Frontier Co-op

“The evidence is clear: when we remove barriers to employment and create pathways for more individuals to enter the workforce, everyone wins.” In the Corridor Business Journal’s latest piece, Frontier Co-op CEO Tony Bedard speaks to the impact of Iowa business leaders implementing policies – like embracing second chance hiring – to ensure justice-involved individuals and others facing employment barriers can contribute meaningfully to Iowa’s labor force & help fuel economic growth.  Many thanks to REFORM Alliance for their partnership to break down economic barriers, not just in our local Iowan communities, but in communities across the U.S. deserving of a second chance.  To learn more, you can read the full piece at: https://lnkd.in/e92xSU8d

Shout out to our very own Alicia Simmons for representing Frontier Co-op at The Illuminators and NextUp 2024 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Event last month on our flagship Breaking Down Barriers to Employment program. Alicia joined fellow panelists Jonathan Mayes, Karl Schroeder, Keely Sulprizio, and Chris Hooks at Visa’s Foster City, CA headquarters connecting with #DEI leaders across industries on all thing employee empowerment. We’re honored to share the stage with incredible brands working to move the needle on DEI and look forward to continuing these timely conversations! #doinggoodworks #breakingdownbarriers #employment

We're thrilled to announce that Frontier Co-op is launching Regenerative Organic Certified® Indonesian Vanilla Extract and Whole Black Peppercorns, available exclusively at Whole Foods Market starting in November!    These new products are another step forward in Frontier Co-op's Regenerative Organic Certified® product line and a natural evolution in our commitment to supporting smallholder farmers and nurturing the earth. You can learn more about the new line at https://lnkd.in/eQQU5egu

Last week, Frontier Co-op’s own Laura Kuykendall joined the annual Naturally MN Food Ag Ideas Week on the mainstage alongside Ryan Pintado-Vertner, Alyssa Vescio, Brittany Moore and Suzanne Sengelmann for an impactful conversation on building a climate-smart brand. The timely discussion brought to light the responsibility we all share and the communication pathways brand leaders have built to ensure consumers values are heard so together, we can continue to move Regenerative Ag forward!   Thank you for the opportunity to share what we’re doing in the regen space and we look forward to watching this space grow as more brands look to regenerative. 🌱   #FAIWeek2024 #SustainableBranding #ConsumerInsights #Regenerative #Organic

As we kicked-off National Co-op Month, we had the honor of celebrating the newest inductees into the annual Cooperative Hall of Fame with the Cooperative Development Foundation, where Frontier Co-op’s own CEO Tony Bedard was selected alongside four incredible cooperative leaders for their contributions in support of the cooperative model.  This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Cooperative Hall of Fame, which honors the stories of people who have dedicated their lives to ensuring that cooperatives and the entire movement are building a more inclusive economy for all.    Laura Kuykendall, Frontier Co-op’s SVP of Marketing, helped to present Tony with this incredible recognition, sharing how our ‘Doing Good, Works’ purpose is rooted in Tony’s leadership & our legacy as a cooperative. You can check out the full ceremony and learn more about each of the inductees at https://www.heroes.coop/ #doinggoodworks #coops #halloffame

Happy National Co-op Month! Check out our most recent article from Senior Sustainability Manager Alicia Simmons about the importance of the cooperative model in international development, and our work with USAID's Cooperative Development Program over the last five years. #doinggoodworks #nationalcoopmonth #cooperatives

This week Frontier Co-op’s Greg Sommerville joined a powerhouse panel at the 2024 Reuters Events Sustainable Business #SustainabilityUSA event to speak to the importance of securing C-suite and key stakeholder buy-in for sustainability at the forefront of business. It was enlightening to hear from leaders across industries on the panel including Stewart Lindsay Chief Sustainability Officer at Campbell's, Pamela Rogers Klyn, EVP Corporate Relations & Sustainability, Whirlpool Corporation, and Sue Allchurch, Chief Growth Officer, United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Club, AUD.   Congratulations to the Reuters team for an incredible event bringing together thought leaders for timely discussions on the nexus between business and sustainability. We look forward to next year’s event! #doinggoodworks #sustainability

"Under the OSPP project, we achieved the highest harvest yield for our own land. This success highlights the effectiveness of our strategies and practices in maximizing crop productivity."   As we close out our series spotlighting the smallholder farmer stories from our SPICE project in partnership with USAID Cooperative Development Program, we're featuring our partnership with the Small Organic Farmers’ Association (SOFA), an association of over 3,500 spice, tea, coconut and herb farmers in Sri Lanka’s Central Province. This project helped to conduct agricultural extension trainings essential for helping farmers utilize best practices for farming, handling and processing. Over a thousand farmers have benefited from the trainings and agricultural support seeing improvement in their crop yields.   Learn more about our journey to support farming practices to the thousands of Sri Lanka's farmers at https://lnkd.in/eBt_QUDR   #SustainableAgriculture #CooperativeImpact #GlobalPartnerships #FrontierCoop #SOFA #DoingGoodWorks

"We have seen the cooperative model as a tool for how we, as individuals can develop our abilities and qualities as people."   As part of our series to spotlight smallholder farmer stories from our SPICE project in partnership with USAID Cooperative Development Program, this week we're excited to feature our partnership with Fedecovera RL, one of our long-term sourcing partners and cooperative representing 33,000 organic cardamom, allspice and turmeric farming families in Guatemala. This project helped to build their capacity to include steam pasteurization and improving their internal processes, operational controls, and good handling practices with the goal of increasing the price obtained for their crops, and provided social, economic and agricultural benefits to its cooperative members and their families.   Learn about our journey to support pathways to social and economic empowerment for the 100,000 people in their community at https://lnkd.in/ecMebJGk   #sustainableagriculture #CooperativeImpact #GlobalPartnership #FrontierCoop #FEDECOVERA #doinggoodworks

🎉 Celebrating Impact: Highlights from our inaugural Doing Good, Works Event!   Last week, we had the honor of hosting an inspiring group of leaders and changemakers at Frontier Co-op's inaugural "Doing Good, Works" celebration. Together with our incredible partners—retailers, community nonprofits, global business development allies, and Frontier Co-op employees and board members — we celebrated our co-op’s commitment to creating positive change in the lives we touch. This event was focused around our three purpose pillars, with powerful stories shared by our partners working on the ground to drive impact within our walls, in our communities, and at source in our origin communities worldwide. We’re so grateful to everyone who made this event possible and to all our partners for their unwavering commitment to making a difference. We proud to be part of a cooperative community who proves that doing good, works. Special shout-outs to Alisia Weaver, Alicia Faust at Willis Dady Homeless Services, Sarah Halbrook at Indian Creek Nature Center (ICNC), Emmaly Renshaw at Feed Iowa First, Clint Twedt-Ball at Matthew 25 Cedar Rapids and the whole team at Groundswell Café for catering the event, Raj Vable at Young Mountain Tea, and Jose Rodriguez at Paralelo for making this incredible night a reality! #doinggoodworks #cooperativeimpact #secondchancehiring #givingback #communitysupport