When Hal Taussig founded UnTours in the early 1970s, he dreamed of travel as a bridge, connecting people deeply with new communities, cultures, and each other. His innovative model invited travelers to slow down, immerse themselves in local life, and forge genuine connections in the communities they were visiting. But Hal wasn’t content with simply redefining travel; he believed deeply that businesses should uplift everyone, particularly those who faced barriers or injustices around the world.
Hal’s radical generosity and his unwavering commitment to social and environmental justice didn’t go unnoticed. In fact, his vision directly inspired the founders of the B Corp movement, who saw in Hal a powerful example of how business could and should be a force for good. Driven by Hal’s generous and pioneering spirit, UnTours proudly became the world’s first-ever Certified B Corporation, forever changing the way we think about the purpose of business. Now, at every Champions Retreat, B Lab U.S. & Canada presents the Hal Taussig Award to an individual who most embodies the highest aspirations of the B Corp movement.
Today, the UnTours Foundation carries Hal’s legacy forward, investing catalytic capital and providing meaningful support to entrepreneurs whose businesses courageously challenge the status quo. Since its inception, the UnTours Foundation has invested over $10 million into more than 390 visionary businesses, each creating transformative impact around the globe. These investees have uplifted thousands of lives by creating meaningful employment opportunities for marginalized communities, promoting gender equity, restoring fragile ecosystems, pioneering inclusive and accessible tourism, and reimagining industries from food and fashion to hospitality and technology.
This B Corp Month, we’re excited to introduce you to some of the remarkable B Corps in our portfolio. Each business embodies Hal’s belief that when done right, business has the power to create a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world.
Adventure Tours UK
Founded by Claire Copeman, Adventure Tours UK creates eco-conscious adventures throughout the United Kingdom. From wild swimming in Wales to exploring Scotland’s highlands, they offer immersive experiences deeply rooted in sustainability. Each tour has a clearly labeled carbon footprint averaging just 15kg CO2e per person per day, far below industry standards. For every traveler, Adventure Tours UK plants a tree, engages in rewilding initiatives, supports biodiversity restoration, and exclusively partners with locally owned businesses, ensuring local economies thrive. They’re certified as a B Corp for their eco-conscious operations, biodiversity commitments, ethical business practices, and advocacy in responsible tourism.
Blue Apple Beach
On Colombia’s Tierra Bomba Island, Blue Apple Beach, founded by Portia Hart, combines luxurious hospitality with radical sustainability. Powered largely by solar energy and operating with an impressive 85% waste-free system, Blue Apple actively restores Tierra Bomba’s endangered Tropical Dry Forest through ambitious biodiversity initiatives. The hotel prioritizes hiring locally, with more than 70% of its employees coming from the nearby village of Bocachica. This approach provides stable employment and clear pathways for career growth. Additionally, guests directly contribute to local education, healthcare, and clean water projects through the Bocachica Community Fund, which is managed by community members themselves.
Divine Chocolate
Divine Chocolate, founded by Ghanaian cocoa farmers through the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative, revolutionized chocolate trade by becoming the world’s first farmer-owned Fairtrade chocolate brand. Farmers hold a 20% ownership stake and 40% representation on the board, ensuring decision-making power and fair financial benefit. Divine Chocolate funds literacy programs, gender equity projects, and sustainable agricultural training to help farmers face climate challenges. Every bar is Fairtrade-certified, sustainably produced, palm-oil free, and transparently traceable from bean to bar, setting a global example for ethical confectionery.
NOOR by Grant Blvd
NOOR by Grant Blvd was founded by Kimberly McGlonn to blend wellness, elegance, and justice into a transformative fashion experience. Every piece is made from natural, plant-based fibers like Tencel, linen, and wool, and manufactured ethically in Philadelphia by women overcoming systemic barriers, including incarceration. NOOR champions intentional living, sustainability, and inclusive economic opportunity, using fashion to heal and empower. With living wages, community reinvestment, and an unwavering commitment to planetary care, NOOR is redefining what luxury can look like. From elevated loungewear to beautiful home essentials, each product honors craft, care, and conscious design.
Peaceful Fruits
Founder Evan Delahanty started Peaceful Fruits following his Peace Corps service in Suriname, inspired to ethically source acai berries and tropical fruits while creating impactful employment. Based in Northeast Ohio, Peaceful Fruits produces organic, whole-fruit snacks free of additives, dyes, and allergens. Their manufacturing facility employs adults with developmental disabilities, providing meaningful, living-wage jobs and partnering with nonprofits to ensure inclusion and empowerment. Peaceful Fruits also addresses youth mental health through educational initiatives via its foundation, demonstrating holistic impact in both sourcing and social responsibility.
Playa Viva
Founded by Sandra Kahn and David Leventhal, Playa Viva is more than a luxurious eco-hotel near Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It’s an innovative example of regenerative hospitality. Entirely solar-powered and dedicated to watershed restoration, Playa Viva revitalizes the local ecosystem through sustainable agriculture and the “La Tortuga Viva” sea turtle sanctuary, which has released over 450,000 baby turtles. Community impact is key to their mission, with 2% of all guest stays funding local education, health, and empowerment projects. Recently expanded through investment from the UnTours Foundation’s Reset Tourism Fund, Playa Viva continues to prove that travel can regenerate both the environment and community they work in.
ROAR For Good
Founded by Yasmine Mustafa, ROAR for Good designs wearable panic button technology called “AlwaysOn,” dramatically improving workplace safety, particularly for vulnerable hospitality and healthcare workers. Their innovative device allows housekeepers, who often work alone in isolated guest rooms, to discreetly and immediately call for help if they feel unsafe or encounter harassment. ROAR’s patented mesh technology ensures that alerts reliably reach security staff, even in challenging environments like stairwells or basements, significantly reducing incidents and creating safer working conditions. During the pandemic, ROAR expanded their impact from hospitality into healthcare, addressing increased risks faced by frontline caregivers.
Simply Good Jars
Founded by Chef Jared Cannon, Simply Good Jars is revolutionizing the grab-and-go meal with beautifully layered, chef-crafted salads and meals in reusable jars. What started as a mission to make healthy food more accessible has grown into a nationwide movement to reduce waste, fight hunger, and inspire better eating habits. Each jar is returnable, and for every one scanned or returned, the company donates a meal to someone in need. With an astounding 93% return rate, Simply Good Jars leads the way in packaging sustainability. As a Certified B Corporation, they’re committed to zero waste, carbon neutrality, and food justice.
IMPAQTO
IMPAQTO was founded by a passionate team of changemakers, Michelle Arévalo-Carpenter, Daniela Peralvo, and Carolina Brito, united by a shared commitment to uplifting social entrepreneurs across Latin America. Recognizing the lack of supportive ecosystems for impact-driven founders, they created IMPAQTO as a dynamic network of coworking spaces, business accelerators, and an innovative impact investment fund, designed specifically to foster sustainable growth and collaboration. As Ecuador’s first certified B Corporation, IMPAQTO has set a national benchmark for social and environmental responsibility in business. Today, more than 320 social enterprises from 13 countries have participated in IMPAQTO’s programs, collectively raising over $10 million in investment. These businesses positively impact the lives of over 2.3 million people by addressing critical issues like poverty, gender inequality, environmental degradation, and economic exclusion. IMPAQTO Capital, the organization’s impact investment fund, was co-founded and is led by Justin Schwartz. As a spinoff from IMPAQTO, IMPAQTO Capital prioritizes underrepresented founders, including women, indigenous peoples, and marginalized communities. Through flexible financing, dedicated mentorship, and strategic partnerships, IMPAQTO and IMPAQTO Capital are bridging the funding gap for mission-driven startups, helping build a sustainable, inclusive economy across Ecuador and the broader Andean region.
Yellow Leaf Hammocks
Yellow Leaf Hammocks founders Joe Demin and Rachel Connors first discovered the extraordinary weaving skills of Thailand’s marginalized Mlabri Tribe during a chance encounter while traveling. Impressed not only by the beauty and quality of these handmade hammocks but also by the potential to transform lives, they launched Yellow Leaf Hammocks to bring this artisanal craft to a global market. Each hammock sold provides Mlabri artisans with wages three times higher than the local average, empowering families to break cycles of poverty, escape debt-bonded labor, and improve their quality of life. Today, hammock weaving has become a thriving and sustainable source of employment, especially benefiting women, who make up 90% of the weavers and reinvest earnings into education, healthcare, and community development. Featured prominently on Oprah’s “Favorite Things” and ABC’s Shark Tank, Yellow Leaf Hammocks is recognized not only for their superior comfort and craftsmanship but also for pioneering an ethical business model that connects relaxation directly with meaningful social change.
Vamos Expeditions
Annelies Hamerlinck and Pablo Moreno started Vamos Expeditions to create transformative travel experiences throughout Latin America, particularly Peru, that deeply engage travelers with local communities, culture, and nature. Established in 2004, Vamos Expeditions has become a pioneer of adaptive, accessible tourism, such as organizing treks for travelers with disabilities to Machu Picchu. They actively support local economies by hiring indigenous guides, working with local artisans, and contributing to cloud forest restoration and marine wildlife conservation projects. Vamos Expeditions offsets its carbon footprint through UN-certified projects and is committed to eliminating single-use plastics from its operations.
If Hal’s legacy and these B Corps made you feel hopeful about what purpose-driven business can be, we invite you to become part of the movement. The UnDonors Club is a community of passionate changemakers who believe in using business as a force for good. By joining, you’ll help us invest in more world-changing entrepreneurs working to fight poverty, injustice, and the climate crisis. You’ll also enjoy some sweet UnTours travel perks along the way. Join the UnDonors Club and help us carry forward Hal’s legacy by fueling the future of impact-driven business.
