This story appears in the
February 2005 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Description: a
company that promotes peace by bringing rivaling neighbors together
in joint business ventures
Startup: $10,000 in 1994
2005 Projected
Sales: over $5 million
History
Lesson: As the son of a Holocaust survivor, Daniel
Lubetzky's purpose in life has been clear from Day One.
Instilled with a desire to prevent similar tragedies from
occurring, he has always been passionate about resolving the
Arab-Israeli conflicts in the Middle East. Says Lubetzky, "[My
parents] taught me about building bridges of understanding across
communities, as well as about preventing injustice to any human
being."
Let's Do
Business: After years of writing legislative proposals
addressing effective ways to promote peace through business, it was
a delicious but obscure sundried-tomato spread in Israel that
inspired Lubetzky to put his theories to the test. He located the
spread's manufacturer--an Israeli Jew--and showed him the
economic benefits of working with his neighbors. Lubetzky convinced
him to purchase the glass jars from Egypt rather than Portugal, the
sundried tomatoes from Turkey instead of Italy, and the olives from
Palestinian farmers. Lubetzky then returned to the United States to
market the spread. A board of 11 members, including Ben &
Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen, offered support to get the
concept off the ground.
A Common
Mission:PeaceWorks has become the driving force behind its
nationwide brands: Meditalia and Bali Spice, which include sauces,
spreads and noodles. Meditalia brings Arabs, Egyptians, Israelis,
Jordanians, Palestinians and Turks together, and Bali Spice
products are produced by Buddhists, Christians and Muslims in
Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the
world. Says Lubetzky, "[Working together] cements
relationships between people, humanizes the enemy and gives people
a vested interest in preserving those relationships."