Honeybear Brands Off to a Strong Start in Multi-year Sustainability Journey

One year into an aggressive multi-year sustainability program, Elgin, Minn.-based Honeybear Brands, a leading grower, packer, shipper, and developer of premium apples, is well on its way to accomplishing their sustainability goals

“Everyone has been working hard to achieve our goals, we pushed hard to both meet our year-one goals and get a head start on many of our long-term objectives,” says Don Roper, vice president of sales and marketing, Honeybear Brands. “Sustainability has always been an important part of Honeybear Brands, and these goals cement our standing as industry leaders while encouraging others to set and achieve their own sustainability goals.” 

Working with the Sustainable Food Group, Honeybear Brands defined four key goal areas: pollinator health; packaging; food loss and waste; and climate and energy. Honeybear Brands set 5, 10, and 20-year goals for implementation.

2020 progress highlights include:
1) Establishment of 32% of 50 acres of pollinator habitat on Midwest source orchards.
2) Certified 12% of total company owned-acreage under the TruEarth™ Program.
3) Sold 42% of branded products without plastic packaging.
4) Diverted 92% of food loss from landfills under the company-controlled supply chain.
5) Sourced 93% of facility electricity from renewable power sources such as wind and solar.

Click here to read the full 2020 sustainability report and learn about Honeybear’s future sustainability plans.