Current Headlines

Bolthouse Farms boycott: update

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog entry encouraging people to boycott Bolthouse Farms, in light of its founder donating $100,000 to the Yes on Prop 8 campaign. Its seems this $100k donation and subsequent boycott has caused quite the fire storm of damage control at Bolthouse.

Bolthouse is doing its best to cover it’s tracks and separate itself from William Bolthouse, Jr. the donor who started this frenzy. It has been stated that there is no connection between The Bolthouse Foundation, the Christian charity Bolthouse now runs, and the farming business he started but there has been quite an effort to make this distinction. Since July, Bolthouse has hired a new CEO who has been attending national gay luncheons and dinners to make nice with fair-minded folks who saw William’s donation as an insult. Bolthouse has also revised it’s philosophy, since the publicity around the donation, which originally read:

“The purpose of this Company is to glorify God through our business transactions, our work, and our relationships. It is further our desire to bring honor and glory to the Name of Jesus Christ by following God’s Word in all of our dealings with employees, suppliers and customers. God’s Work as contained in His Inspired scriptures will be the final authority in all Corporate matters concerning direction, decisions, and disputes.”

and now reads:

“Bolthouse Farms Is fully committed to living out the highest principles of business operations, from our sustainability practices to the way we handle our business transactions, our work, and our relationships. We strive to demonstrate those principles in everything we do, in every interaction, every day, with every one of our employees, suppliers and customers. Our philosophical heritage manifests itself in business through the mutual respect, personal dignity and equitable treatment of all of our customers, employees, vendors and associates.”

Despite the text change in philosophy and a token donation of $5,000 to the No on Prop 8 campaign, the boycott rages on. Californians Against Hate are behind this and other boycotts in order to bring attention to the people and businesses who support eliminating the rights of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered people.

It should also be noted that Bolthouse Foundation is one of the largest contributors to the Alliance Defense Fund, the same legal group that houses Austin Nimocks, who tried and lost the famed Lemons v. Bradbury case here in Oregon.

Kyndall Mason
-Public Education Coordinator