Sustainability in Global Sourcing & Commodity Advising Services

We have established partnerships with high-quality processors and distributors in over 20 countries. Our supply base covers all critical growing regions, providing flexibility, optimal cost and quality. Our experienced Procurement team has specific expertise in each commodity, enabling us to manage risk and quality, build stronger supplier relationships, and to provide value-added commodity advising services to our customers.

Quality and Risk Management

Our quality and risk management process starts with supplier qualification, but is an ongoing process. We crisscross the globe to identify core suppliers in each major commodity group. We take a long-term approach and invest with our suppliers to improve costs and supply chain efficiencies over time. And we continually monitor performance and work with our suppliers to maintain and continuously improve their quality programs. Our quality expectations are documented in our Supplier Quality Expectations manual and in detailed specifications which include storage conditions, packaging requirements and other details to ensure product quality and freshness.

Commodity Expertise and Advising

Our goal is to provide value-added services such as being your trusted commodity advisor. Our team assesses each commodity from several vantage points:

– Supply and demand fundamentals
– Macro-economic factors
– Effects of currency exchange rates on global imports and exports
– Other trends that can impact market prices (short- and long-term) including weather, plantings, yields, and competing crop economics to name a few

We utilize all of this information to formulate our view on both current and long-term market trends. We partner with our customers to provide our market views with the goal of informing our collective decisions on purchasing quality ingredients at the best possible cost to cover our customers’ forecasted demand.

Sustainability

As a U.S.-based manufacturer with a global supplier base, we believe that we can and should have a positive impact on our local communities as well as the global network of communities from which we source our ingredients. It is our vision that together, we will elevate our partners, customers, suppliers and co-workers to create positive change for the world. Our intent is to focus our efforts where our commitment and scale can make the greatest impact:

– Committing to ethical sourcing practices

– Supporting sustainable sourcing practices

– Focusing on product and sustainable packaging solutions that minimize our environmental footprint

Ethical Sourcing

We promote Ethical Sourcing of our healthy snacks and ingredients, which are grown and processed in countries all over the world, and we have developed and implemented appropriate ethical standards applicable to our many suppliers.

We will not make use of any form of forced or compulsory labor at any time for any purpose. These commitments are detailed in our Ethical Sourcing programs. We certify that our Ethical Sourcing programs include zero tolerance provisions prohibiting the use of forced, bonded, indentured or involuntary convict labor.