RSF Social Finance Makes a Loan to Uncle Matt's Organic
(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) San Francisco, CA - January 5, 2012 - RSF Social Finance (RSF) is proud to announce a new loan to Uncle Matt’s Organic (UMO), the oldest organic orange juice brand in the US and the largest packer and shipper of organic fresh citrus in Florida. Founded in 1999, and owned and operated by the McLean family—4th generation citrus farmers—the company is committed to providing healthy, organic products to children and adults, and to employing a host of practices to steward the land.
Of the 541,328 acres of citrus in Florida, less than 8,000 are certified organic; Uncle Matt’s Organic is working hard to change this statistic. With distribution throughout the US, Uncle Matt’s is a reliable and growing buyer of organic citrus. The company actively recruits conventional growers to convert to organic and supports them during the three year transition period. RSF’s loan will strengthen Uncle Matt’s growing sales to grocery store chains such as Publix, Whole Foods and SuperTarget. Growing sales means more Florida land transformed into sustainable agriculture where practices are employed such as using wasps for pest control, worm casing tea for fertilizing, matting weeds to restore the soil and decreasing water usage, while also providing a habitat for local wildlife, including bees.
Ted Levinson, head of RSF’s lending program, says, “Uncle Matt’s growing national sales provides citrus growers with an attractive alternative to conventional citrus farming. It’s a compelling proposition from a financial and environmental standpoint. The McLean family makes it easy for Florida farmers to transition to organic.”
“RSF is a great fit for Uncle Matt's from both a social and financial perspective," says Matt McLean, CEO and founder of Uncle Matt's. "Both companies share the mission for advocating environmental responsibility in business. And RSF is unlike other lenders in that they understand the needs of small, growing companies in our industry, and care about their impact, purpose and mission. We're very proud to partner with them."
RSF Social Finance is the lender of choice for values-driven social enterprise in the areas of Food & Agriculture, Education & the Arts, and Ecological Stewardship. Borrowers not only receive financing to meet their capital needs through a close relationship with RSF, each becomes part of a larger community working to transform the way the world works with money. RSF is proud to support Uncle Matt’s and the positive social and environmental impacts they generate.
About RSF Social Finance
Located in San Francisco, CA, RSF Social Finance (RSF) is a non-profit financial services organization dedicated to transforming the way the world works with money. Since 1984, the organization has made over $230 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 one thousand 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, visitwww.rsfsocialfinance.org.
About Uncle Matt’s Organic
Uncle Matt's Organic is a Florida-based, family-owned company offering premium quality organic citrus juices and organic produce. All Uncle Matt's products have no synthetic additives or preservatives. Produce and finished products are produced under the strict regulation and guidelines of Quality Certification Services, the largest and most respected organic certifier in Florida. Products are available in health food stores and at Whole Foods and other supermarkets nationwide. The company is an active member of Organic Trade Association (OTA) and supports the Organic Farming Research Foundation and the Rodale Institute.
Contact
Ted Levinson, Lending Director
ted.levinson@rsfsocialfinance.org
415.561.6179
Jillian McCoy, Senior Associate, Communications
jillian.mccoy@rsfsocialfinance.org
415.561.6156
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