Responsible Procurement Basis of CSR Business Model for Seven Virtues

CSR business strategies can take on many forms in today’s corporate culture. Some companies may focus on its green initiatives while others build its mandates around the philanthropic efforts of the company. While some companies prefer to weave its CSR business strategies into the fabric of the business protocols toward social and/or environmental betterment. Seven Virtues’ unique CSR business model would fall into the latter category.

Image courtesy of 7virtues.com

Seven Virtues is a Canadian perfume brand that grew from the thesis of best selling book The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen “that women in North America own the buying power and yet we still have issues of war and poverty in the world.” Utilizing the buying power of responsible procurement, Seven Virtues CEO Barb Stegemann created a CSR business model for her brand that offered a hand up to farmers in war torn countries and encouraged sustainable business development. The brand describes itself as being “a group of committed Canadian citizens who believe it’s time to build new models to make the change we wish to see in the world. Our fragrance line is made from organic oils sourced through fair trade from countries experiencing war or strife.”

Some may remember Seven Virtues from its appearance on the CBC reality investment show Dragons’ Den. It was there that Stegemann asked for capital to help keep up with the demand for her fragrance. She explained to the “Dragons” that in Afghanistan and other war torn and poverty stricken countries she found a way to make a difference with orange blossoms. Farmers in these areas can grow poppies that are used to produce the illegal drug opium however she is offering them a legal alternative where they could still make a profit. The solution was to trade their poppy crops for orange blossoms. The Seven Virtues pitch highlighted that they would pay the very competitive price of eight thousand dollars per one liter of orange blossom oil. The dragons were taken with her pitch and Arlene Dickinson, Jim Treliving and Brett Wilson all invested in the company.

Seven Virtues has grown since Stegemann’s appearance on Dragons’ Den. The company now sources “organic oils for fragrances from suppliers from Afghanistan and Haiti who provide seasonal employment for their tribes and communities. Future oils are being sourced through fair trade from countries in the Middle East and Africa to continue our goal of empowerment. [Their] goal is to encourage other businesses to do trade with business people in Afghanistan, Haiti, The Middle East and other nations experiencing strife as a part of the solution to building peace.”

Similar to the CSR business model employed by the clothing brand EDUN, Seven Virtues is a for-profit business that is using responsible procurement as the basis of a global CSR vision to better the lives of people in communities all over the world. Although companies like TOMS shoes, TOMS eyewear, Warby Parker and Sevenly are global in reach, their philanthropic efforts are tied to each individual customer purchase.

Hats off to Seven Virtues for creating a CSR business strategy that equally considers profit and people in communities around the globe.

Seven Virtues News:

• Seven Virtues is releasing a new fragrance, Vetiver of Haiti, today (September 21st, 2011) to coincide with International Day of Peace, an effort encouraging everyone to come together to “create practical acts of peace on a shared date”. Tune into Peace Day TV for more information.
• Read about Barb Stegemann one of two Canadian women to receive the “Women Innovators” award from the US Secretary of State Department from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries in San Francisco.

Seven Virtues on Dragon’s Den
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7K9TUgGLRg&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values and advancing the missions of the non-profits we proudly serve.