KINDRED CULTURES INC. PARTNERS WITH UBC MFRE FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT

by Nathan Ruff

MFRE 2021 student Vincci Zheng will cap off her master’s degree this summer with a graduating project with Kindred Cultures Inc., where she will be responsible for conducting analysis and providing recommendations concerning their B-Corp. readiness and cost-efficiency.

Kindred Cultures Inc. is a local, female-led business that manufactures water kefir, a probiotic-rich drink, infused with a variety of natural flavours. For the third time, they have partnered with UBC MFRE for a graduating project. This particular project combines sustainability assessment and financial analysis in a food industry context.

The project has two primary objectives. First, the student will assess the B-Corp. readiness of the business. Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet a standard of verified social and environmental performance to balance profit and purpose. The student will be responsible for determining the measures required to complete the assessment, identifying relevant data sources, and developing a workplan for completing the B Corp. certification process, including key areas for improvement.

For the project’s second objective, the student will be tasked with developing financial models using data on operating costs, costs of goods sold, and profit margins, for example. The goal of this analysis is to identify potential inefficiencies and opportunities for informing future decision-making. Based on the analysis, the student will provide recommendations for improving efficiency and how to operationalize these improvements.

Together, this work won’t just help Kindred Cultures Inc. grow, but grow in a sustainable and equitable way.