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Behind every impactful role we place, every team we build and every effort we make to create systemic change for our planet and society by activating people’s potential; lies our team of passionate, sustainability-minded individuals. Our ongoing ‘Faces of Acre’ series helps us take a step back from the day-to-day to shine a spotlight on the people who make us who we are, giving them a platform to share their passions, speak up about important topics and talk about the pro bono initiatives they take part in.
This instalment relates to the work conducted by Gloria Mirrione, our Executive Director of Sustainable Finance & Impact Investing, Americas. Gloria has spent more than a decade contributing to the success story of Greyston Bakery as a board member; demonstrating the organisation’s impact (which goes beyond baking delicious brownies) through its ‘open hiring’ policy.
Greyston is a social enterprise, founded by Zen buddhist monk Bernie Glassman in 1974. The bakery has provided brownies to Ben & Jerry’s for inclusion in their ice cream products since the bakery was founded. These brownies are baked by employees who have been given a second chance in life, following various circumstances, from prison sentences to homelessness.
Why did you become a member of the board at Greyston Bakery?
Greyston Bakery is a non-profit B-Corp organisation based in Yonkers, an inner suburb of New York City, and I joined the board 12 years ago. I just loved the mission - Greyston was providing jobs to those who might not be given a chance, a job or pass a background check.
My career in executive search spans more than 20 years, and when I started in the recruitment space, I recognised how important it is to explore opportunity. Greyston utilises an open hiring practice and supports other organisations to implement this.
I went to an inspiring Dress for Success event and listened about the importance of opportunity, which fuelled my passion for this mission. Listening to the women who had gone to shelters to be protected for reasons including domestic abuse and how they were striving to make a better life for themselves, and their children, truly inspired me.
Often, they had to leave everything behind, some of the women didn't even have appropriate clothing for a job interview or know how to write a resume. It made me realise I wanted to be helpful in the acquisition of people who don't have jobs readily available to them, so I reached out to Greyston.
What is Greyston’s mission?
Greyston’s mission is “We bake brownies to employ people”. Most of the staff were unemployable for several reasons, perhaps because they wouldn't be able to pass a background check, they were coming out of incarceration, or they were formerly homeless.
A few of Greyston’s programs today include Pathfinders, the Rangers and the Workforce development initiative which partner with other local organisations who hire those we train outside of the bakery.
We started to train people in functional roles like phlebotomy, janitorial and security and were able to train people to develop their skills. But the main mission was to bake brownies to employ people deemed unemployable elsewhere.
This concept formed a strong partnership that began over 40 years ago between Greyston founder, Bernie Glassman, and the founders of Ben and Jerry’s, who were in a similar community of New Yorkers, focusing on healing the planet.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are both very humble and wonderful human beings.
Tell us about the open hiring process
It provides people with a second chance and the data shows that when you give someone that opportunity to become employed without a background check, many will make great strides elsewhere, having built up time at Greyston.
Many have been able to come off government assistance and can provide for their children, taking advantage of an opportunity for greater success.
For the most part there is a Greyston philosophy that fosters and facilitates the environment of an organisation that looks at this as an upside in opportunity. Many positions, even some of the office positions, were from the open hiring process. We also partnered with and helped train some organisations like the Body Shop and IKEA who have dedicated or designed some of their manufacturing or retail jobs to a population of open hires.
Why does Greyston only bake brownies?
When Greyston first started, there were a few other product lines, but because of different economies of scale and the organisation’s structure, brownies became the product of sale.
There have been offshoot products of brownies, and at one point there were brownies included in the meals for overseas flights. They still sell products in Whole Foods and Acre has been kind enough to buy gifts for clients in the past, which has been a great support.
The inclusion of the Greyston brownies in Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is global and I believe a European partner will be added in 2026, due to demand.
What happens when employees leave Greyston?
When candidates disclose details when applying for a position, there are some firms that have a prohibitive barrier but are completely fine with it. Consistent job history is a proven beneficial factor.
One of the board members is a CEO and would allocate a couple of open hires per year, knowing they were hired from Greyston. There is now so much more data about open hiring in the US and how it has influenced other businesses.
These are organisations who recognise that the talent pool and population doesn’t have to look like a homogenous group of people with a degree.
What impact have you made during your time on the board?
I've made an impact in my community, raised the organisation’s profile in my LinkedIn network and brought different ideas, introducing the business to different companies (including Acre) and clients for various initiatives and programs.
I did a search for the executive director of the Detroit Land Bank, and during this time I introduced the former CEO to the General Counsel.
Detroit had, for about 10 years, a significant amount of abandoned properties and at the time, Greyston was looking at a potential overseas bakery. I suggested Detroit because there was also a tremendous amount of unemployed talent we could unlock.
I have spent time chairing several committees and helped facilitate and foster some of the updates and upkeep on some facilities.
When we’ve hosted events for Acre, we've showcased some of the products and provided the CEO with the opportunity to talk about what Greyston does and connect him with people in the sustainability space.
What is next for you?
I've been chatting with different contacts about non-profit boards. I want to ensure that the board I support has connectivity to employment. I feel that putting people to work is core to who I am.
But of course, if there was something more broadly around impact investing, then that would be another opportunity.
Through Acre we pitched for a search with an impact investor and they have asked me to join the board. They are a community-based fund, that brings together IP from different organisations and creates a financial product that they'll be selling.
I love to hear about opportunities, but I really do feel that my next non-profit board will have to be connected to employment in some way, shape and form.
