I quit my job on Monday. I was working for a company called Rawguru, which is an online retailer that sells raw, organic foods. Basically, I walked out on two of my superiors and pretty much told them to shove it. Now, I'm not the type of person to make rash decisions like this, especially when it comes to my professional life. I have been working since age 16 and having a job is absolutely necessary for me. The reason I quit - the upper management did not treat me like an asset to the company, but more like an expandable resource. I was overworked, underpaid, and manipulated to go outside of my job description. I was a bookkeeper, accountant, office coordinator, customer service representative, employee trainer, inventory manager, sales representative, etc., etc., etc. I wore many hats; I was okay with that till the owners called me in for a fancy lunch meeting to tell me that I will be taking a pay cut starting with the month of April. Great, I was already making $10/hr. I can't believe that they go out to ridiculously expensive restaurants for lunch and then tell me that they can no longer support my salary. News flash, your lunch, for two people, most likely exceeded $50, while I make less than $200 a week! Thank you, sirs, for taking advantage of me and making me feel like I am easily replaceable. I think that sooner or later they will realize that they will have to hire at least two part-time workers to do what I had done for them. Personally, I rather be without a job and struggle to find a new one than be in a place of work where I am not respected as a human being. There were more issues that I had with working for this company, but the story is way too long and there's too many details; I rather not give myself the headache of explaining it all. Bottom line, the business was not sustainable in terms of their human capital. Lucky for me, I have the ability to take the risk of quitting; many other people lack this opportunity.

I honestly just couldn't handle practices like this. I realized, long ago, that I did not want for my part time employment to lead to a long term relationship. I stayed for so long and put up with all the stress because my father works for the manufacturing/shipping department of the company. Not wanting him to go back to working construction at almost 50 years old, it was in my best interest to help the company prosper and develop a growth strategy for the future. I tried my hardest to apply my skills and provide my managers with ideas as to how to improve their operations, marketing, customer service, etc. However, it didn't take me long to realize that my employers did not have my interest in mind. Let me give you an example that is still fresh in my mind. A few months ago, I asked my "boss" how they go about figuring out the price for their products. Alex explained to me that there are three investors, so the profit has to be split three ways; so, the margin has to be large enough to be shared between three people. This is how he justified a $15 price point for a 6oz jar of chocolate hazelnut spread. When he gave me this answer, I thought my eyes would pop out of my head; I couldn't believe that he said this to me, at lunch, in front of two more coworkers. I mean, I understand that that's a factor in determining the price, but that's not the only factor! I was looking for an answer that would educate me on a subject that I was not very clear on; instead, I got one that made me see that these people only care about their personal gains. Ohh well; their loss.

This experience shows me that just because a firm makes a product that appears to be sustainable, the company itself might not be sustainable. A raw diet, undoubtedly, is good for the body as well as the planet. However, if all companies went about doing business like Rawguru, attaining sustainability across all industries would be impossible. So, do your research before you buy. Just because the label says "fair-trade" or "USDA certified organic", this does not mean that you are supporting a responsible business with your purchase.