Jeanne Beatrice ~ The Story ~ a/k/a The Basket Case

The Basket Case . . .
Laura Benson, who lives in Minnesota, bought her first market basket in April 2006 in the French town of St. Remy de
Provence. She explains that "baskets are an essential household item throughout France. The French long ago figured out that
market baskets are stylish and very functional. And using baskets instead of paper or plastic substantially reduces waste, which
is great for the environment. French grocery stores and supermarkets don't even provide free paper or plastic grocery bags ~
customers either buy one at the store or bring their own bag or basket. I thought it was a great idea, one that is long overdue in
the U.S."

She brought the basket home and it quickly became an indispensable part of her life ~ for trips to the grocery store, pool,
farmers' markets, and weekends away. Believing that many other people would love the market baskets as much as she did,
her journey into the basket business began. "I think that many people genuinely want to incorporate eco-friendly habits into
their daily lives, and using a market basket for shopping is such a simple way to do that," she says. Laura and her family went
back to France in July 2007 to research the basket industry. Since then, she's enjoyed learning "about everything from customs
brokers to the art of basket weaving. It's been an adventure, but what is most important to me is making the world a better
place to live."

"Plastic bags look so harmless, but they're terrible for the environment," Laura explains. "Every year, Americans throw away
one hundred billion plastic bags. Only about 2% of plastic bags used are recycled, and the rest sit in landfills for centuries
because plastic is not biodegradable. Many plastic bags end up blowing away and into the ocean ~ more than one million birds
and one hundred thousand marine mammals and sea turtles die every year from eating or getting entangled in plastic. Paper is
not any better because it also puts a large burden on the environment in terms of production, consumption, and disposal. For
example, live trees must be cut down to make paper grocery bags because recycled paper is simply not strong enough. U.S.
demand alone requires at least 14 million trees each year. And it is all so unnecessary. Each one of us can make a huge impact
just by carrying a basket or other reusable bag when shopping. I believe that if people are given an attractive alternative that
they enjoy carrying, they will be more likely to take it to the grocery store and turn down the plastic and paper. That's what I'm
trying to do through Jeanne Beatrice," says Laura.

The name of the company was carefully chosen. "Jeanne is my middle name and Beatrice is my daughter's. Both are family
names with lots of history. And there are so many wonderful women who have been instrumental in getting this company going.
The energy has been incredible. So I really wanted the name to be feminine and strong."

When asked if she'd ever thought about starting her own company before, Laura laughed and shook her head. "Not seriously.
My only child started school a year ago and it took a lot of time and soul-searching to figure out what to do with my life. I
knew I wanted to do something meaningful, but I had absolutely no clue what. Then one day, I had this idea, a door opened,
and I walked through it. That is really what led to Jeanne Beatrice ~ learning to embrace what is meaningful and acting on it.
Being awake and living life to the fullest. Wanting to make a difference. It's a constantly evolving journey . . . I think it flows
naturally because I am passionate about what I am doing."

JEANNE BEATRICE . . .
The Story