Boycott Bolthouse Farms!

[kevinbgoode]

I just received this email from an organization concerned about the contributions certain right-wing groups make to anti-civil rights legislation. And lo and behold, this lovely organic business has been selling to progressives while padding the pockets of such wingnut entities as the Alliance Defense Fund (for Dominionists). Here is the text of the email I received:

As reported by Alex Blaze on the Bilerico Project, William Bolthouse, founder and 43% owner of Bolthouse Farms, a farm in California that provides organic juices, lemonades, and smoothies to places like Whole Foods and other organic market places, has just recently given a donation of $100,000 to proponents of a campaign to strip California couples of the right to marry.

We know that many progressive people are concerned about what they put in their bodies, and we wanted to let you and your friends know that the organic juice you maybe enjoying could be helping to strip the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people the right to marry in California.

Please take a moment and let Bolthouse Farms and their distributors know that you will no longer be purchasing their organic products, because even though they are organic, they come with some nasty side effects.

They listed the supermarkets which carry these products. If you choose, please visit this web site and sign a letter to these markets protesting their sales of Bolthouse Farms products:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/bolthouse

[Dogtown]

1. Thanks for the headsup!

:hi:

[sharp_stick]

2. Shit that's too bad

I love their stuff but I'm sure I can find an alternative and I will.

[The Doctor.]

34. Me too... loved "Green Goodness" when it first came around.

Now they have plenty of competition, so no problem.

[fudge stripe cookays]

3. Ooh thanks!

I'm a member at our co-op, and if they get enough complaints, they pull products.

[BeeBee]

4. Corporate Philosophy (from their website)

The purpose of this Company is to glorify God through our business transactions, our work, and our relationships. It is further our desire to bring honor and glory to the Name of Jesus Christ by following God's Word in all of our dealings with employees, suppliers, and customers. God's Work as contained in His Inspired Scriptures will be the final authority in all Corporate matters concerning direction, decisions, and disputes.

[Bluebear]

6. They are embarrassing Jesus with their rash of botulism-infested products

http://www.weitzlux.com/healthalerts/bolthousefarmsfda_403718.html

[gateley]

10. God - if I'd read that, I never would have bought their products to begin with.

:scared:

[pt22]

5. Signed, recommended and kicked!

This was mentioned on DU a few days ago but I don't think there was a link to their address or to the letter site.
Thanks.

[grace0418]

7. It sucks. Why can't RW assholes like William Bolthouse and Jim Oberweiss

make sucky products instead of stuff I really like? But anyway, I wrote a nasty letter to Bolthouse and forwarded it to the store where I used to buy it. This was a couple weeks ago and I never heard back.

What an idiot. Thanks for posting this.

:mad:

[knitter4democracy]

8. Already done.

I read about it the last time it was posted here, and if I can do my little bit by refusing to give that bigot any money, I will.

[cascadiance]

9. I just bought my last Acai Berry + Blueberry twopack from Costco!

They basically sell two packs fo their juices through Kirkland label of Costco. We should write Kirkland and Costco about our concerns. If we could get them to ditch Bolthouse and replace it with other juices, that would be a major blow to them. And Costco should be a customer sensitive company that might do this!

[rucky]

11. Done.

and their shit is overpriced anyways.

I get my juice on the inside:

[mokawanis]

12. Signed, recommended, and kicked n/t

[midnight]

13. So Bolthouse Farms discriminates against those who want to

marry, but are gay or.....I rarely go to the Whole foods,but will make sure not to buy Bolthouse products.

[ThatsMyBarack]

14. My mom will have a fit.

She buys their yogurt salad dressing all the time, and they taste pretty good!

[AwakeAtLast]

15. Couldn't afford it even if I wanted to buy it. Thanks f***ing Repukes!

Interesting that they would rub elbows w/ Whole Foods.

[JohnnK]

16. yes

I like the local small mom and pops better anyway.

[AwakeAtLast]

17. Welcome to DU!

I'm honored that your reply to me was your first post! :bounce:

This is a great site - so much to see and share! :hi:

[Gabi Hayes]

18. you're not going to like this

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0629-21.htm

Most people who shop at Whole Foods are liberal yuppies.

They have enough money to spend $9 on a pound of cherries.

They believe that shopping for groceries at Whole Foods instead of Safeway or Food Lion or Giant or Wal-Mart is the politically correct thing to do.

They probably believe that the President and CEO of Whole Foods is a liberal like themselves.

They of course would be wrong.

John Mackey is instead a libertarian with right-wing tendencies.

Mackey says that Milton Friedman is his hero.

He’s a devotee of Ayn Rand.

He’s opposed to national health insurance.

He’s a union buster.

[AwakeAtLast]

20. I've never shopped there

but have always heard how great it was. Now I don't have to wonder - thanks!

[Triana]

30. Food Whore (aka Whole Foods)....

...charges TOP PRICE for everything. I shop there ONLY because they are the only organic market here (besides the Farmer's Market and I go there too) and I shop at Kroger.

Because they charge top price and because they like to change their inventory constantly - ie: STOP CARRYING my favorite foods for inexplicable reasons (ask them and they lie or don't know why it's no longer on the shelf - seem to be ignorant, lying or have NO CONTROL over their own inventory), I get as much as I can SOMEWHERE ELSE. Only if I can't find something I want at from another source, do I go to Food Whore.

We SORELY need some organic market competition here. Problem is, Food Whore keeps buying up its competition - and it's NOT improving things.

They SUCK.

[Gabi Hayes]

33. Trader Joe's for most things, then Whole foods for some harder to find stuff

the TJ I frequent is the smallest I've ever seen, so their produce supply is pretty limited

used to subscribe to a CSA, but their stuff was too monolithic, and just too much stuff for one person.

no co-ops around here

[SidDithers]

19. Another Bolthouse thread here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3384931

with my contribution about their contaminated Carrot Juice here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3384931&mesg_id=3385485

I won't touch any of their products.

Sid

[Bluebear]

21. kick

[roody]

22. Darn. I buy their non-organic carrot juice at Raleys.

No more.

[FreeState]

23. They lie to you if you email them (Just a heads up...)

Copy of my emails with them:

Okay I have done more research and whom ever it telling you to tell people the Farm and the Foundation are not connected is lying. See this PDF of the foundations funding:

http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2006/770/186/2006-770186343-02e25894-F.pdf

The foundation gets all of its money, according to its 990 (link above), from William and Nora Bolthouse. And they get their money from their family business, Bolthouse Farms.

Im certainly going to pass this information as well as your deceptive email out to my family and friends as well as a print out to every store I use to purchase your products from. You should be ashamed of this unethical behavior from your employer.

Jeff


-------------
On Jun 5, 2008, at 12:59 PM, Julie wrote:

Jeff

The homepage of the Bolthouse Foundation clearly states that the foundation is founded by former owners of Bolthouse Farms. The Washington Spectator article is an error. Unfortunately, since we are not connected to them, we would not have information as to where they receive their funding.

Julie



-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff
Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2008 1:55 PM
To: Julie
Subject: Re: Email Message for Control Id XXXX

So these articles stating that the Bolthouse Foundation is funded by Bolthouse Farms are incorrect? Could you kindly point me to a place that clearly states where the Bolthouse Foundation does receive its funding then?


http://www.washingtonspectator.com/articles/20070401adf_2.cfm

"Last year, ADF received over $21 million in individual and foundation funding. Some of the major donors include the Covenant Foundation, financed by the "Granddaddy" of the Texas Christian Right, business mogul James Leininger; various members of the Amway-Prince Automotive empire, including the Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation, whose vice president, Erik Prince (Edgar and Elsa's son, and brother of Betsy DeVos, wife of the Amway magnate, right-wing financier, and unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard DeVos), founded the Blackwater USA military-security firm; and the Bolthouse Foundation, which is underwritten chiefly with profits from Bolthouse Farms, a family-run California company whose products are often seen at organic markets and Whole Foods. Bolthouse requires recipients of its grants to pledge adherence to a statement of faith that includes the declaration that "man was created by a direct act of God in His image, not from previously existing creatures" and a belief in "the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment of the lost.""


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolthouse_Farms#cite_note-BOLTFON-3

Bolthouse Foundation
Bolthouse Farms company profits are used to support the The Bolthouse Foundation<4>, which supports groups including Evangelical Christianorganizations.<5>



----------
On Jun 5, 2008, at 11:29 AM, Julie wrote:


Jeff

Thank you for contacting us. The Bolthouse Foundation is a private foundation funded by some of the former owners of Wm. Bolthouse Farms, Inc. The foundation is a separate entity and is not connected to Bolthouse Farms in any way. Furthermore, they do not receive financial support or benefit from the profits of Bolthouse Farms. We appreciate your concern and apologize for the confusion. Thank you for taking the time to contact us, and we hope you will continue to enjoy our products.

If we may be of further assistance, please write or call our Customer Service line at [phone].

Sincerely,

Julie
Consumer Relations
Wm. Bolthouse Farms

[Gabi Hayes]

27. jesus.....prince blackwater, via amway

wonder if it would do any good to tell Costco about it

I used to buy some of that drink there

[bean fidhleir]

29. Where's the current connection? I didn't see that in that pdf

Where's the part that shows the Bolthouses still get money from Bolthouse Farms? Julie is saying that they USED TO own BF, but don't now. Only the name still connects them. Is there evidence that I missed in that pdf of a current ownership/money connection?

According to this, Bolthouse Properties no longer has any connection with BF:

"Last Updated: Friday, Sep 7 2007 12:00 PM

Bakersfield College and Bolthouse Properties LLC will bring a new campus and master-planned residential community to south Bakersfield.

The Kern Community College District approved the deal Thursday during closed session at its board of trustees meeting in Bishop.

The campus would be part of 1,600 acres along Highway 99 south of Bear Mountain Boulevard, according to a district news release.

Bolthouse Properties, no longer affiliated with Bolthouse Farms, has donated 66 acres to the district. As part of the agreement, KCCD has purchased the adjoining 60 acres, for a campus site totaling 126 acres."
http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/230579.html

[FreeState]

31. Page 15 of the PDF

list William And Nora Bolthouse as contributing over 8 million to the foundation - now if you read the OP "As reported by Alex Blaze on the Bilerico Project, William Bolthouse, founder and 43% owner of Bolthouse Farms"not to hard to figure out from that where the $ is coming from...

[bean fidhleir]

32. I see, thanks. (nt)

[EFerrari]

24. They are on the List. Thanks, Kevin.

:kick:

[liberalla]

25. I don't usually buy Bolthouse, but I just got some carrots last week...

I won't be doing that again.

Good info - thanks for posting it.

[Divine Discontent]

26. 100,000 is a lot of money - everyone PLEASE REC THIS

I don't even buy their stuff, but I realize this is important enough to have at the top of the front page!


KICK
KICK
KICK!

REC
REC
REC!

Please, for us gay folks and our allies!



New Obama & anti-McSame Items Weekly!
www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable

[and-justice-for-all]

28. done.

[Maraya1969]

35. OMG I drank that green one a few years ago and threw up all night!

I swear there was something wrong with it.