KACHARAGADLA

This Pennsylvania-based  business  says that the minimum wage in the state is a “poverty wage.”  Instead, they’re opting to pay their employees nearly twice that. The Lancaster Food Company  was started last year by Charlie Crystle and Craig Lauer, an entrepreneur and a foodie, respectively.  They sell breads, seed butters, salsas, and maple syrup — all organic and all local.  But aside from serving up high quality food, the duo want to solve some serious social issues in the area. Lancaster City has a high poverty rate.  About 30%, Crystle and Lauer say.  While their business alone can’t feed all those individuals, the two want to use their company to show that local businesses can help change that.  So, they’re opting to hire folks who come from low-income backgrounds.  But they’re going beyond the minimum wage, by offering them a starting hourly rate of $14 an hour plus paid time off and benefits. “We feel people who put in a full day of work should get a full day’s pa