Sundance Natural Foods - Mission and Values PITFALLS AND POTENTIALS OF PARTICIPATION IN PROVIDING POSITIVE PROVISIONS AND POTIONS PEACEFULLY, PRODUCTIVELY AND PLAYFULLY Traditionally, natural food stores have been based on idealistic principles of what constitutes "right livelihood." Our belief in the promise of a healthier world based on organic, whole, local, bulk foods and produce is also reflected in our environmental and social philosophies and in our way of doing business. Sundance continues to aim at being the type of store that recognizes and encourages reciprocally supportive relationships between the organization, its staff, its customers, its vendors, and the community in which we live and the Earth that sustains us all. It is this sense of purpose, our mission, which inspires and guides us. Thus we are a "mission driven" company, distinct from those which are termed "market driven." Market driven businesses are primarily concerned with finding or creating needs or desires that will generate the most money for the stockholders. Impact on the planet, how workers are treated, the effects of their products and advertising on consumers are all less important than maximizing profits. Sundance's mission, "Individuals nourishing community nourishing individuals," implies that we can practice right livelihood by being nurturing in how we relate to others as well as in the foods we sell. We also believe that we can practice our ideals, "walk our talk," while at the same time being an effective and efficient business; we can sustain reciprocal accountability while maintaining a positive, playful, empowered workplace where employees are treated fairly and compensated as well as possible.  [more]