maine Care welfare money DHHS is drawing down from the Feds to support itself.   Apparently we failed in our communications with the powers that be at DHHS,  or maybe they just didn’t want to hear what we were saying.

Okay,   so that’s the down side of the challenges and responsibilities that we experience for trying to do good things for good people.  The upsides of running a social purpose enterprise are many.  Every day we get inquiries from people  who have visited our website  www.thenezinscotguild.com. These business people want us to know that they are glad they found us and want to support our mission by purchasing our products .  These enlightened business owners see the benefit of choosing our products because they are excellent quality , they meet their commercial needs and there is a social responsibility dividend.  To them its a very effective way of giving back to society by helping those whose daily lives are more challenging.  The silver lining to losing  support from the Maine DHHS is that we have to vigorously seek out these socially responsible business  people.  It’s a lot of hard work but we’re finding them and the connect is invigorating. To hear how people from near and far support what we’re doing recharges us.

Another  upside to our social enterprise is the daily contact we have with our workers.  They are so motivated to get to work and so grateful to be in a real work place.   Many of them have friends or housemates that go to MaineCare model facilities. These friends and housemates  spend their days not working and not earning money. 

 As employees go,  I’d put ours in the category of   “Best”.   They have a voracious appetite to work,  and a very strong desire to earn money and be consumers.   And like our customers who want to support our purpose,  our employees want to be an integral part of the quality reputation that defines The Nezinscot Guild.

Enlightening afternoon at The Maine Grains and Grapes Festival

At the Nezinscot Guild we do more than manufacture generic gift crates and boxes and provide industrial repackaging services. We make extremely flattering wine boxes, very customized wooden beer totes and attractive display stands for both vintners and brewers alike. So it  only makes sense that I should visit this great local festival called The Maine Grains & Grapes Festival.

I also am a discriminating drinker who likes to hear great stories from small entrepreneurs with big ideas, and on top of that it was a chance to spend quality time with my 21 year old daughter. The icing on the cake, or in this case rich beverages in the glass, is that I had an enjoyable way to support The Lewiston / Auburn Chamber of Commerce which does so much good for the business community in the area surrounding the Twin Cities.  This was an annual fund raiser for all the programs that the Chamber offers to the local  community.

We started at The Allagash Brewery because they are current users of our wooden displays and crates, and though, it is business, the people at Allagash Brewery have always felt like friends and embraced The Nezinscot Guild’s social purpose enterprise. I sipped their Allagash Victoria Ale and must say it was a great start to an afternoon of taste delights.

I didn’t know how mixing wines and ales would work on the body, but soon realized that the glasses provided were the perfect size for tasting and the quality of beverages offered was very high and natural.

Fiddler’s Reach Honey Wines had to be tasted if for no other reason than to get the story on their name. Rob Nicoll was gracious enough to tell me about his product and process. I had the Merrymeeting Dry Mead which is made from wild flower and wild raspberry honey. Need I say more? It was very flavorful and not too sweet. My daughter enjoyed their Soft Southerly Slightly Sweet Mead. Nice flavors. The story of Fiddler’s Reach is a reflection of Bath’s nautical history. Rob said they will have a website up soon, so I won’t spoil the legend here. Look for their honey wines and their soon to be website.

Looking through the Festival program, which was extemely helpful and well done, I couldn’t help but notice the add for Belfast Bay Brewing Company. In addition to their McGovern’s Oatmeal Stout, which my daughter highly recommends, they have a Lobster Ale. I couldn’t help thinking this would be a great connect for one of our website/retail products, The Original Maine Lobster Kit. I had to try the Lobster ale and talk to owner, Pat Mullen. Immediately, Pat and I hit common ground, and this was before I even tasted the delicious Lobster Ale.  He had his daughter working the festival with him. We Irish guys tend to be a little sentimental and it was the eve of Father’s day. Anyway, this Lobster Ale was crisp, sharp and clean tasting. It was just what you’d want for enjoying a great lobster feast. I’m going to follow up with Pat, because I think I’ve got him sold on exchanging links…his Lobster Ale and The Nezinscot Guild’s Original Maine Lobster Kit.

Sweetgrass Farn Winery & Distillery is the first producer of wines and distictive spirits in Maine.  We sampled the Bleujolais and  Cranberry Apple wines.  I can honestly say I hadn’t tasted anything quite as distinctive as these wines.  I learned that their is a potential day trip winery loop in the Union area.  You can enjoy Sweetgrass Farm,  Savage Oakes Vinyard & Winery and The Oyster River Winery in Warren in an afternoon.  You probably  want to call ahead.  To enjoy Sweetgrass Wines you have to go to Union for a visit.  They only distribute locally.  Road trip, anyone?

This was a really well crafted event by the Lewiston /Auburn Chamber of Commerce.  There were tastey edibles, live music, raffles and a very relaxed atmosphere. Hats off to Chip, Maureen and the staff and all the volunteers.  I forgot to mention that all the booths are manned and womanned by Chamber volunteers so that the entrepenuers can talk about their beverages with attendees.   This was a really great aspect of the Festival.  I look forward to next years event.