A Conversation with Jane Franch: Leading Sustainability at Numi Tea
There are many socially responsible food companies in the Bay Area, such as Alter Eco, Annie’s, Nutiva and Lotus Foods. Numi Tea also stands out with their rigorous sourcing, eco-packaging, and a commitment to clean water. In 2016, the Numi Foundation built 23 wells delivering clean water to 4,000 turmeric farmers and their families across 12 villages in Madagascar which has delivered a huge impact in the local community. The person who leads Numi Tea’s sustainability and supply chain initiatives is Jane Franch, Director of Quality, Sourcing and Sustainability. I spoke with Jane recently to learn what her role entails, how her team works with marketing and her view on corporate responsibility.
Tell us a little bit about your role at Numi Tea and how does sustainability fit into your role.
As the Director of Quality, Sourcing & Sustainability my role is focused on our upstream supply chain. One thing that attracted me to this role and to Numi is that sustainability is really woven into everything that we do. And, because my role is placed within the operations team, I’m able to work directly with our supply chain partners to envision and implement new initiatives, as well as build on current success. So, in my sourcing role, I am building relationships with new and existing suppliers and sustainability is always at the center of the conversation, along with quality, price, availability, etc. We ask ourselves and our partners how we can use business for good to strengthen communities and deliver positive impact for farmers, workers, and their families in the places where we source our teas, herbs and spices. And in my quality role, of course food safety and premium quality are central, but I can also bring our sustainability objectives and expectations into our supplier conversations as a prioritized quality attribute. Finally, in my sustainability role, I am working within our company and with our external stakeholders to define, refine, and deliver on our long-term vision for a thriving, equitable, and healthy planet, tea cup by tea cup.
You had an English Literature degree from UC Berkeley which seems far away from sourcing and supply chain. What made you come to sustainability?
It was in the 90s when I went to college, so sustainability was still an idea and not quite the full-fledged discipline it is now. I was an early adopter of organic food, and volunteered on pesticide awareness campaigns with PANA (Pesticide Action Network) during my undergraduate years. I also grew up with a strong connection to nature, and spent my free time hiking, camping and exploring California’s central coast and the mountains of Colorado. After I graduated college I traveled around the world to gain exposure and a better understanding of my place in the world (this was 1999, email & the internet were still relatively new, and only a few people had cell phones or personal computers!). I spent about 5 years living, working and traveling through Europe, Thailand, and Colorado. It was in Thailand I saw massive plastic accumulations along roadsides and deforestation of the tropical landscape, and I started to think more about what were the root causes of environmental problems. This helped me to recognize two things: 1) the interdependent nature of our global supply chains; and 2) the disconnect between technological innovations and social habits. Taking #2, it might be easy to cast judgment on people throwing plastic on the side of the road as bad behavior. But, through another lens, less than a generation prior, the plastic used to today to wrap your roadside treat would have been a banana leaf, and throwing this out the window would be no problem. So, while the technology has changed (plastics replacing banana leaf) the behavior has not adjusted because our awareness has not adjusted.
Speaking of the interdependent nature of our global supply chains, and our food systems in particular, many people would not think that there is any link between the everyday products purchased from the grocery store and deforestation in Southeast Asia. Yet, rainforests there are being cleared at an alarming pace to make way for palm oil and other commodities to feed the demand of the western consumer. So it was these experiences and exposure that really was the awakening call for me to work on sustainability projects.
Do you have certain criteria for selecting your vendors?
We believe that building long -term relationships with our suppliers is key to our success in delivering impact. Therefore, we are not often seeking new suppliers, but rather looking for ways to increase our business with the suppliers we already have. This means that when we are looking at new product development, an important aspect to consider is whether and how the proposed new product or business opportunity will benefit and amplify impact with our existing farmers, workers, and communities.
When we do seek out new suppliers, we spend considerable time up front meeting with them face to face, and visiting their farms and facilities, to ensure that our values are aligned. We also drafted our Supplier Code of Conduct in 2016 to communicate our values and expectations to our supply chain.
On an ongoing basis, we visit our key suppliers at origin annually, and meet with them throughout the year to build the relationship and continue work together on key impact initiatives, whether it be our H20PE campaign, social certification, or climate.
Sustainability in many companies also means telling the stories that engage consumers. How do you work with the marketing team at Numi Tea?
We will be publishing our first impact report this year, so that has been a team effort in terms of providing the data to help marketing tell our impact story. In the operation functions, we are responsible for giving our marketing team the documents, facts, figures, and photos to support the development of content.
Ultimately, marketing builds the velocity. The more we can sell, the more good things we can do to support our farmers and suppliers, which amplifies our impacts.
How do you cultivate a culture at Numi around having the sustainability mindset?
Given our position as a mission-driven brand, we tend to attract applicants who share similar values and are interested in being a part of our mission. So there is a bit of a “self-selection” bias there. In addition, we have a wonderful “green tea’m” that leads our internal efforts and keeps the broader tea’m informed and engaged. A new initiative this year has been pushing towards zero waste here at our corporate offices. This includes training for employees around recycling, composting and waste reduction. One thing we realized is that while our landfill waste is already minimal, we can do a better job of reducing plastics and properly sorting our waste to ensure that what we do produce ends up in the correct bin.
Additionally, we have monthly tea trainings for our staff. While these are generally focused on our products, our products tend to also carry a strong sustainability story as well. The trainings thereby become yet another avenue to keep the tea’m in the loop about the many wonderful initiatives and efforts underway at the farm level and with our suppliers.
Can sustainability efforts really drive profit?
Yes, and Numi is a prime example. What we are seeing now is the values of the ethical consumer are becoming more mainstream, particularly as the millennial consumer comes of age. They are looking for companies with integrity who share their values, while also wanting a safe, clean product that tastes good. Looking at Numi as an example, while we continue to be strong in the natural channels, we are also making inroads into the mainstream market, notably with stores such as Target and Kroger. The natural products industry is booming and becoming more mainstream to the average consumer. Brands with certifications are now widely available across all categories and natural product sales grew by nearly 8% in the U.S. in 2016.
Price continues to be a challenge, and yet trends are also showing that consumers are willing to pay more for a premium ethical product if they have a high degree of trust in the brand and the values are aligned with their own.
What would your advice to someone who doesn’t have a sustainability degree but wants to work in the sustainability field?
The sustainability field can be limitless. It really touches down on every aspect of our lives. It’s worthwhile to spend time distilling down your interests to what it is that truly matters most to you. What drives your passions and motives you? For some, it might be socially just food systems, for others, climate, water, etc. Get clear about what your drivers are, and then find organizations and individuals that inspire you and figure out how to access them. This might be through volunteering, or requesting informational interviews to learn more about their path. Be curious and willing to start anywhere an opportunity arises, knowing that expanding your network will open up new ideas and help you refine your vision, not to mention help open doors.
