There is no such thing as a successful business in an unsuccessful community

We passionately believe that real food should be convenient and accessible to everyone, which is why we are excited and humbled that sweetgreen has been selected as a finalist in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design awards for Social Good and General Excellence for our work with Hank’s.

Hank’s Mini Market is located in a food desert, where grocery stores are few and far between, but fast food is highly-accessible. When Kelli Jackson took over Hank’s from her father, she had a vision to make an impact on the neighborhood.

Through a partnership with the LA Food Policy Council, we wanted to make healthy eating available to the Hyde Park community, while bringing Kelli’s vision for a brighter neighborhood to life.

We worked hand in hand with Kelli on the following:

• A full renovation of the entire store and replacing everything from kitchen equipment, point-of-sale systems, and artwork
• Supply chain expertise and resources to help Kelli source a variety of local, cost-effective produce
• Marketing + branding, including a fresh logo + look
• Building a safe, friendly community space within the store to foster and promote neighbor-to-neighbor relationships

Now, Hyde Park residents have access to locally-sourced, fresh produce. We are proud that the sweetgreen team continues to work with Kelli with ongoing business coaching in different aspects of the business, from pricing to inventory management to merchandising.

As sweetgreen gets bigger, we act smaller, doubling down on meaningful relationships, building community one authentic connection at a time.

We’re incredibly proud to work with Kelli and humbled to be included in Fast Company’s October design issue.

Jonathan, Nicolas and Nathaniel