Last month I had a chance to sit down with Alex McIntosh, founder of Thrive Natural Care. Thrive is an all natural men’s skin care line, but it’s much more than that. Alex and his team have created a pioneering business model that is restoring biodiversity and boosting farmer incomes in Costa Rica. All Thrive products — from shaving oil to face scrub — are made with locally-sourced plants that restore and revitalize skin and also do the same for the lands of rural farmers. Alex explains that Thrive’s mission is to “leave things better than we found them.”

In this episode of Founder Fridays, Alex talks about how Thrive came to be, the importance of leaving a “positive footprint,” the benefits of all-natural products and how Thrive is making a difference in Costa Rica. He also shares a few tips for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Prior to launching Thrive, Alex led the development of Nestle Waters’ first sustainability program and served as director of philanthropy for The Nature Conservancy. Thrive is the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to making the world a better place — often while enjoying and experiencing adventures in the outdoors.

Speaking of outdoor adventure, Thrive is running a cool campaign right now to give away an eco-adventure in Costa Rica. Check out Thrive’s Own the Day Adventure contest at: https://thrivecare.co/pages/thriveotdadventure.