environmentally responsible

Ingredient Sourcing

Haynes Dairy, NH One of the Organic Valley family farms that supply milk for our yogurt We take sourcing seriously, ensuring that what we buy improves the lives of our farmers, their communities and the planet.

All of the organic milk used to make our products comes from Organic Valley/CROPP, a Wisconsin-based dairy cooperative of over 1,300 family farmers throughout the US.

The vast majority of the organic ingredients that Stonyfield purchases are grown right here in the US. We source over 300 million lbs. of organic ingredients annually—fruit, sweeteners, milk, grains, spices, etc. Those ingredients support over 200,000 acres of organic production each year. We always source from US suppliers first. Some ingredients—like organic cocoa, banana and vanilla—do not grow in the US, so we import them. Only a small amount of organic sugar is grown in the US, so virtually all organic food companies import organic sugar. These organic ingredients must also meet the USDA Organic Standards and be certified by an accredited third-party organic certifier.

Why do we sometimes look elsewhere when items can be grown in the US?

Some ingredients are not available in the quantities we need.
Some ingredients may be geographically closer to us than most US suppliers are. An example is Quebec-grown organic blueberries.
We cannot be dependent on one geographic area for all of our fruit needs. If there were a freeze in California where we buy organic strawberries, and that was our single source, we would not be able to make strawberry yogurt for a year. We intentionally work with growers in multiple geographic areas to reduce our risk.

Our Sourcing Values

At Stonyfield, we strive to stay true to our company mission by making sure that our sourcing decisions are always guided by these eight sourcing values:

We support the growth of organic, choosing the best organic ingredients so we can offer you the healthiest food possible.
We source from family farmers whom we know and trust.
We make sure to know where each ingredient comes from and are transparent about this to the public.
We source from farmers who use ecologically sustainable practices for the well-being of the planet—and we strive together for continuous improvement.
We support the humane treatment of the cows that provide us with milk to make our products:
We offer fair economic return and seek to create long-term relationships with our farmers and suppliers;
We support fairness on the farm, including a safe and healthy working environment, a living wage, and dignity for all workers;
From the farm to the cup, we work every day to reduce our carbon footprint.

We are continuously developing our sustainable sourcing practices while maintaining the profitability that allows us to innovate.