Our Global
Responsibility Journey

2008

Our company President was amongst the founding members of the Innovation Center for US Dairy, an organization responsible for the proactive and advanced sustainability position of the US dairy industry.

2009

Endorsement of the dairy industry’s voluntary greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal.

2010

Participation in the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s food safety initiative.

2013

– Among first dairy companies to commit to the industry’s voluntary Guidance for Dairy Product Enhanced Traceability.

– Development of a formal Corporate Responsibility initiative.

2014

– First Corporate Responsibility goals set.

– Launch of the Leprino Quality Animal Care (LQAC) Program.

– Publication of inaugural biennial Corporate Responsibility Report.

– Greeley facility achieved Silver Partner status in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Environmental Leadership Program.

2015

– Launch of the Leprino Foods Company Foundation.

– Location-based Resource Conservation Teams created.

– Corporate Responsibility renamed Global Responsibility.

2017

– Release of public diversity and inclusion commitment statement.

– In collaboration with Dairy Farmers of America, our largest milk supplier, we began a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions assessment of farms that supply milk to Leprino Foods.

– Completed installation of a $22 million combined heat and power (CHP) system, enabling Greeley to meet most of its energy needs and lower its GHG emissions. The CHP system generates 12 megawatts of electricity using two natural gas turbines and captures the waste heat to create steam for plant processes.

– As a result of water efficiency and recovery projects, water output from the Greeley plant started exceeding the amount of fresh water taken in. This makes it a net generator of water, allowing for the return of enough water for ~1000 homes each day to local river systems.

– Greeley facility achieved Gold Leader status in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Environmental Leadership Program.

2018

– Early adoption of the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment.

– Implemented a formal supplier diversity policy to strengthen our solicitation strategies to grow existing and potential business relationships with qualified and certified diverse suppliers. In tandem, we improved our data tracking and verification methods.

– Launch of the LeprinoReach Volunteer Portal, encouraging employee volunteerism by connecting employees with volunteer opportunities and tracking total volunteer hours.

– Inaugural year of the LeprinoScholars Scholarship Program, which is supported by the Leprino Foods Company Foundation and provides postsecondary education assistance to dependents of Leprino Foods employees.

2019

– Introduction of the diversity and inclusion initiative, Better Together.

– In the first year since the launch of the LeprinoReach Volunteer Portal, our team members logged more than 10,000 individual volunteer hours.

– Our Greeley facility was awarded by its peers in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Environmental Leadership Program with the 24-Karat Gold Award. This is in recognition of going above and beyond to implement initiatives that have made a measurable contribution to the environment, the economy and the community.

2020

– Received approval from the California Department of Food Agriculture (CDFA) for full reuse of water purified on-site at our plants. This achievement is the result of years of research and collaboration with experts within and outside of the company to chart a bold path to reduce water use while meeting Food safety and regulatory requirements.

– Water-reduction projects aimed at conserving water and increasing opportunities for reuse were completed at our Lemoore West facility. These resulted in nearly 22 million gallons per year in water savings through adjustments to hand washing sinks, enhancements to metering, monitoring and reporting systems, and capture and reuse of blowdown water in cooling towers.

2021

– Developed Climate Action Trail Map to achieve GHG neutrality across our value chain by 2050 and solidified our pledge to be responsible water stewards.

– Signing of the Global Dairy Platform’s Pathways to Dairy Net Zero declaration.

– Became a user of the Sustainable Dairy Partnership (SDP), a globally relevant, yet regionally applicable, sustainable sourcing model developed by multinational brands and overseen by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform’s Dairy Working Group.

– Our Fort Morgan facility was recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 as a winner of the 2021 Regional Pollution Prevention (P2) Award Program. The award acknowledges demonstrated leadership and commitment to practices that reduce, eliminate or prevent pollution at its source, helping protect human health and the environment.

2022

– Company executives and Lubbock officials marked groundbreaking on the new facility in June, with completion expected in 2026. Upon completion, the Lubbock facility will be one of Leprino Foods’ most sustainable plants and is being constructed with special features that will help decrease GHG footprint and water footprint. Innovations include capturing heat from equipment like pasteurizers and using it elsewhere to reduce fuel consumption; advanced LED lighting and sensors; smart controllers on refrigeration systems to reduce electrical load; and water capture and reuse throughout the facility. Building materials and design will also be selected with an eye on efficiency and minimized environmental impact.

– Completion of the 10-megawatt solar project on 13 acres of land at our Lemoore West production facility. The electricity generated will contribute approximately 10% of the plant’s annual energy needs.

– Held inaugural companywide Month of Impact focused on nutrition in September, one of our four pillars of support. Employees across all locations organized over 40 events, made donations and volunteered in their local communities to support food security and promote access to healthy food.

2023

– Building on last year’s focus on nutrition, the second annual Month of Impact provided opportunities and encouraged employee volunteerism focused on sustainability.

– Through continued effort, in 2023 we reached statistical significance for all of our on-farm GHG emissions. This represents an important step in progressing towards our value-chain GHG emissions targets.

– Continuing our mission to reduce energy consumption in our operations, energy audits have been completed at each of our production plants. The information gained as a result of these audits provides a foundation for future energy efficiency actions.

– In early 2023, Leprino received the 2022 Diversity and Inclusion Supplier of the Year Award from a major customer. As a company, we have worked hard to elevate our D&I platform and practices, and we continue to prioritize this every day.