MESSAGE from OUR CEO
Thank you for taking the time to review our 2024 Sustainability Report. As a member-owned co-op, sustainability and responsibility to all our stakeholders have always been core values guiding everything we do. This biennial report reflects the evolution of our goals and the strategies for meeting our commitments, as we continue to adapt to the changing needs of our customers, consumers, employees, and sourcing partners. At Frontier Co-op®, our approach to social responsibility is anchored by our purpose state- ment – "Doing Good, Works." We've structured our efforts around three key pillars: doing good at the source, doing good in our communities, and doing good within our own walls. Thanks to our cooperative business model, we've maintained an unwavering commitment to this purpose for the past 48 years, even in spite of any challenges we’ve faced. This year, we completed a multi-year project in partnership with USAID’s Cooperative Development Program, aimed at supporting cooperatives and collective ownership models within our supply chain. More than five years and five million dollars later, these partnerships have helped create socioeconomic opportunities and address systemic challenges in three of our key sourcing countries – India, Guatemala and Sri Lanka. Over the last couple years, I’ve had the privilege of visiting all three of these projects and witnessing the tangible impact of our work. In Guatemala, we supported the validation of steam pasteurization technology with our cooperative partners in Coban, and helped establish a biofabrication facility to provide organic pest and disease control for their farmer member-owners. In Sri Lanka, we supported our partners through farmer training on proper handling and agricultural practices. And in rural northern India, we helped establish the region's first ever farmer-owned tea processing facility, which will allow these primarily women farmers an equity stake in the global industry they play such a critical role in. These experiences continue to inspire me and remind me of the expansive possibilities for "doing good" through our co-op. "Doing Good, Works" is more than just a slogan; it’s a way of doing business that benefits everyone involved, and it drives us daily at Frontier Co-op. If you have any comments or questions about this report or ideas on how we can continue to improve, please don't hesitate to reach out at ceo@frontiercoop.com.
Tony Bedard, CEO Frontier Co-op
Photo: Tony Bedard, CEO of Frontier Co-op, celebrates with sourcing partners in the Kumaon region of northern India.
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