Rabobank Announces 2017 Food and Agribusiness Industry Leadership Awards

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rabobank North America today revealed the winners of its esteemed 2017 Food & Agribusiness Leadership Awards, which recognize organizations for exceptional leadership, innovation, and business and environmental sustainability in the F&A industry.

Nominations for each award category were reviewed by a panel of judges across industry, academia, and the public sector. The winners – who operate in the F&A industry in the United States, Canada and/or Mexico – were announced at the annual Food & Agribusiness Summit hosted by Rabobank in New York City.

"We are pleased to recognize three outstanding companies in the food and agribusiness industry that exemplify excellence in leadership, innovation and/or sustainability," said Paul Beiboer, CEO, Rabobank North America. "These organizations have made it a priority to ensure the availability, access, quality, and stability of our food system for years to come."

The Rabobank Award for Leadership & Excellence is an overarching recognition of a market leader that has demonstrated great impact in its sector through notable, innovative and sustainable practices during the past year. Among other achievements, the organization sets standards of excellence within the industry and takes responsibility for environmental and social wellbeing, shared values for business and society, good corporate citizenship, and an excellent track record in social commitments.

Rabobank is pleased to present this year's Leadership & Excellence award to Bon Appétit Management Co., a California-based, on-site restaurant company that provides café and catering services to corporations, colleges and other institutions. Bon Appétit is seen as a pioneer in environmentally sound sourcing policies, including programs addressing local purchase, overuse of antibiotics and farmworkers' rights.

"I'm particularly honored that Bon Appétit Management Company has received Rabobank's Leadership & Excellence Award this year, as it's our 30th anniversary. I never imagined when I co-founded Bon Appétit that we'd become over a billion-dollar leader in sustainability and wellness with corporate, university, and museum clients in 33 states," said CEO Fedele Bauccio. "I owe an extreme debt of gratitude to our 18,000 employees who make our Dream a reality every day."

The Rabobank Leader in Sustainability Award celebrates an organization that has made unique strides towards business, environmental, social and governance sustainability. This year's winner, Nature's Path Foods, is a family-owned organic farming and food company that has developed a unique model for increasing the domestic supply of organic grains and achieved zero-waste certifications for all three of its production facilities. Nature's Path is based in Richmond, British Columbia and has facilities in Canada and the United States.

"Nature's Path is both honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award from Rabobank," said Arran Stephens, Nature's Path founder and co-CEO. "Social responsibility, environmental sustainability and financial viability are core to our values and passion for delicious, organic, plant-based foods. We farm, we process and deliver to your plate or bowl – something we've been at for 50 years."

Natural food processing company MycoTechnology took home the Rabobank Emerging Leader in Innovation Award, which recognizes an organization for addressing issues in the food and agribusiness space in a new and innovative way. Based in Colorado, MycoTechnology develops and delivers a fermentation technology derived from fungi to improve the taste, value and nutritional characteristics of agricultural products.

"I am greatly honored for MycoTechnology to be recognized by Rabobank for our innovative approach to solving big challenges faced by the food industry," said Alan Hahn, CEO of MycoTechnology. "By using our mushroom fermentation platform we have been able to provide a solution to the global sugar epidemic and also find a way to help feed an exponentially growing population with a sustainable protein source. We believe that this is only the beginning of where mushroom fermentation can take us and we are truly honored to receive such a prestigious award."

About Rabobank
Rabobank Group is a global financial services leader providing wholesale and retail banking, leasing, and real estate services in more than 40 countries worldwide. Founded over a century ago, Rabobank today is one of the world's largest banks with over $750 billion in assets. In the Americas, Rabobank is a premier bank to the food, agribusiness and beverage industry, providing sector expertise, strategic counsel and tailored financial solutions to clients across the entire food value chain. Additional information is available on our website or on our social media platforms, including Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Rabobank

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