Mountain Mindful is a non-profit, lifestyle brand initiative of Coalfield Development that makes apparel, furnishings and self-care products from organic, reclaimed and recycled materials. As a social enterprise, recent increased production not only equates to additional jobs in the community, but also results in increased training opportunities as every $100 spent with Mountain Mindful creates 4 hours of paid training for individuals facing barriers to employment.
“As people across the nation better understand the importance of building back our rural communities in a sustainable way, we know that Mountain Mindful, and other similar organizations, will see this sort of continued expansion and success,” said Jacob Hannah, CEO of Coalfield Development. “When people that face barriers to employment, such as those suffering from substance use disorders or those that have lost jobs due to the contracting coal industry, can be paid to be retrained to produce sustainable products, we are building a more stable economic foundation for all of us.”
“Mountain Mindful is so much more than the products we offer,” said Leslie Norris, Mountain Mindful Director. “This is about both the well-being and growth of our great team members that make these sustainable products and giving those that purchase these products an easy way to be a part of that sustainability through the purchase of products that have much less negative impact on the environment than products purchased from big-box stores.”
Both Norris and Hannah stress that even with this increased production, Mountain Mindful still has the capacity to produce casual apparel such as t-shirts and hoodies, handmade furnishings for your home and office and self-care products such as soaps, lotions and teas. All products are produced right here in southern West Virginia by craftspeople that are working hard to build a resilient life for themselves and their communities.
Coalfield Development’s Mountain Mindful program is made possible in part through funding from the ACT Now Coalition. Funded by the US EDA’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge, The ACT Now Coalition is investing nearly $100 million into 21 Southern West Virginia counties, with $62.8 million in grant funds with an additional $26 million in private matching funds. This investment targets a “climate technology cluster,” focusing on clean energy, sustainable mine reclamation, renewables, eco-friendly manufacturing and environmental entrepreneurship.
For more information, please contact:
Leslie Norris
Director, Mountain Mindful
(304) 413-0416
lnorris@mountainmindful.com
