Bitchin’ Sauce, the vegan dip company based in Carlsbad, has garnered two recent honors, one for its growth, the other in recognition of its “upstanding” approach to business.
The family-owned businesses placed at No. 30 on a list of the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies.
For 2022, the businesses recognized on the list generated a combined $9.4 billion in revenue and collectively employed nearly 20,000 people.
To qualify, businesses are required to be privately held, woman-owned or led,
and must have reached annual revenues of at least $500,000 in each of the past five years.
Bitchin’ Sauce, which started with sales from booths at farmers’ markets, also has won the Kindness Inspiration Award from the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, which recently handed out its Business Achievement and Distinction Awards.
The company runs a free on-site employee daycare program and offers workers four paid hours a week to volunteer at a partner organization.
This award serves to recognize and celebrate companies that uphold the Kindness Certified Company values: “Be Good To Your People, Support Our Community, Be Kind To Our Planet, and Create A Better World.”
“Giving is receiving. You give to your team to get back a team that works hard and is happy and delighted to be there,” said Starr Edwards, founder and CEO of Bitchin’ Sauce.
Since launching the daycare program in 2019, the company has offered roughly $1.6 million in free child care, taking into account California’s average weekly daycare rates across all age groups.
To date, there are 34 children enrolled in the program, from infants to school-aged children.
The volunteer program, known as Bitchin’ Givin’, has donated nearly 8,000 hours since it began three years ago. The company’s 65 partners include the Whole Kids Foundation, Child Rescue Coalition, Kids for Peace, 1MillionHome and Olive Crest.
“We are honored to receive the Kindness Inspiration award because we are paving the path for other businesses to join our Bitchin’ mission. Our purpose is to create a close-knit community at work by investing in the lives of our families to ultimately build healthy environments needed to thrive,” Ashley Hawkins, director of childcare, said on accepting the award last month.