ProductBio has come to La Jolla to match up environmentally sustainable businesses with “green” products and producers.
“ProductBio helps consumers find products that are aligned with their environmental, social and economic values by removing all of the traditional barriers to purchasing sustainably: knowledge, access and price,” said new business co-owner Angela Chen.
Chen said her company’s innovative approach uses data science to select best-fit products for users who don’t want to spend time researching and simply want the best sustainable products or services.  
“ProductBio helps consumers learn and discover the whole story behind every product to make greener, ethical and local purchasing decisions,” Chen said. “We believe in increasing transparency of environmental, social and fiscal impacts behind production to empower buyers to vote with their dollars.”
ProductBio, Chen said, simplifies the discovery of new sustainable products while comparing and choosing between their suppliers.
ProductBio initially aided cities and schools in finding environmentally sustainable products, then saw an opportunity to expand. “Now we’re gravitating toward consumers,” said Chen. “We want to help everybody.”
Chen said her company’s mission is to spread the gospel of environmental sustainability “through buyer education and seller transparency. With both its brick-and-mortar business and online presence, ProductBio is doing exactly that.
“We have 50,000 products in our database, running the gamut from food to goods and services,” said Chen. She said a great many products like coffee, paper, electronics and even furniture can be purchased through ProductBio, assisted by San Diego data company Workpology.
Chen said her for-profit business is geared largely toward helping small- to medium-size businesses become “greener.”
Partnering with the La Jolla Village Merchants Association, the community’s business improvement district, ProductBio rolled out its business model with a “Clear and Green” ribbon-cutting event to celebrate Earth Day on April 22 at Mangelsen Images of Nature art gallery in La Jolla.
Participating La Jolla merchants at the debut included Fair Trade Decor, Froglanders, Whisknladle, Prepkitchen Restaurant LLC, Girard Gourmet, Burger Lounge, El Pescador Fish Market, Juice Kaboose, Modish Maternity, Naturale Beauty Bar, The Cottage Restaurant, Ark Antiques, Home Grown Meats, Pharmaca, Arte De Origen, Lean And Green, Bloomers, ProRituals Salon and Academy, Rimel’s Rotisserie, Muttropolis, Don Carlos Taco Shop, Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, Fresh Produce, Michele Coulon Dessertier, Geppetto’s Toys, Adelaide’s, Nékter Juice Bar, Bridget’s Blooms, Museum Cafe by Giuseppe Restaurants, Puesto, Warwick’s, We Olive and Wine Bar, Zenbu Sushi Bar & Restaurant, Hillside Artisans Children’s Boutique and Copy Cove of La Jolla.
For more information on ProductBio, visit angel.co/productbio-com.