General Mills is Committed to Supplier Diversity
Written by Vanessa Carneiro, Supplier Diversity & Responsible Sourcing Senior Lead at General Mills
Every day, General Mills strives to live our purpose to serve the world by making food people love. General Mills is committed to establishing and growing successful business relationships with increasing numbers of qualified minority, women, LGBT and veteran-owned suppliers. Fulfilling this commitment is important to our increasingly diverse consumer base, the communities in which we operate, our shareholders, and ultimately, the success of our company.
Supplier Diversity at General Mills began in the 1960s, and in the past 10 years we have spent over $5 billion with diverse suppliers. In addition to delivering innovation, agility, market insights and cost savings, diverse suppliers are an extension of our values, creating jobs and fostering economic development in communities.
For this reason, General Mills partners with companies such as Baldwin Richardson Foods Company (BRF), an African American-owned company and leading manufacturer of custom ingredients for the food and beverage industry. Serving the Industrial Ingredients, Foodservice, Retail and Private Label market segments, BRF combines formulation expertise, unique packaging options and flexibility in custom product development with state-of-the-art processing capabilities. BRF is headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois and has an innovation center in Westmont, Illinois and manufacturing and distribution locations in Macedon and Williamson, New York.
“As a company, we strive to develop, enhance and create value for our customer partnerships like General Mills by providing superior products, innovative ideas and competitive pricing,” said Cara Hughes, Senior Director of Sales at Baldwin Richardson Foods. “Our partnership with General Mills dates back to 2001. Over the years, we have had the great opportunity to work with iconic brands such as Pillsbury, Better Crocker, Fiber One to not only meet and exceed consumer expectations but also help General Mills grow as a global packaged foods company.”
In December 2014, General Mills awarded BRF the Grow and Inspire Award for the company’s strong performance in transparency, communications, and overall collaboration through the years.
Similar to General Mills’ values, BRF believes in supporting the communities where it operates. The company is dedicated to diversity in its workforce. BRF believes that a strong, responsive company is represented by a cross-section of the society, allowing the company to see things from different prospective and multiple points of view. True to the company’s corporate mission of embracing responsibility and acting as a conscientious company, BRF sponsors diversity-related organizations. As one of the largest African-American owned food suppliers in the United States, the company actively assists and mentors other minority-owned businesses.
Like General Mills, BRF aims to operate in an environmentally friendly manner every day. The company uses a number of up-start companies that offer new recycling technologies and methods and is actively seeking new methods within its communities to increase sustainable practices.
In the past five years, BRF has:
- Decreased natural gas consumption by more than 10%
- Decreased electrical consumption by 2%
- Decreased water use by 6%
For more information about Baldwin Richardson Foods, please visit www.brfoods.com.
Please visit Genera l Mills Supplier Diversity at www.generalmills.com/supplier.
