Field Notes:
How Major Brands Are Cultivating Regenerative Supply Chains

From food and beverages to apparel, more commodity supply chains are getting a resilience boost through a transition to regenerative-agriculture practices. Join us in October as forward-thinking brands from these industries come together to discuss the significant environmental, economic and social benefits being reaped.

Published 1 month ago | About a 5 minute read

Image: Suntory Global Spirits

Announcements of new initiatives and collaborations dedicated to scaling regenerative agriculture practices throughout global supply chains are now sprouting up almost daily. And as the movement grows, new case studies emerge about how a shift to regenerative practices creates a ripple effect of benefits — not only for the land and crops but for the farmers and communities involved in their cultivation.

At our upcoming, third SB Regen Ag Summit (October 17) at SB’24 San Diego, another group of forward-thinking food, beverage and apparel brands will share lessons learned from their efforts to fortify their commodity supply chains in a climate-changing world — and the significant environmental, economic and social benefits being reaped by their companies and beyond.

Maker’s Mark

Whisky giant Maker’s Mark first established itself as a leader in sustainable spirits through efforts including its distillery-wide zero-landfill initiative, extensive solar installations across its warehouse footprint, and becoming the world’s largest distillery to earn its B Corp certification in 2022.

Now, the brand has continued its commitment to cultivate “bourbon that betters the world” through a transition to regenerative grain production: Each of Maker’s Mark's corn and wheat farm partners achieved certification from regenerative ag verification and supply chain solution company Regenified in fall 2023; and the brand filled its first Certified Regenified barrel of Maker's Mark whisky in November 2023, becoming the first spirits distillate to achieve this certification.

Keurig Dr Pepper

As any corporation with an ever-changing and complex supply chain can attest, a one-size-fits-all approach is not sufficient for effectively advancing sustainability efforts.

As food and beverage giant Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) has scaled its regenerative agriculture strategy, it has developed holistic, localized approaches across a variety of ingredient supply chains that account for differences in cropping systems, geography and climate. KDP and its Mott’s brand, for example, partnered with the Danforth Lab at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the IPM Institute of North America to launch the Apple Pollinator Program — designed to help Mott’s New York apple farmers adopt conservation techniques and safe pest-management practices to support the survival of native bees and protect biodiversity through approaches tailored to each farm. KDP says the project has illustrated the benefits of tailoring regenerative approaches to local contexts, the importance of implementation partners and a farmer-first approach, and how to apply standardized measurement to illustrate impact.

BlackCotton

High school math teacher and fifth-generation farmer Julius Tillery founded BlackCotton to advocate for, uplift and honor the legacy of Black cotton farmers — reframing cotton from a symbol of oppression to a celebration of economic progress and cultural heritage.

Through collaborations with leading brands such as Vans to create clothing with cotton from Tillery’s Northampton County, North Carolina farm, BlackCotton is driving awareness around Black agriculture and entrepreneurship. This increased visibility supports the proliferation of sustainable farming practices through education and mentorship in the Black Belt farming community and proudly spreads Tillery’s message that “Cotton Is Our Culture.”

Mars

Rice is a staple in the daily diets of more than 3.5 billion people around the world; but unfortunately, it’s also one of the world’s most water-intensive crops: Traditional methods for growing rice consume roughly 40 percent of the world's irrigation water. Mars, producer of Ben's Original — one of the world's most popular rice brands — is seizing an opportunity for transformational change and achieving ambitious water use reductions while improving rice crop yields. Through farmer-facing solutions and partnerships with organizations including Delta Harvest and the Sustainable Rice Platform, hear how Mars is updating conventional rice farming with climate- and water-friendly practices, and ensuring a sustainable future for underserved US farming communities and this globally critical crop.

PepsiCo & Walmart

In 2023, PepsiCo and Walmart launched a multi-year collaboration and investment to support farmers across several common supply chains — for crops including corn, oats, potatoes, rice, soybeans and wheat — in their transition to regenerative agriculture practices, with a goal to improve soil health and water quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on more than 2 million acres of farmland across the US and Canada. One year into establishing and scaling an array of financial, agronomic and social programs, leaders from both companies are ready to report back on progress on key goals, next steps, and how the model can be replicated across other supply chains — so that more brands can join the movement to scale availability of regeneratively sourced products while elevating farmer livelihoods and protecting ecosystem health for the long term.

Hear more from all of these brands and more about their shift to regenerative practices — including the planning and implementation process, obstacles overcome, the importance of localized approaches; and the significant environmental, economic and social benefits — at the SB Regen Ag Summit: Thursday, October 17, at SB’24 San Diego.