Tom and Kate Chappell announce partnership with Colgate
Dear friends,
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| Tom and Kate in 1970 with their first
product, Clearlake, the country's first non-phosphate liquid laundry detergent. |
Over the years we’ve met many of you and been struck by our strong connection with you, and how much we have in common. We share many interests and values, like protecting the environment and giving back to the community, yet there is much diversity, too—lots of different types of people, just as we have many different types of friends in our everyday lives. Since our first letter to you on a package 36 years ago, we have shared a spirited
and continuous dialogue. We want to thank you for your loyalty to Tom’s of Maine, for your encouragement of us, and for your honesty in giving feedback about the products we make. We thank you also for helping us grow and succeed. More and more people are looking for safe and effective natural products from plants and minerals from a company that shares their values.
After much soul-searching, and many conversations with our children and trusted advisors, we realized that we cannot meet this growing demand alone. We decided to seek a partner to help us. It’s been a quest that we entered with trepidation and excitement because we wanted to find a company that would honor our values, and we were unwavering in our commitment to stay intact in Maine as Tom’s of Maine. We are happy to report to you that we did find a partner who has a deep understanding and respect for what we’ve done and wants to build on that with us.
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| Tom and Kate today—38 years and counting as the leaders in natural care. |
Here is our good news: we have chosen to become part of the
Colgate-Palmolive Company. We will keep a minority ownership in Tom’s of Maine, and are looking forward to continuing as CEO and Vice President to ensure long-term sustainability. The agreement we have worked out succeeds in preserving the character, spirit, and values of our company as we grow.
What does this new partnership mean for you? You will continue to be able to rely on our tried and true Natural
Care products based on our model of stewardship and sustainability. We will continue to make products without artificial preservatives, sweeteners, or dyes and without animal testing or
animal ingredients. It will probably become easier for you to find more of our products in a variety of stores. You will still write or call us here in Kennebunk, Maine and we will still be called Tom’s of Maine. We will continue our Common Good Partnerships, and to give 10% of what we earn to community efforts, and to support 5%
of employee time for volunteering.
The things we have worked hard to create at Tom’s of Maine will continue to be what makes our company tick.
We can’t be here forever to do this, so we look forward to passing on what we know. We will keep thinking about how to provide for you, to look for new ways to improve.
Thanks again for your loyalty and support. As always, please
let us know what you think.
We remain your friends,
Tom and Kate
Cofounders
Read full press release >>
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