GRIFFITH FOODS

CREATING BETTER TOGETHER

BEST IN CLASS Griffi th Foods

1 | thebossmagazine.com | March 2017

CREATING BETTER

TOGETHERHow Griffi th Foods is improving the food

industry through its commitment to shared value and the company’s purpose: blending

care and creativity to nourish the world.

What good is a company that doesn’t do

good? Offering a great product or service and

excellent customer service should always be

pillars in the foundation of any business, but

can a business also help make the world a

better place?

Griffi th Foods, a food product development

partner, is in the perfect marketplace to

contribute to the greater good.

Every day, millions of people around the world

consume the products that Griffi th Foods

assists in creating. From foodservice and other

food manufacturers to retailers and distributors,

Griffi th Foods has helped the largest and most

infl uential businesses in the food industry

develop some of their best-known products.

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“IF YOU LOOK AT OUR HISTORY, BEING A VEHICLE FOR THE GREATER GOOD HAS BEEN THE ETHOS OF THIS COMPANY.”-Brian Griffi th, Owner andExecutive Chairman

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A BRIEF HISTORYEven in its early days, the company was a vehicle

for the greater good. Originally, making better

meat and bakery products through enhancing

fl avors, improving food safety, and creating

faster and more effi cient processing were the

primary goals of this food industry company.

“If you look at our history, being a vehicle

for the greater good has been the ethos of

this company,” shared Brian Griffi th, Owner

and Executive Chairman of Griffi th Foods.

He’s held a handful of diverse leadership

positions, moving from management of local

departments through various leadership ranks

over a 20-year period. Notably, he served as

the Vice Chairman and President of Developing

Regions before leading the company as

Chairman of the Board in 2015.

“This idea was instilled in the company over

many, many years, and specifi cally during the

tenure of Dean Griffi th, my father, who spent

over 60 years with the company.”

Griffi th Foods, previously named Griffi th

Laboratories, was established nearly a century

ago in 1919 and focused on “bringing science

to the food industry.” The company began

by blending spices for businesses in the

stockyards of Chicago and quickly grew.

The business has always been a private and

family-owned enterprise, a component that is

incredibly important to the Griffi th family.

“We are a fourth-generation family-owned

business,” he said. “There’s a lot of commitment

from the family, and we know our success is

truly due to the commitment of our employees.”

Global expansion followed shortly after Griffi th

Laboratories was established, with a move into

Canada in the 1920s and Mexico in the 1950s.

From specialty fl ours and meat seasonings to

unique coating blends and modern-day sodium

reduction ingredients, Griffi th led the food

industry with innovation, attention to detail, and,

most importantly, a sharp focus on improving

each and every product.

“If you look back at where the food industry

was in 1919, there was a lot of need. Griffi th

has always focused on food safety, quality,

and consistency, which has endeared us to our

customers since the beginning,” Griffi th said.

“Brian’s stewardship is vital to translating values

from generation to generation,” shared TC

Chatterjee, who was named the company’s CEO

in 2016. Before becoming CEO, Chatterjee was

the Chief Operating Offi cer, as well as Group

President across some of Griffi th’s fastest

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1919

March 2017 | thebossmagazine.com | 4

growing regions including Central and South

America, Asia Pacifi c, and India-Middle East.

“The conversation about family values

and culture continues today because the

company has been able to remain family-

owned. Because of this, the company is not

just surviving, but thriving. Our people and

the strong family values are the common

ingredients that have transcended multiple

generations of leadership.”

“OUR PEOPLE AND THE STRONG FAMILY VALUES

ARE THE COMMON INGREDIENTS THAT HAVE TRANSCENDED MULTIPLE

GENERATIONS OF LEADERSHIP.”

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A REBRAND… DRIVEN BY PURPOSE And Griffi th Foods continues on its successful

streak. The new name and brand identity hit the

food industry in 2016 and was developed to fully

capture what the company is, what it stands for,

and how it helps its customers succeed.

But before the company began the exercise to

create a new identity, it knew the importance

of fully understanding and describing “Why We

Exist”—the company’s Purpose.

“When the Griffi th family decided to articulate

its Purpose, the primary factor was that the

inspiration for it had to come from within the

company, not externally; it had to be as true to

us today as it was 97 years ago, and if we had

it right, would be as true a hundred years from

now,” said Chatterjee.

“The most important question we asked was,

does it feel like Griffi th? Multiple levels of the

organization were involved, and it took about

nine months from start to fi nish to develop a

statement which captured the essence of what

has guided the organization for almost

a century.”

Brian Griffi th elaborated on the importance of

Purpose for the company.

“Everything fl ows from our Purpose. Griffi th

Foods’ values and sustainability platform,

together with our brand, defi ne who we are.

Sustainability ensures that what we do to

succeed leads to the responsible growth of

our customers’ and Griffi th’s business.”

Changing the name from Griffi th Laboratories

to Griffi th Foods was a deliberate move

directly aligned with Purpose. While

the laboratory designation spoke to the

company’s fi rst

century of food

science and product

development, the

new moniker speaks

better to the diverse

capabilities that

differentiate the

organization and

what customers are

looking for in the

food industry.

“The title of

‘laboratories’ seemed

to alienate a part

of our potential

customer base,

and didn’t include

the contributions

that many of our

employees bring

to work each day,”

Griffi th said. “‘Foods’

captures who we are

as a company today.”

The nuanced brand

identity resonates

across the world in

the more than 30

countries where

Griffi th operates. Just

like the recipes the

company creates,

Griffi th Foods’ Purpose

is to blend care and

creativity to nourish

the world.

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SHARED VALUE ≠ CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITYA large component of the company’s Purpose

is its focus on doing well by doing good in the

food industry. They are achieving this through

a focus on Shared Value.

“Shared Value is a higher version of social

responsibility and sustainability,” said Griffi th.

“As a food company, we see challenges as

exciting opportunities. How do you create

solutions to the world’s biggest problems?

“There are so many needs in this space: the

best, most sustainable methods to source

ingredients, how to deliver goods without

increasing our carbon footprint… the list is

nearly endless. Shared Value is the intersection

of social needs, business opportunities, and the

capabilities we have to support our customers

and our Purpose.”

Through Shared Value, Griffi th Foods aims to

capture, replicate, and expand practices that

support business growth while addressing needs

in the world, as well as challenge the company

and the food industry to evolve its thinking.

While Griffi th Foods’ Shared Value approach

may sound like many companies’ corporate

social responsibility strategies, Griffi th says the

company’s plan is more than doing no harm:

it’s about business performance by nourishing

the world, both its people and its resources.

A perfect example of this is the Griffi th

Sustainability Sourced (GSS) program, which

targets farm-level integration of the supply

chain. For the past four years, the company

has been working to source chili peppers, a

highly used ingredient in Griffi th’s recipes, from

Rainforest Alliance Certifi ed farms in India.

The chilies are integrated pest management

(IPM) and sustainably grown to limit the

amount of pesticides used, enable water

conservation, and protect the soil from erosion.

Farmers in the GSS India Chilies program

are trained to follow sustainable cultivation

practices which are guided by the Sustainable

Agriculture Network standards (SAN), and

receive other benefi ts such as access to

medical facilities.

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“SHARED VALUE IS THE INTERSECTION OF SOCIAL NEEDS, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, AND THE CAPABILITIES WE HAVE TO SUPPORT OUR CUSTOMERS AND OUR PURPOSE.”

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The program also utilizes mobile apps to track

and manage the use of pesticides, and has

introduced soil and water testing to maximize

return. These tactics are not only sustainable,

they have resulted in a value-added product for

Griffi th’s customers and create a higher valued

product for the farmers.

Additionally, through Griffi th Foods’ purchasing

practices of tracking the peppers from their

time in the fi eld until use in a recipe, the farmers

receive a higher rate of return through the

elimination of intermediaries, transportation to

market, and commission to selling agents.

Chatterjee shared that much of what gives

its Shared Value approach strength is the

supporting institutions with whom they

operate and partner. With a specifi c focus

on non-governmental organizations, private

enterprises, and government all working

together, Griffi th Foods can leverage its

strengths to solve signifi cant problems in a

variety of arenas.

SUSTAINABILITYThat’s where its commitment to sustainability

comes in. Griffi th Foods’ triple-bottom-line

sustainability platform—which is rooted in

people, planet, and performance and born

from Purpose—guides how the food company

behaves and ensures that what the organization

does to succeed leads to the responsible growth

of its customers’ brands and its own business.

“Each of the three P’s—people, the planet, and

performance—is crucial to our success, and is

driven by our Purpose,” said Griffi th.

Supporting its employees, their families, and

associations that are committed to serving

individuals living in its surrounding communities

is the foundation on which the company built its

culture of helping people.

As a food company, Griffi th Foods feels a special

obligation to alleviate hunger and improve

nutrition, and encourages its employees and

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business partners to be engaged citizens. For one

example of many, over the past two years, Griffi th

employees have come together to show support

for ending hunger by walking in food bank

organizations’ Hunger Walks.

With locations in four continents, the team

understands the importance of acting as good

stewards to the planet. Griffi th is reinforcing

its commitment to that promise through the

responsible administration of the Earth’s resources.

Energy effi ciency, water conservation, and

sustainable sourcing are the current focuses of

its planet initiatives for sustainability. In 2015,

sustainably sourced chilies from Rainforest

“PEOPLE, THE PLANET, AND PERFORMANCE—IS CRUCIAL TO OUR SUCCESS, AND IS DRIVEN BY OUR PURPOSE.”

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13 | thebossmagazine.com | March 2017

Alliance Certifi ed farms

comprised nearly

50 percent of the

chilies used in Griffi th

products through the

organization’s “Griffi th

Sustainably Sourced”

program. By the end

of 2016, the company

expects to double the

current usage.

“Everything we are

looking to do furthers

the objective of

nourishing the world as

a responsible corporate

entity,” Griffi th shared.

“This feeds directly

into our Shared

Value commitment—

every decision we

make comes back

to our Purpose and

Shared Value. We

focus on mitigating

negative impacts in

a sustainable manner

which allows us to

stay sustainable as a

profi table business.”

Griffi th Foods’

continued success

is directly related to

the advancement of

its customers, and a

strategic approach to

business management.

The company is

dedicated to ethically

and responsibly

“WE BLEND CARE AND CREATIVITYTO NOURISH THE

WORLD”- Griffi th Foods’ Purpose Statement

March 2017 | thebossmagazine.com | 14

“THE MORE SUCCESS THE COMPANY HAS AS A BUSINESS, THE BETTER ITS ABILITY TO SUPPORT PEOPLE AND THE PLANET.”

“We’ve taken great care to make sure that our

sustainability platform wasn’t seen as ‘one

more thing we do,” Chatterjee said. “Along with

our core values, it is part of our fundamental

beliefs that drive our behavior as a company.”

This approach seems to be working. The

company’s 2015 sustainability report—Striving for

Better—is proof that Griffi th Foods is meeting its

sustainability goals. Turning many of its facilities

into Zero-Waste-to-Landfi ll designated buildings

and the fi ght against hunger are main highlights

of the company’s accomplishments.

In fact, during the 2015 Produce for Hunger

initiative, an annual event where all Griffi th

business units around the world create food

for direct donation to feeding organizations,

Griffi th Foods successfully produced and

distributed nearly 310,000 pounds of food in

13 countries. This was equivalent to more than

2,917,000 servings provided for the hungry

around the world.

growing its clients’ brands while maintaining

food safety excellence. The more success the

company has as a business, the better its

ability to support people and the planet.

“We found that the triple bottom line was an

easy way for teams to understand Griffi th

Foods’ promise of sustainability,” Griffi th

said. “It cuts close to the core of who we are.

Sustainability runs through the company.”

The company is also expanding the Griffi th

Sustainably Sourced (GSS) program. In

addition to the GSS Chili Peppers, Griffi th is

now sourcing GSS Sage from farms in Albania,

and is currently in process to develop the

program in some of its most used ingredients,

such as black and white pepper.

WHAT’S YOUR LEGACY?Griffi th Foods has proven to the food industry

that it is possible to be a sustainability-minded

company while also being successful. For

Griffi th, the culture the company has had since

1919 is the reason for it all.

“The idea of stewardship and our legacy is

bound to our Purpose,” Griffi th said. “I realize

the importance of this culture every day. It’s a

special place to work.”

March 2017 | thebossmagazine.com | 14

POWERED BY

GRIFFITH FOODS

One Griffi th CourtAlsip, IL 60803

Ph: 800.346.9494

www.griffi thfoods.com