Spirit bathroom tissue is proudly made by the men and women of MALCOLM EATON Enterprises.
In 2002, MALCOLM EATON Enterprises took its production center to a new level by manufacturing a product of its own: bathroom tissue. You might wonder why a not-for-profit agency would decide to make and sell bathroom tissue. The answer is simple: Because of the opportunities. Spirit allows us to grow the spirit of our organization. It teaches important job skills and instills pride in the individuals receiving services at MEE.
THE SPIRIT STORY
Since 2002, Malcolm Eaton Enterprises has been the proud home of Spirit bathroom tissue.
For many individuals with developmental disabilities, finding employment opportunities can be a difficult task. Whether it be independent employment in our community, or work based in our production center, the demand for employment has always seemed to surpass the number of work opportunities available.
We realized that the best way for us to increase the number of employment opportunities in our community was to produce and sell our own product.
Several ideas were discussed. The product needed to be something everyone needed, something they would always need, and something that was simple to produce, store and distribute. After many hours of discussion and planning, bathroom tissue emerged as our best opportunity.
In 2002, Malcolm Eaton Enterprises purchased tissue conversion equipment and began producing bathroom tissue. Our first customers purchased our bathroom tissue through the Illinois state use contract. This contract is used by government agencies, schools, jails, rest areas, parks and other municipal organizations across the state to buy bulk quantities of everyday consumer goods.
The quality and price point of our bathroom tissue made it an immediate success! Soon bathroom tissue produced at Malcolm Eaton Enterprises was being shipped to organizations all over the state of Illinois.
In 2006, encouraged by growing sales from organizations across the state, Malcolm Eaton Enterprises launched a retail line of bathroom tissue under the Spirit name and began distribution to grocery stores across our region.
Last year, Malcolm Eaton Enterprises produced over 40,000 cases of bathroom tissue, and provided over 18,000 hours of employment to individuals with disabilities in our community.
All profits generated from the sale of Spirit help support programs and services for individuals with developmental disabilities in our community.
