RSF Social Finance Makes a Loan to 18 Rabbits

SAN FRANCISCO, June 10, 2014 /3BL Media/ - RSF Social Finance (RSF) is pleased to announce a new loan to 18 Rabbits, a social enterprise that produces organic granola products. RSF provided a line of credit that will help the company bridge funding gaps between production needs and sales.

The story of 18 Rabbits begins in Farmers Branch, Texas in the childhood home of founder, Alison Bailey Vercruysse. Allison used to play in her backyard with her siblings and her rabbit, Blackjack, while her mother made her special granola. One day, Blackjack ran off and returned with a family of 18 rabbits. Alison’s backyard was hopping with an abundance of rabbits, kids, and the delicious smell of her mother’s home made granola. It was that magical, childhood moment and a belief that everyone deserves to enjoy pure, nutritious food made from real ingredients, that inspired Alison to create 18 Rabbits Granola. Using homemade recipes and sourcing from farmers they know by name, 18 Rabbits is committed to using all natural ingredients including only whole grains, coconut, seeds, nuts and fruit, and leaving out fillers, additives, refined sugars, or wheat ingredients. Their products are certified organic and Non-GMO Project Verified.

18 Rabbits sources its ingredients from a pool of high quality organic suppliers. Almonds, dried apricots, butter, cherries, strawberries, walnuts, dates, and figs are sourced from California farmers; cranberries, flax seed, maple syrup, and pecans are sourced elsewhere in the US; and chocolate used is from TCHO made in Italy and Ecuador.

“We are honored to be part of the RSF community, a vast network of people dedicated to making the world a brighter place,” says Vercruysse. “Everything we do at 18 Rabbits is for the love of food. As part of the RSF family, we now can make a broader impact faster.”

In the San Francisco Bay Area, where the company is based, one in four individuals experiences hunger. 18 Rabbits donates 1% of their bars to help fight hunger in their community by working with non-profit partners to get healthy snacks into the hands of kids in need.  To date, they have partnered with Second Harvest’s summer kids’ camps, Morning Snack Program through the SF Food Bank, Hanna Center for Boys, and Headstand Yoga for kids.

“In a product category (granola bars) that gives the consumer the perception of being a healthy snack, when in actuality they are packed with refined sugars and other unhealthy ingredients, 18 Rabbits goes to great lengths to be transparent and honest about their products,” says Kate Danaher, RSF Senior Lending Associate. “With 18 Rabbits, what you see is literally what you get. It is a pleasure to work with Alison and other food entrepreneurs that are so dedicated to the integrity and efficacy of their brand."

About RSF Social Finance
Located in San Francisco, CA, RSF Social Finance (RSF) is a financial services organization dedicated to transforming the way the world works with money. Since 1984, the organization has made over $275 million in loans and $100 million in grants to non-profit and for-profit social enterprises working in the areas of Food & Agriculture, Education & the Arts, and Ecological Stewardship. RSF's lending capital comes primarily from 1,500 individuals who have invested $1,000 or more in the organization's Social Investment Fund. Investors earn a competitive return on their money comparable to a certificate of deposit while their funds are deployed to leading social enterprises. To learn more, visit www.rsfsocialfinance.org

About 18 Rabbits
18 Rabbits is a social enterprise that makes organic granola from scratch, using homemade recipes and wholesome real ingredients from farmers they know by name. With a mission of making it possible for everyone to enjoy pure, simple, real food that’s good for you and tastes good, 18 Rabbits is committed to using highest quality ingredients in bringing natural and healthy granola products to the market. http://www.18rabbits.com/

Contact
Kate Danaher, Senior Lending Associate
kate.danaher@rsfsocialfinance.org
415.561.6181

Jillian McCoy, Communications Manager
jillian.mccoy@rsfsocialfinance.org
415.561.6156

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