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Blissmo: The Groupon for Organics but Mission-Driven

The other day I was speaking to my good friend David, who lives in San Francisco, and I said to him “what do you think of the idea of a Groupon for the organic food industry?”

He replied “I think it’s a great idea. And I know someone who just started a company that’s doing that.”

Well, that person is Sundeep Ahuja and his company is called Blissmo.

Blissmo is a group buying site for products that are people/planet positive with a focus on organic and sustainable. So, it is not just organic food but also everyday products such as skincare, baby toys and clothing.

Products must meet one of the following three criteria in order to be promoted by Blissmo.

1) It must be a credentialed product such as USDA certified organic, certified green business or something similar.

2) If a company doesn’t have a known credential, the story behind the company must be related to organic.

3) The product must be materially better than the other alternatives on the market and be aligned with the Blissmo mission.

Consumers can expect discounts of 50% or greater.  Right now, the company does one promotion per week and is already booked up until February 2011. Over time and as more products are added, the frequency of promotions will increase as well.

Beginning in early 2011, Blissmo will be going local in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. This was of particular interest to me since I live in Manhattan and eat at organic restaurants all of the time.

While building a profitable business is certainly a goal, the main motivation behind Blissmo is to change the way people consume. Getting individuals to purchase more organic and sustainable products will be better for us and the planet.

My Take: I love what Blissmo is doing and think it is very, very smart. Any company that can help shift broad consumption habits to more organic is something that I want to support.

In my view, the real inflection point for Blissmo will be when it starts to go local. I can see growth really starting to take off at that point and its brand will then become a household name within the green community.

Go sign up for organic and sustainable discounts at Blissmo. You’ll be saving money, helping the environment and supporting companies that try to do business the right way.

A message from Tradin Organic

How Tradin Organic is Helping Coconut Farmers in The Philippines

For more than a decade, Tradin Organic has been working with local partners in The Philippines to bring a diversified range of organic products to the market, such as coconut oil, tropical fruits and even cocoa.

The company is helping to support local farmers by assisting them with technical support and organic certification, in addition to paying Fairtrade premium on top of the organic premium.

Learn more.

livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink