Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Kamine.
Hi Justin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I come from a family of entrepreneurs, my brother Matt and I watched my dad build several successful businesses that addressed big problems, so when we wanted to do something to make a big impact to solve food waste and climate change, we just dove in. We’ve never been afraid to take on a challenge. My dad, my brother, and I started to Do Good Foods to address these enormous issues. We decided the world could not wait 20-30 years for someone else to do it. We could see that climate issues could not wait—we see it now with heat waves, fires, droughts, and floods. We knew we needed to act now, so we started Do Good Foods. The infrastructure we are building can make an impact on fighting food waste and combatting climate change today, and that’s important. We do not have time to waste We now have 100+ full-time Do Good Food Waste Warriors on our team, as well as a network of retailers and other partners who share our passion for this mission. We are thrilled and grateful to all the good people that are working together to do good. We got here because we saw a problem, identified a scalable solution, surrounded ourselves with people as passionate about the issues as we are…and we went to work!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No road is completely smooth, but our motto is “we reserve the right to get smarter every day.” So, when we failed many times during the development stages, but you fail fast and fail forward—never taking your eye off the end goal. Like any new enterprise, there’s so much to learn and so much to do every day. One or two people can’t be everywhere. So, we brought in a great team, and even when it’s hard, we trust them to handle the day-to-day operations. Whether it’s logistics, manufacturing, sustainability, retail, marketing, fundraising, or HR, there’s a lot going on, and there’s no way one person can give each area their full attention. We’re so thankful for the talented people on our team. Together we’re building this company from the ground up, paving the way and creating new processes, learning, and adapting as we go. And a great problem we’ve had is that demand for our product has been phenomenal. I’m simply amazed that after only 11 weeks, Do Good Chicken is available from Maine down to D.C., as well as in Texas and Colorado in over 600 retail locations! We are growing so incredibly fast—and while that’s hard some days, it’s also exciting!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Our company is called Do Good Foods, and our first product is Do Good Chicken, which is for people who give a cluck about fighting food waste and combating climate change. When we named our company Do Good, we believed it was not just a brand name; it was a call to action that sets a tone for the way we want to do business. If you can choose what to do in this world, why wouldn’t you choose to do good? We’re known for producing delicious chicken that’s good for the plate and the planet. Our product fights food waste and combats climate change. Did you know that 40% of healthy grocery food gets tossed and that if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, behind the U.S. and China?
Our solution was to partner with some of the country’s biggest retailers and food service providers, including Kroger, Albertsons, Ahold, Target, and many others, to address food waste and its environmental impact. Do Good Foods collects healthy, surplus grocery food from retailers (after community donations occur) and upcycles it into nutrient-dense dried chicken feed. This ingredient is fed to our Do-Good Chickens before they are then sold back to retailers and food service—thus closing the loop, ensuring good food is eaten, not wasted. Each Do Good Chicken saves approximately 4 lbs. of good food from being thrown away, reducing nearly 3 lbs. of greenhouse gases for each bird. So, if just one out of every five chickens sold was a Do-Good Chicken, we could solve food waste in only 5 years. That’s a real impact. What is so exciting is that when you buy our carbon-reduced, delicious, 100% natural, cage-free, antibiotic-free chicken, you’re doing good for your plate and our planet.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I think luck comes about when perseverance and determination meet with opportunity. We were lucky to have all of these. You can stay focused when you know you’re doing the right thing every day, so if challenges arise, you’re ready, and likewise, when you push the tough days, you’re equally determined to find solutions. I feel lucky that I get to work on a great business with great people and do good every day to make a real positive impact on the planet.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dogoodchicken.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogoodchicken/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoGoodChicken/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHq4S0cq6eXzgUT1I1AfAcw
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/DoGoodChicken/_saved/
Image Credits
Do Good Foods
