Emmy nominated and Award-Winning Writer/Director Alison Bartlett, has won an Award of Excellence – Special Mention from 2023 Impact DOCS Awards Competition. The award was given for Bartlett’s documentary short, “Zen Brownie,” which is narrated by Jeff Bridges and tells the tale of Buddhist monks and how leading with inclusivity, kindness and compassion has created a well-known profitable business in Greyston Bakery.
The film has been selected to be part of the YOFI Film Festival and will be screened at the River Front Theatre in Yonkers on Nov. 12.
Greyston Bakery, a world-class commercial operation located in Yonkers, New York, creates gold standard brownies enjoyed daily around the world through its inclusion in Ben & Jerry’s ice creams. Bakers join through an Open Hiring® policy, which means no interviews, no background checks and no resumes are required.
“As Greyston enters a new chapter, it is important to look back on our history,” said Greyston’s CEO and President Joseph Kenner. “For 41 years Greyston has been unlocking human potential through inclusive employment. It began with a Buddhist and a bakery and desire to help make communities thrive by being supportive of the folks society has cast aside. While the essence of our mission remains, the next chapter will be to work with other companies to replicate the Open Hiring® process and to expand our workforce training and education programs.’’
In 1982 Greyston founder Zen Buddhist Bernie Glassman set out to employ individuals who faced barriers to meaningful employment at the Greyston Bakery. The hiring process was simple, accept anyone with a will to work, a process we now call Open Hiring®. Through the Greyston Employment Opportunity Center (GEOC), job seekers can access workforce development and transitional (re-entry) employment programs. Clients are also paired with a social worker to help connect them external resources they may need. Finally, the Greyston Foundation also offers business services for employers interested in replicating Open Hiring or tapping into the pool of upskilled clients. In 2013, Greyston Bakery was rated Best for the World B-Corp, a designation given to the top B Corps worldwide. And in 2023, Greyston received the Social Innovator of the Year award from Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship at World Economic Forum in Davos.
