We really love tomatoes. So, when we filled a room with over 30 of our tomato farmers, we found ourselves in very good company! We gathered these suppliers for a Tomato Sustainability Summit to help launch our next generation of sustainability partnerships.
Tomato farming
tomatoes used in fiscal 2022 to make your favorite soups, sauces, and salsas.
A focus of the summit was announcing three new initiatives that support farmers in adopting regenerative agriculture principles and new sustainability practices.
Many of our farmers have been utilizing soil health practices for years, and these initiatives will build on their pioneering work. It will also build on the success of our first-generation tomato sustainability program, as we continue to reduce emissions from farming and improve efficiency of water and nutrient use.
The Tomato Sustainability Summit was a “zero-waste event.” We diverted almost 97% of the waste from landfills by reusing, recycling, and composting. Small changes like using real silverware and cloth napkins instead of disposables can make a big difference.
The summit was also an opportunity for our farmers to learn more about what happens to their tomatoes between leaving the farm and hitting store shelves. Melissa Mendoza, our Director of Marketing, Beverages, showed off our latest brand marketing campaigns and provided insights into how people are factoring sustainability into their purchasing decisions.
To close out the day, we announced a $10,000 donation from the Campbell Soup Foundation to the Center for Land Based Learning (CLBL), given on behalf of the Tomato Sustainability Summit participants. CLBL focuses on cultivating the next generation of farmers and agricultural leaders to be environmental stewards.
While much of the summit was future-focused, it was also a celebration of the strong partnership we’ve developed with our tomato farmers over the years and the wins we’ve achieved together, from farm to spoon. And no celebration would be complete without a bit of fun—farmers enjoyed some Campbell’s swag, prizes, and a taco truck for lunch.
It was a great reminder of how important tomatoes are to our business and how grateful we are for our farmers’ hard work each tomato season. When it comes to farmers, tomato sustainability, and Campbell’s iconic brands, the summit made one thing clear: that when we work together, we all win.
