Corporate Bullying

We've heard a lot lately about bullying. I want to tell you a story about corporate bullying. In a small garage in Vermont there is a guy who is printing t-shirts one at a time. His t-shirts say, "Eat More Kale." He is trying to promote healthy eating. Bo sold his shirts from a booth at the local farmers’ market for four years. As his popularity grew, he began traveling the Northeast sells shirts and passing out stickers. Bo was doing well printing shirts in his garage until the day he received a Cease and Desist Order from Chick-Fil-A. It seems the Chick-Fil-A company is afraid that it will be too confusing to their customers to see Eat More Kale. Their logo says Eat Mor Chikin. They have been bullying Bo since then. At one point they tried to order him to send them all of his t-shirts, stop printing more, and pay them damages.

Now I don't know about you, but I am not confused at all by a green leafy vegetable

and a bird.

I can tell the difference. And I don't see any similarity between the two logos. In my opinion, Chick-Fil-A is a corporate bully trying to drive a small time local business under. My biggest problem is I just don't see why. It's not like Eating Kale is going to take any business away from Chick-Fil-A. The people who eat Kale are not likely to be going to a fast food place and eating chicken sandwiches. They are just not the same thing.

From the Eat More Kale website:

Most obviously, it's about eating healthier. Kale can be delicious and a SUPER FOOD! You *should* eat more of it. An ancient ancestor of the cabbage plant, kale is primarily a cold-weather crop with a taste not unlike collard greens. It grows in a lot of conditions and climates that are inhospitable to other vegetables and can get tastier with a hard freeze.

Eat More Kale is about supporting small business, business that actually cares and hasn't been swallowed up by the profit-hungry, corporate mentality. I am a one man show, so my shirts are distinctive, offbeat, one-of-a-kind works of art. I have no giant call-centers to hide behind and I don't need them. I am one man with one squeegee and that's how I like it. When you see someone wearing one of my t-shirts you will instantly recognize it's personal style, character and the care I took to craft it.

I'm also about eating locally, supporting local farmers, bakers, famers markets, farm stands, CSA's, community gardens and restaurants, sustainable lifestyles, social commentary and community. Most importantly, I'm about printin' Vermont's one-at-a-time orginial design t-shirts. Have fun and remember: eat more kale!!!

Please go sign Bo's petition. Tell Chick-Fil-A that they can not bully Eat More Kale like this a get away with it. Stop buying their chicken if they continue to bully Bo. Show them with your dollars that this kind of behavior won't be tolerated. For a business that claims to be so Christian, they are certainly not showing Christ-like behavior.

EAT MORE KALE. It's good for you.