Latinx- and Hispanic-Owned B Corps in Florida Unite for a More Sustainable Future

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month Through Purpose-Driven Collaboration

For a business, community can mean different things: location, customer base, or shared heritage. For several Latinx- and Hispanic-owned Certified B Corporations based in Miami, it means all of those and more. These businesses were founded to provide goods and services with purpose in mind and impact at their heart. Now, they come together as part of Florida for Good, a statewide organization of B Corps and other sustainable and values-aligned companies.

Across the United States, the number of Latinx-owned businesses has grown to more than 5 million. Many are small businesses launched amid the COVID-19 pandemic: From 2019 to 2023, the number of self-employed Latinx workers in the U.S. grew by 26%. In Florida, Latinx residents make up more than 27% of the population and operate more than 600,000 companies.

Latinx-owned businesses represent a growing segment of the economy and the B Corp community, which is working to create a more inclusive and sustainable future. To mark the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, B The Change highlights four Latinx- and Hispanic-owned B Corps in Florida that are collaborating to share resources and raise awareness of purpose-driven businesses in the region. 

The ClickEat: Sustainable Solutions to Replace Single-Use Plastic

Oscar Herrera’s B Corp history began in Chile, where he was part of a company now known as SelkBag. In 2009, the company became the 11th B Corp in Chile, which now counts more than 250 B Corps. “We were driven by a desire to find a certification that could encapsulate all the positive impact we were already making, while also championing triple-impact — a concept that was far from mainstream in Chile at the time,” Herrera says. 

Now living in Miami, he helps lead The ClickEat, a B Corp that aims to reduce plastic in single-use products with compostable solutions developed with design and innovation partners. The company’s environmental focus is inspired by an appreciation of natural resources he learned while growing up in Chile. “It’s deeply ingrained in the soul of our company, influencing everything we do, every decision we make, and shaping our vision for the future,” Herrera says. 

Being able to connect with other B Corps and a larger network of like-minded business leaders through Florida for Good makes Herrera feel right at home. “We are newcomers to this ecosystem, more than 4,000 miles from where we first began. It’s incredibly reassuring to find people so far from home who share our vision of what business should be and who are passionate about promoting this new way of thinking,” he says. “Florida for Good has been the bridge that connects us with these like-minded individuals, opening up great opportunities to share our values, good business practices, and potential collaborations.”

The ClickEat aims to reduce plastic in single-use products with compostable solutions developed with design and innovation partners.

Briyah Institute: Making the Journey Toward More Sustainable Leadership

Briyah Institute is new to the B Corp community after gaining certification in July. Founder Adriana Machado says she was intentional in designing Briyah Institute as a for-profit company that uses business as a force for good. Briyah Institute represents a personal and professional shift for Machado, who worked as a corporate executive in Brazil and now counts herself as an entrepreneur. “In my mind, if I were to experiment with something new, move away from my comfort zone, reinvent myself, and create a company from scratch, it would have to be worth it. And being a Certified B Corp was the journey worth pursuing.”

In its leadership development and strategic advisory work with companies, Briyah Institute combines concepts shared by inspiring speakers with practical exercises and group dynamics. “My hopes and goals are that we will harmoniously fulfill our mission to bridge innovation, good practice, and purpose to inspire leaders to positively transform organizations co-creating an impact economy that pursues financial returns alongside positive impact for people and planet,” Machado says. 

As an executive, Machado collaborated with B Corps and saw firsthand how certification helped guide toward innovative, impact-minded ways of addressing challenges. She kept that in mind while establishing Briyah Institute’s products and services, using the company’s initial B Impact Assessment results as a tool to enhance stakeholder impact and identify areas for improvement. “It may seem harder to do business like this, but the commitments keep us creative and motivated to find coherent alternatives amid the increasing disruption and complexity of today’s world,” Machado says.

As part of the B Corp community in Florida and around the globe, Machado sees new opportunities to share talents and ideas that amplify impact and drive systems change. She points to the words of late Chilean biologist and systems thinker Humberto Maturana as inspiration: “We live in the relational space we generate with each other; … we can change our sensoriality by changing our desires and purpose, thus changing the course of our drift.” Now, Briyah Institute joins forces with other companies working for a more inclusive and regenerative economy. “We are strengthening the ecosystem as we interact and learn from each other, making the B Corp impact model more known and desired,” Machado says.

Creative Chi: Making a Difference with Purpose-Driven Brands

A desire to do purposeful work inspired Sirena Andras to launch Creative Chi, a brand development agency that serves other impact-driven companies. “When I was in the corporate media world, I felt like I was using my creativity and design skills to con people into buying things they didn’t need — products that were terrible for the planet. I knew I could use my talents in a way that made the world better,” she says. “When I discovered B Corps, I realized this was the way forward — a way to align my work with my values and create a positive ripple effect.”

Because Creative Chi works only with brands that share a vision of positive impact, the B Corp harnesses its creative power to amplify the voices of companies working to make a difference. “The reality is the only change we can make is in ourselves and our own businesses, so that’s where I decided to start, with my business and the B Corp Certification as our North Star, ensuring we’re always doing the right thing and making sure we’re all pulling in the same direction,” Andras says. “We’re creating business for good and building a community around the movement, inspiring others to join.”

The B Corp community and Florida for Good provide a network of businesses ready to connect and learn as they build their businesses, she says. “When the burnout starts to hit, I’ve got an entire community to help me regain passion and strength,” Andras says. “Florida for Good, in particular, has been an incredible hub for fostering local collaboration, driving awareness, and helping businesses push toward more sustainable practices. Together, we’re creating a ripple effect bigger than any one company — it’s a movement.”

Sirena Andras founded Creative Chi to amplify the voices of companies working to make a difference.

MIO: Outfitting Offices with an Eye on Sustainability and Style

MIO’s connection with the B Corp community stretches back to the company’s roots in Philadelphia, where founders and brothers Jaime and Isaac Salm started the company in 2001 and became a B Corp in 2014. “Since B Corp was started in Philly, it was only natural that we would be early adopters,” Jaime Salm says. “We even outfitted B Lab’s original office with some of our acoustic room dividers.” 

Since moving the company to Miami in 2021, the Salms have deepened MIO’s focus on sustainability and local manufacturing. “We focus on repurposing industry and materials creating products and categories that break the mold through circularity and flexibility of use,” Jaime says. “Like all of our fellow B Corps, we are reinventing business and design as a force for good. We truly believe it is a common sense approach to business and design.”

With others in the B Corp community and Florida for Good, MIO feels supported in its work to catalyze change and demonstrate a new path forward for businesses. “Being part of something bigger than ourselves is part of being human and one of the reasons why we started MIO,” Jaime says. “Florida for Good is the perfect example of how a small group of dedicated people can shine a light on sustainability and inspire change.”

Working alongside fellow B Corps also serves as inspiration for MIO’s impact improvement journey. “Even though we have been on the path of sustainability and social impact since the start, we would not have gotten this far without certification,” Jaime says. Every business has blind spots when it comes to impact, and the B Corp framework allows us to really reflect and change. Keeping a score is motivating and allows for trustworthy benchmarking.”