The Earth Group is a Canadian social enterprise and certified B Corporation that supports children across the globe through the sale of their branded Earth Water and Earth Coffee. Each case of water or bag of coffee sold provides a week of school meals, ensuring that children receive the nourishment they need to stay in school, improve attendance and inspire better futures. Since 2010, through a partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the Earth Group has funded over 5 million school meals for children in countries such as Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Madagascar, Kenya, Haiti, and Bolivia.
They enterprise recently made its largest-ever annual donation to the WFP; the contribution will fund 500,000 school meals in vulnerable communities around the world. In light of the milestone, we spoke with the co-founders of the social enterprise Matt Moreau and Kori Chilibeck about why they launched their initiative, what they’ve been up to since its founding in 2010, the impact they’ve had so far, and the lessons learned as entrepreneurs in the social impact space.
The Earth Group co-founders, Matt Moreau and Kori Chilibeck, are dedicated to supporting children in vulnerable communities around the world
What inspired you to launch the Earth Group?
We met in 2005 while working in Skiers Sportshop in Edmonton, Canada. Through extensive travel, our eyes were opened to the dire circumstances in which a large percentage of the world lives. This inspired us and gave us the sense of responsibility to do what we could to create positive change in the lives of people who need it most.
Tell us how the Earth Group “works”?
The Earth Group exists entirely to provide food, water, and education to children globally. This is accomplished through a worldwide partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Each case of Earth Water and each bag of Earth Coffee sold funds one week of school meals. School meals incentivize children to attend school and break the cycle of poverty, hunger, and child exploitation in the world’s poorest areas. Critically, they allow children to focus on their studies rather than their stomachs.
What’s been your impact so far? How do you measure it?
We measure our success in school meals provided. In 2024, we made our largest donation to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) yet, 500,000 meals, and to date, we have funded 5,190,562 meals globally.
What does your mission (and its growing impact) say about the intersection between conscious consumerism and global impact?
We’ve seen a significant increase in interest in our story and products in recent years. Whereas we used to pitch to people who would only ever consider working with Coke & Pepsi for their beverage products, we now deal with buyers who recognize the power they have to stock products that create a positive impact in the world.
Can you share any challenges you’ve faced?
We operate in a space dominated by Coke and Pepsi. We are constantly told that businesses can’t work with us because they are stuck in exclusivity contracts with these giants who don’t allow any products but theirs.
What does the future of the Earth Group look like?
We’re hoping to double our donation to WFP this year, funding 1,000,000 school meals. We’re expanding into new countries, launching new products, and broadening our distribution in order to achieve that. If you know of someone who may be interested in hearing our story, please reach out!
Any lessons learned from growing a social enterprise?
It’s critical to have a unique story that resonates with consumers and corporations. We only stand out when we do a good job of building relationships based on a mutual interest in doing good in the world. It’s also been important to get back up every time we’ve been knocked down. We’ve faced countless challenges and doors slammed in our faces, but we remain committed to our mission, which has allowed us to persevere and thrive.