I really have no problem with sponsored posts on blogs as long as they’re relevant to the general content and give an honest opinion on the products being reviewed.
Shangobrand looks awesome, just checked out their site, and they ship internationally!

The cocounut shaved ice pack flavor is amazing. I picked mine up at Whole foods. Couldn’t recommend them more. Perfect size too.

I think it’s fantastic that you’ve found sponsors and advertisers who reflect BA’s outlook and mission statement. To me, it’s a no-brainer: I want BA to continue, and you need and deserve to generate enough income to keep the blog viable and sustainable, so a few ads at the side of my page seems a worthy exchange for continuing content :)

If a business reflects your purpose for this blog and your own PERSONAL VALUES…there is nothing wrong with taking sponsorship. My professional engineering society recently received sponsorship from a local entreapreanural non-profit and they have standards too! They would only sponsor US because our values and purpose were aligned with theirs. I’m sure many of your sponsors are just as picky as you, why else would they chose you to review their products?
Just my 2 cents.

I know what you mean about blogs feeling really corporate and blah after they become “affiliates” or “ambassadors” or whatever for these major groups – but I think you can and will find a balance that will work for both you and your readers. One key, I think, is something you’ve pointed to here – small businesses and start-ups seem different to us readers than major corps. (I also read running blogs, and so many of them are all “ambassadors” for huge conglomerations and so I keep reading the same press releases repeated on different blogs and it is so annoying and really so transparent – no one is fooled by press release language). The other is balance in terms of quantity – like, if every post were some kind of review it might start to feel off-kilter, but if honest reviews of products whose companies you share values with are interspersed within life stuff/recipes/normal stuff, well, that will just feel like those product reviews are a part of normal, not like you’ve gone corporate on us. Know what I mean? Basically, I’m saying you’ll do fine and your scruples about this will guide you.

OMG! I have that same shirt from Shango and I love it (I’m even wearing it in my FB profile pic!) I feel the same way about taking ads. The only one I’ve taken is Vegan Cuts because they’re AWESOME! I’ll do product reviews for small vegan companies (and occasional bigger guys), but I’m always honest about how I feel about the products. More often than not, I love stuff…because I pretty much love most things. But if there’s a downside, I’ll always share it with my readers. But I think it’s super important to have several posts a week that are just fun, foodie, life-y stuff so, like you said, it’s not review after review after review. :-) I think you’re doing an awesome job at maintaining the balance.

The only ad I don’t like on your page is the Allison’s Gourmet because it isn’t just a still picture. It changes every few seconds which is distracting and annoying. If you end up with more ads like that I will probably stop reading because I don’t like an advertisement that keeps screaming “Look at me!” from the sidebar.

Oh my gosh you guys are just too cute!

I love your blog and find it more inspiring now that in the past where I would look at what I was doing/managing with my small person and be all like ‘and there she is coking raw + vegan and writing a book and going out and being fabulous and today I made coffee and porridge.’ Take whatever you need to keep your life running happily and well and let this reflect that – sponsorship helps you grow and manage your personal life – awesome! Thanks so much for your sharing and honestly. Plus the food – oh yum the food!

Thanks Kati! Vegan Cuts is my fave. =)

Thank you so much Jenn, that’s great to hear. And congrats on a year of being vegan – you’ll have to celebrate!

Totally agree. And definitely don’t have to worry about me “selling out”, haha.

Thanks Rivula. I know I’m not what they were talking about, but it WAS an interesting discussion. That place is crazy, but reading threads there has actually given me lots to think about.

HA! Very proud to feature your banner in my side bar, lady. Always always always. Couldn’t agree more.

Thanks, and yes it’s all about being selective. If you ever see me shilling Clorox, feel free to unsubscribe. ;-D

Thanks Sandy! That’s my perspective too, I’m glad to hear that BA readers agree.

Really?? Oh man, I find them so much more palatable than some of the other all-in-one shakes *cough*Vega*cough*. However I haven’t tried the vanilla, so who knows. Maybe you’ll like the chocolate one?

Ok, I’m drinking the chocolate blended with 8 oz unsweet almond milk and ice right now, MUCH better :) It must have been the strawberry I tried, it doesnt look like they have a vegan vanilla option, and I know for sure it had the big V logo on the packet. I just might splurge for a month of the chocolate and try it out.

First – I’m so glad you’ve found a way to make this work for you!
Second – I have SEARCHED your site (and so many others) looking for a truly vegan probiotic supplement (needed for my hub as he recovers from an intestinal bacterial infection – ew). EVERY probiotic contains lactobacillus, which, as I understand it, is grown ON dairy (even though it also occurs naturally in healthy guts of vegans!). So, Jay doesn’t want to buy it, even if the probiotic is marked “vegan”.
We eat loads of tempeh and fermented foods, but since he just did a round of antibiotics, I really want to find a supplement.

I’m sure you have thoughts on this, and I’d love to hear them!

Thanks! After a bit more reading, I found this: “Lactobacillus sporogenes is entirely vegan (not sourced from dairy, animals or grown on a dairy medium) it is both more stable than dairy-based probiotics and easily tolerated by lactose intolerant, allergic and digestively compromised people.”

(Lactobacillus acidophilus is the more common kind I’m finding, but so good to know there’s an alternative!)

Girl, please. Nothing wrong with having sponsors. While there *is* (to me) something wrong with lying about a brand or paying it lip service if you don’t support its values or mission, there is nothing wrong with teaming up with a brand that you genuinely love, and who can genuinely help you to keep your blog running.