D.C. Bakery Employs Trauma Survivors, Supplies Luxury Hotels

Luxury hotels across America are stocking their shelves with cookies baked by trauma survivors, and guests can't get enough of them.

Caroline Johnston started GreenIsland Bakery in Washington, D.C. with a dual purpose: sharing authentic Irish shortbread and creating meaningful employment for women facing barriers to work. Her team includes survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and those navigating mental health challenges.

Johnston's mission stems from her own high school struggles with anxiety in Belfast. "Everything I went through, like struggles with mental health, encouraged me to help others today and just provide a safe working environment and safe space for them to grow," she said.

The bakery operates as part of Procure Impact, a network connecting high-end hotels with social impact businesses. Co-founder Lauren McCann built this model after watching her brother's life transform when major companies started purchasing his art during a period when he was homeless.

"At a time when he was unhoused, he was discovered for his art," McCann said. "Those purchases completely changed his life."

The Normandy Hotel in Washington, D.C. now sells products from multiple social impact companies. Alongside GreenIsland's cookies, guests find Stroopies made by resettled refugees and Cameron's chocolates crafted by people with disabilities. The hotel even features furniture made by formerly incarcerated individuals.

The Ripple Effect

Procure Impact has secured commitments from more than 2,000 hotels with an ambitious goal of creating over 100,000 hours of dignified work. Every cookie purchase, every chocolate bar, every piece of furniture directly funds shift hours for people who need opportunities most.

"Every time somebody is buying from us it's creating shift hours of work and dignified employment," McCann said. The company aims to impact millions of lives through these everyday purchases.

The model challenges assumptions about who can produce luxury goods while proving that social responsibility and business success aren't mutually exclusive. Hotel guests get authentic, quality products while their purchases fund real transformation in people's lives.

From Belfast to D.C., one woman's struggle with mental health sparked a movement that's changing how luxury businesses think about their supply chains and their power to create change.