Protecting The Environment And
Conserving Natural Resources

SustainabilityAs a fourth generation family-owned business, sustainability has always been a core value for S&W. We are committed to supporting and enhancing the communities where we and our customers live and work, and sustainability is a major part of that commitment.

Water is critical to all living things on Earth, and we recognize the need to responsibly use this resource. At Faribault Foods, we continually work to reduce water usage in our plants and emphasize responsible waste disposal. Recent examples of water and disposal reduction programs include:

  • Reusing cooling water from the plants in local crop field irrigation, resulting inreducing sewage waste by 80% from our Cokato facility and 10% from our Faribault plant
  • Investing in our own water sanitation system
  • Adding a new system in the S&W bean plant in 2009 that will reduce water usage by an additional 50% over the next two years
  • Our water reduction efforts have reduced annual water usage by over 1 million gallons

Energy is an intricate part of all our lives, and its impact on the environment is measurable. Faribault Foods is working to be part of the solution by continuing to invest in new and more efficient equipment to reduce our energy footprint. Specific energy reduction products include:

  • Investing in an innovative process to reduce natural gas consumption by 45%
  • Upgrading all facilities with energy efficient fluorescent lighting systems and replacing plant equipment, resulting in a 5% decline in electricity use
  • Increasing rail shipments to move finished goods to market, resulting in a substantial increase in freight efficiency through lower fuel usage

Waste Reduction of raw materials is also a critical focus for Faribault Foods as we bring products to market, and we continue to focus on reducing our use of materials as well as waste generated. Activities in those areas include:

  • Maximizing reuse of organic waste by using it as animal feed or fertilizer in the farm community
  • Utilizing collapsible totes to receive raw materials to reduce packaging waste
  • Packaging all of Faribault Foods’ products in fully recyclable cans comprised of 63% recycled materials

"S&W is committed to reducing energy and raw material use, and supporting our communities by helping feed those in need."

S&W Beans

Giving Back To Our Communities And Those In Need

S&W is a valued employer in our communities, and our commitment to being good corporate citizens requires that we play an active role improving those communities. As a food company, we are uniquely positioned to help feed people in need. Recent examples of specific efforts include:

  • Donating over 1 million pounds of food to not-for-profit groups in 2007/2008, including Second Harvest, Channel One, and other food shelf programs
  • Partnering with community organizations on food drives by matching the community’s donations to increase total contributions
  • Supporting the Salvadorian Mission Warehouse for over 10 years. This not for profit group provides essential supplies to desperate populations around the world with a focus on Central America and Central Africa

S&W Beans

S&W Beans