Weekly Roundup: Nescafé celebrates its coffee farmers, Olam gains recognition in agriculture

05 Oct 2018 --- This week, Nescafé is celebrating its coffee farmers and their communities with their Grown Respectively initiative and Univar released its 2017 Sustainability Report, which outlines the company's 2021 sustainability goals. Olam International has been recognized as a champion of inclusive agribusiness in ASEAN at the inaugural AGROW Awards. Maple Leaf Foods signed a deal to buy Viau Foods, a maker of Italian cooked, dry-cured and charcuterie meats, for US$215 million. Also this week, Dairy UK has welcomed an announcement of new £15 million (US$19.4 million) scheme to tackle food waste.

In brief: Sustainability
Nescafé has launched its “Grown Respectfully” initiative to express how it works respectfully to deliver you a great-tasting cup of coffee every day. Grown Respectfully encapsulates the work Nescafé has been doing since 1938, to help farmers grow more and better coffee via Nescafé Plan’s three pillars – respect for farmers, respect for communities and respect for the planet. Using various channels, including product packaging, Grown Respectfully will help communicate the full breadth and depth of the Nescafé Plan’s sustainability program, and its impact on people and the planet. The Nescafé Plan was first launched in 2010, and Nescafé will have invested CHF 350 million (US$535 million) by 2020 under the plan.

Univar has released its 2017 Sustainability Report, which outlines the Company's 2021 sustainability goals while providing updates on the progress made since the previous report released last year. The report is entitled “Our Home Our Responsibility,” which borrows from Univar's first sustainability report published in 2007. It is also the first report under new President and CEO David Jukes and is the first report to be released since the company became a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). Through this commitment, Univar further aligns its sustainability strategy with the ten UNGC principles around environmental, labor, human rights and anti-corruption issues. The 2017 report is also Univar’s third report based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and references the latest version of the GRI Standards, which ensures disclosures are as relevant, transparent and comprehensive as possible.

Mondelēz International has announced new action plans to accelerate women’s empowerment across four cocoa origin countries as part of Cocoa Life, the company’s cocoa sustainability program. Mondelēz launched specific women’s empowerment action plans in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in 2014 and is now expanding to include two additional origin countries, Indonesia and Dominican Republic. These new action plans will empower more than 100,000 women in over 1,000 communities in these four countries. Based on program learnings and insights from international and local partners, the plans focus on promoting women’s empowerment across five focus areas: farming, community, youth, livelihoods and environment. Women’s empowerment plans are tailored according to local needs and supported by a change methodology that links resources, activities, outcomes and ultimate impact.

In brief: Recognition & awards
Olam International has been recognized as a champion for inclusive business in the ASEAN agricultural sector at the inaugural AGROW Awards, organized by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC). The AGROW Awards aim to recognize the achievements of inspiring agribusinesses and game-changing stakeholders enabling innovation in agriculture advancement in the region. Olam took home the Golden AGROW Award (Singapore) for its outstanding contributions in the field of agriculture by helping micro, small and medium enterprises in the region to prosper, and for advancing the field of agriculture overall.

In brief: Acquisitions
Maple Leaf Foods has signed a deal to buy Viau Foods, a maker of Italian cooked, dry-cured and charcuterie meats, for US$215 million. According to the company, the agreement expands its position in the market for premium dry cured and pepperoni meat products and adds production capacity in Quebec. The transaction, which includes US$30 million in Maple Leaf stock, is expected to close in December, subject to regulatory review.

In brief: Appointments & retirements
Continuing to expand its expertise and knowledge base in sustainable sourcing, DuPont Nutrition & Health has announced the addition of a new member to its sustainability team with experience in sustainable sourcing. Marta Maireles Gonzalez has joined the organization as sustainable sourcing coordinator. Maireles’ work will focus on helping DuPont Nutrition & Health execute its sustainability strategy with special focus on sourcing of bio-based raw materials, including palm oil, soy, guar, seaweed, LBG kernels and wood.

Meat business Danish Crown, has brought in a new CEO for its subsidiary Tulip with a brief to improve earnings at its UK business unit, Andrew Cracknell. Cracknell has previously held high-level executive positions at 2 Sisters Food Group and Noble Foods and takes up the job with immediate effect. Cracknell started his career with the ABP Food Group over 25 years ago. Having worked in both the fresh and frozen divisions, he was appointed to Commercial Director in 2009 and became a member of the board. In 2014, he joined Noble Foods as CEO and in 2016 he took up the position of managing director of the red meat division within 2 Sisters Food Group.

Siggi's, the maker of Icelandic yogurt with simple ingredients and not a lot of sugar, has announced that Carlos Altschul will be joining as the company's President and CEO. Bringing extensive experience within yogurt, Altschul will oversee all aspects of the business, including bringing forth new and aggressive go-to-market strategies and innovations, expanding distribution, and accelerating awareness and penetration growth. Prior to joining Siggi's, Altschul was Vice President of Sales at Stonyfield, where he led field sales, go-to-market strategies and shopper marketing across the brand's portfolio. He also previously held senior positions at Danone, where he oversaw sales strategy and category management under the master brand portfolio. Altschul replaces Bart Adlam, Siggi's former President and CEO, who has left the company to pursue a new business opportunity.

In brief: Other highlights
Finally, Dairy UK has welcomed an announcement from Defra of an additional £15 million (US$19.4 million) to tackle food waste and redistribute surplus food. Alongside work as part of The Dairy Roadmap, Dairy UK is also a signatory of the Courtauld Commitment 2025, an ambitious voluntary agreement which aims to cut food and drink waste by 20 percent by 2025. Courtauld business signatories, including leading retailers, manufacturers, and food redistribution organizations, have agreed to work collaboratively with WRAP to double the amount of surplus food they redistribute by 2020.

By Elizabeth Green