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006 Conserving Nature with Hero foods
80 Plays5 years ago
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Transcript
Introduction of Guests and Hero Group Overview
00:00:10
Speaker
Welcome to Episode 6 of the Green and Healthy Places Podcast with me, Matt Morley, founder of Biofit Nature Gyms and Biofilico Interiors. In this episode, we talk to Bill Parker, Chief People Officer, and me to Sen, VP of Strategy and Business Development for the Hero Group in Switzerland.
00:00:32
Speaker
Hero is a family-owned multinational specializing in natural consumer goods such as baby foods, healthy snacks and fruit jams. They have around 4,000 employees spread across 16 countries and selling in to around 50 countries globally.
Hero Group's Mission and Sustainability Focus
00:00:48
Speaker
Their company mission
00:00:50
Speaker
of delighting consumers by conserving the goodness of nature means they have a prominent sustainability strategy as well as a fully biophilic office building just outside Zurich in Switzerland that we were involved in back in 2019. In this conversation, we cover HERO's sustainable ingredient sourcing and product development strategies, reflecting the brand mission through those biophilic office interiors,
00:01:17
Speaker
improving productivity in the workplace while fostering a sense of community and greater interaction amongst employees, raising awareness of the role bees play in biodiversity and the business as a whole committing to be climate positive by 2030. So we jump around a bit between natural food production and nature inspired offices here, but that really reflects the unique positioning of the hero business and their distinct value system.
00:01:46
Speaker
For more on Hero, check them out online. That's hero-group.ch. And if you enjoy this type of content, hit subscribe, like, or share with friends or family. It all helps. Nada mas. Over to Bill and Mito.
History and Commitment to Natural Foods
00:02:03
Speaker
Well, thank you both for joining me today. Perhaps, Bill, it would make sense if you could kick things off by just giving a brief overview of the Hero Group as it is today for those who may not be familiar with it, its brands and product ranges, because I know there's a lot to it. Sure, Matt, I can do that. So we're a mid-sized, I guess we like to consider ourselves a big small company, but we're an international family owned food company.
00:02:33
Speaker
And our thing and what we're very passionate about is naturally good and healthy food. We founded in Switzerland many years ago. So 1886 was when the hero business was founded. And today, I guess, and over the number of years, we've become a, I guess, a family of a number of international and local brands that have been acquired or grown organically over the last 130 years or so.
00:03:01
Speaker
Majority of our business is in baby food and we also have a big business in healthy snacks, predominantly cereal bars and the corny brand. We have a number of businesses in the natural spreads area, mainly in jam. And this is basically where we focus and where most of our business is. And we employ around just over 4,000 people in about 16 countries. And we have mainly European footprint, but we do sell to around 50 countries globally.
00:03:31
Speaker
And I guess our work that we are really passionate and committed to is all about the mission, which is delighting consumers by conserving the goodness of nature. So we are really committed to bringing that to life. So that's a bit of a background on Hero. So if all of the various brands and sub brands and product ranges then in a way link back to that sort of fundamental
00:03:58
Speaker
with that foundation stone of the business around conserving the goodness of nature. Mita, perhaps you could talk to the point of how Hero's relationship with nature impacts its strategy and operations. I mean, for everything, I guess, from responsible sourcing strategies and onwards from there, your role is really helping to deliver that. So how does that play out in the day-to-day?
00:04:22
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think you mentioned it quite clearly that conserving the goodness of nature is not just our mission statement, but it's actually been, you know, at the center of our DNA from the beginning.
Sustainability in Agriculture and Product Development
00:04:33
Speaker
So, you know, the way we look at it as a family owned company is we as a company want to be around for generations to come. And if we want to be here in future generations, we need to make sure that there is a healthy planet that's also there in generations to come to help us deliver our products.
00:04:52
Speaker
Um, so for us, actually, one of the, um, the main things that I have been working on is really defining our sustainability strategy. And, um, you know, looking at our mission statement of conserving the goodness of nature, that's really inspired, um, two big elements of our, of our sustainability strategy, I would say, um, both in terms of sustainable sourcing, um, but also in terms of our product development and just the products that we produce.
00:05:20
Speaker
So for example, on sustainable sourcing, we've really looked at improving and increasing that relationship we have with our farmers and working together with them to define the most meaningful sustainability criteria around water usage, around biodiversity, around land use, and really making sure that we're implementing things together to ensure we're having regenerative agriculture in our sourcing strategy.
00:05:50
Speaker
And then also in product development, we're actually making a lot of efforts to ensure that our products are good for the planet and for people. So we're really using mother nature and nature as our inspiration for creating naturally healthy foods.
Biophilic Design and Green Building Strategies
00:06:08
Speaker
So trying not to mess too much and tamper too much with all the goodness that mother nature brings us and respect the quality that she brings as well.
00:06:19
Speaker
So it's really played a strong part in defining both our sustainable sourcing strategy, but also our product development strategy, I would say. It's interesting listening to the language we're using there, because it really connects with a lot of the vocabulary and the strategy around creating green buildings in themselves, around trying to think about, for example, the materials that go into the building, which will be the equivalent of the ingredients that go into
00:06:47
Speaker
the products that you're putting out onto the shelves and taking responsibility to, if you like, sort of go upstream as far as you can. Bill, when you took on the project of bringing the outside world into your corporate headquarters, in a way, it was the reflection of that, right? It was almost as if the HQ building needed to follow that same philosophy that Mita's just described about the sourcing and the ingredients for the products. Is that fair to say?
00:07:15
Speaker
Yeah, I think it is. I mean, there were a couple of things that we wanted to achieve when we set up on the project. And as you know, the history of this building is, you know, we used to be located in the central Landsberg and it was close to the factory and that was sold and we migrated further up away from the center of town. And so we had a Greenfield site of which to build. And the building itself is wonderful, beautifully architectural, architectural design building, which is very interesting, very pleasant to look at.
00:07:42
Speaker
from the outside. But of course, when you look at the inside and the space that was created, it really wasn't fit for purpose. So, of course, we wanted to take the opportunity to do a couple of things. The first one was we had to make the space work better for the changing nature of the work. So, and that was more about how do we improve the productivity of people? How do we make the workspace work for them and the way they have to get work done?
00:08:06
Speaker
I think the second part, which was very, very important for us and very important for the CEO at the time, was how can we better reflect the mission of the company in this space and make the headquarter building an inspiration for all the officers around the Euro?
00:08:23
Speaker
So that link between the mission and the physical manifestation of that mission in an office building was super important for us. And that's where it kind of started. And we started to explore this idea and we read more and then we started to understand that there's this distinctive bond between humans and nature. And then we stumbled on biophilic workspace design, which of course I didn't really know a lot about, but as we started to
00:08:50
Speaker
delve into it and realize there's a big opportunity here. That's when we realized we needed some expertise and then we started speaking to you at the time. And the science behind biophilic was much more complicated than I thought. Well, I thought it was all about the sticking a bunch of plants in your office.
00:09:08
Speaker
people would be happy and the stress would be lower, but actually there's a lot more to it around use of natural fibers and fabrics and really thinking about the materials you're using and where they're sourced from and what people are exposed to in the workspace.
Office Design Challenges and Solutions
00:09:21
Speaker
So that were the two real things we were looking for. You know, how do we create a better space for people to work in, but actually almost as importantly, how do we reflect our mission in the space? It's interesting around the perception of
00:09:35
Speaker
biophilic design and as you say isn't it just you know a green wall and some plants whereas in fact it goes so much deeper than that or there is the opportunity for it to go so much deeper than that and in a way to go not just to restore some sense of a natural environment indoors where you're working but also maybe even go beyond it to make it and even if possible healthier
00:09:57
Speaker
So there's that health aspect to it as well. I mean, you mentioned that perhaps you were struggling with some of the specifics of the workspace before you undertook the project. I mean, for things like when you're dealing with a large concrete and glass circular building, things like acoustics and finding quiet spaces to work, how are you dealing with that in the previous version and how far do you feel like that's been resolved in
00:10:25
Speaker
in the space that you're working with now, sort of the revised version of the office? Yeah, I think it's true that we had some really technical challenges to overcome with the building itself that we couldn't really, I mean, you know, we couldn't change the building itself, unfortunately. But, you know, we saw that, and I think it's very interesting when you think about workspace design, clearly when this building was built eight, nine, maybe 10 years ago,
00:10:52
Speaker
the culture of the company was very different to what it is today. So, of course, it reflects, they reflected the culture at the time, which was, you know, using the space with having offices on all the floors, limited meeting space, you know, small areas around open space. So, of course, one of the first challenges we wanted to overcome was how do we create a greater sense of community and a greater sense of
00:11:19
Speaker
this campus space where spontaneous interactions and connections were actually encouraged because that's where we felt that there was relationship building, collaboration would happen, and we felt that was important. So that was a key challenge that we had to do was to try to break down the space a little bit to allow us to be able to create more social areas. I think the second area was what I wanted to democratize the space because the challenge we had was we had all these leaders in offices
00:11:49
Speaker
and limited amounts of open space. And actually, these leaders were often traveling, so it didn't seem to make any sense. The people who needed to meet, who were not traveling, couldn't find workspace or space to meet. So we had to really invert the whole way we thought about the space. And we made the bold choice of getting the leaders out of the offices, putting them to the open space. And then we really used a lot more square meterage on more informal and formal meeting spaces that allow people to choose
00:12:18
Speaker
how and where and what they wanted to do in those spaces. So it gave them a lot more freedom and we see the benefits of that. I think the third area you mentioned was absolutely a big issue for us was acoustics. That was a big challenge. And when you're also trying to create a more open work environment, of course, that means the acoustic challenges becomes greater. So that's where we worked a lot, I think, on some of these biophilic elements. How do we use natural plant walls to limit high traffic areas?
00:12:47
Speaker
how do we make sure that the high usage areas were protected and we had natural fabric, acoustic paneling and carpets to limit noise flow.
Eco-Friendly Office Practices
00:12:57
Speaker
And so there are a lot of things we did that maybe were not so noticeable to the naked eye, but we're really trying to address a significant acoustic challenge we had in the building. I think there were other things that we also looked at, but they weren't necessarily the main drivers, but how could we
00:13:13
Speaker
How could we install water fountains to replace plastic bowlers? How could we remove physical storage? It was really interesting that when we asked people how much physical storage they felt they needed, that they completely over-ordered office storage cabinets. And what we wanted to do was say, hey, do you really need all this? Let's encourage digital filing. Let's reduce the printing in the office. And let's try and really think carefully about how we're using this space. Let's just not take what we had before and just make it new. Let's really think differently about how we work.
00:13:43
Speaker
So I think there were lots and lots of elements that we tried to address through the renovation of the building and using biophilic design as our inspiration.
00:13:54
Speaker
to get to that level of insight. I mean, it really is. It's a business like yours that already has a grounding in a sort of a natural ethos and value system plus some real deep thinking around workplace wellness. And I think that's in a way how you got to the result that you ended up with, which is a beautiful space that really reflects the mission. I just wonder when you, if we try to sort of drill down into the,
00:14:19
Speaker
that process then of, I don't want to say selling the idea internally, but there is an element of that, right? Was it a top-down process or was it that we've got a problem, we need to improve this? Or was it the CEO saying, no, we're ready to go? I'm just wondering if there's any lessons we could take or that others listening might be able to garner from this around pushing for
00:14:41
Speaker
a more natural refurb or spruce up of their existing office.
Impact of Redesign on Culture and Talent
00:14:47
Speaker
Was it pushing from below or was it the CEO with a vision? Well, I think, yeah, I mean, every business will be different. We were lucky, I think Amita would advocate this. We have a CEO here who is very, very committed to this mission. So I think that in some ways we were almost blessed by the fact that the CEO really wanted to
00:15:09
Speaker
to put a marker in the sand, I would say, about how serious are we about the mission? And if we really are committed to that, and he's also a brand guy, so of course it's all about the brand experience. He wanted to make sure that the workspace design facilitated and reflected who we were as a company. I must also say we were... So whilst I don't think he was necessarily a huge advocate of the use of workspace,
00:15:37
Speaker
to drive productivity or thinking about biophilic as a way of improving the health of workspace. I think that over time, as we all learned along the way about the potential power of this approach, it became easier to convince others. And I think one of the things that really helped us at the time was we were trying to transform the company from being very local to being a much more collaborative one company, more integrated.
00:16:07
Speaker
So of course, that meant that the workspace should also reflect the cultural transformation that you're trying to drive as a company. And what better way to do that than by altering your workspace and creating space that allows people to be more collaborative and reflect who we want it to be. So I think that also helps. So those elements for us that helped a lot. But of course, it all started with the CEO who was very committed to this idea of nature and this mission, very, very meaningful to him.
00:16:36
Speaker
In fact, he created it, so that helps. And then clearly that plays through once the new space is up and running. Have you noticed an impact on the HR side, thinking specifically around, it's an often forgotten side effect, but talent attraction and retention. So being able to sort of, if you'd like,
00:17:00
Speaker
create an environment that really appeals to your staff and creates a space that they want to come to work in, or perhaps leave one company for your business in part, not fully, but in part because of what they know they're going to be experiencing every day when they come into work. Have you seen any direct impact post opening the new office?
00:17:21
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, we actually, as you know, we, we did a baseline survey. So we, we, before we started any of the work, we basically asked people who use the building, you know, tell us about how it is to exist in this place to work, to get things done. And of course we took a more health related angle on that survey because we wanted the place to be, uh, uh, you know, promoting and enabling people just to be healthy at work.
Be Careful Initiative and Sustainability Goals
00:17:46
Speaker
So we did the baseline. We haven't done the follow-up survey. We are scheduled to do it in December, where we'll really get some good qualitative and qualitative feedback from people. But what I would say, I think, is that even anecdotally, when I walk into the building, even with potential candidates, the first thing I say often when I'm walking through the floor in the past, whereas that's
00:18:18
Speaker
bunker of a building. It didn't resonate. It didn't feel harmonious. It felt inconsistent with what we were saying through the mission. So I think that now when I walk into the building, I definitely think that it gives the wow effect. I think people are not expecting to walk into that kind of workspace. When you approach Landsberg and you see this kind of round building, you expect it to be kind of, but when they walk in, you do get the impression that people are like, oh wow,
00:18:45
Speaker
Okay, I can see here, so I would say Matt that the story we tell now is a much harmonious and more compelling story and I do believe that even now we see it, you know, people are much more attracted to the company because they're partly driven by the physical space when they walk into our building.
00:19:08
Speaker
I think it's a bit difficult to answer your question specifically. It's a bit difficult at the moment to say, you know, has it improved their ability to attract and retain talent? I probably need to reflect back on that in another year or two, but I would absolutely say it's helped to tell a more compelling story.
00:19:27
Speaker
that then is you sort of like bulked up your credentials around the on the people side and Amita I know at the beginning of our chat you mentioned the idea of people and planet and the idea of those two really sitting alongside each other in harmony and in sort of in
00:19:44
Speaker
in equilibrium effectively. Have you seen since joining the company, I mean obviously you've got a number of key initiatives but it would just be really interesting to understand a bit more about what Hero's doing on that planet side of the equation. I mean for example I saw I was reading up about the Be Careful initiative. Is that still active and if so could you sort of just give a quick overview of how that works and
00:20:10
Speaker
what you're aiming to do there around connecting or raising awareness around the role of bees in agriculture? Yeah, definitely. I mean, first of all, it's definitely still active. You know, it's actually one of the areas that we've been we've been working on for quite a while now. And we've we started this program many years ago, you know, in collaboration with with the university. And I actually I'm the more I even dig into it, the more passionate
00:20:39
Speaker
I get about it and the more I think we can do with it. But what I would say is the Be Careful initiative maybe started much more around ensuring that the population of bees was improved because there was quite a staggering decline in the number of bees. And if you look at the role that the bee plays in pollination, I think there are some studies that say it represents 80% of all of the
00:21:07
Speaker
the produce that we do comes from pollination from bees. And so the starting point I would really say was around education to our consumers, but also our employees around, you know, saving the bee, let's say. And there was much more of a drive around increasing the number of beekeepers. You know, we helped promote people and educate people on how to become a beekeeper.
00:21:33
Speaker
And that, I think, is continuing and is still gaining a lot of energy and traction. And we're getting quite a few also passionate beekeepers as employees as well, which is always lovely to see. Where I see there's just so much more to do with this is in the collaboration we have with our farmers. So now that we're, as I mentioned before, working a lot closer with our farmers, we're able to work with them to actually understand the role that not just the bee,
00:22:03
Speaker
all insects or many insects play in regenerating the soil and actually, you know, allowing us to have improved biodiversity, improved kind of soil health. And this is something that we've now been setting up where I call it sort of the be an inspired ecosystem. And it's really, you know, this work we're doing with a few farmers to plot very close to their farmlands, you know, a small strip of land with
00:22:33
Speaker
2030 very specific trees, beehive and certain insects. And over time, this ecosystem basically recreates itself. It encourages more insects to flourish their birds, et cetera. And they actually help regenerate the soil and the land of the farmers plot.
Collaborations for Sustainable Production
00:23:00
Speaker
You know, this I think is the area that we really could do a lot more and we're still at the starting points of that and starting trying to research and figure out how we can do more. But yeah, that's the sort of two parts of the Be Careful initiative that we're working through to help give this little creature a bit more presence and a much healthier and longer life. Yeah. It's just a great example of value driven
00:23:28
Speaker
activity within a big corporation or a big medium-sized corporation. Small big, yeah. Yes, small big. But it is because it's probably the net result of it all is quite intangible. But nonetheless, it's just you're leading from the front. You're showing commitment to the cause and committing something that will play out over future generations.
00:23:52
Speaker
The other thing I was interested in asking about is the idea of committing to net neutral production looking ahead. How is that going to impact the company? And when you drill down into it in your day to day, what is the real impact of that? And how do you create that roadmap from where you are now to hitting that goal? Yeah. And I mean, I maybe take one step back to say, when we sat down to define our ambition,
00:24:20
Speaker
We purposely said we have to be very ambitious because if we're one of many, but one of many companies trying to make change happen, we have to over deliver in order to make sure that we don't affect the planet in the ways that some of the predictions are saying. So we actually made a commitment to be overall climate positive by 2030.
00:24:47
Speaker
And one of the ways that we have to do that is by making sure in the production of all our products, we're net neutral. And here, it's a combination of saying, look, it's not just about CO2 and greenhouse gases, but also because we are a food company, water usage is also very important. So we've also committed to be net neutral on water use in our production and around food waste.
00:25:14
Speaker
because we know that that's a big challenge in our industry today. I think for us, it really means two things. It means in our own house, we need to clean house, let's say. So we're really putting the incentive and also the KPI in all of our production plants around these three areas, so around water waste and CO2.
00:25:40
Speaker
And we're really encouraging people to come up with initiatives, come up with ideas that can help us reduce our impact. You know, first and foremost, we say we need to measure first, we need to then reduce, and then anything that we can't reduce, you know, we need to find ways of recycling or offsetting. So I think it starts first with making sure we have a very clear plan in our own production plants to get to this net neutral level.
00:26:08
Speaker
But we didn't want to stop there. We actually said, look, we need to be net neutral on all of our products. So even in a situation where we maybe work with co-manufacturers or we work with other suppliers of finished goods, we've said it's important that we work with them to also try to become net neutral in their production as well. So I think it fundamentally has changed the KPIs that we're tracking.
00:26:36
Speaker
and what we're making sure we deliver on in our products. It's not only speed of delivery, but really the sustainability metrics are fully embedded into our supply chain now.
Amplifying Mission and Future Office Role
00:26:49
Speaker
Yeah, it's really, it's another great example, I think. It'll just be respectful of your time, but perhaps just on a personal level then, Mita, how does this, I mean, obviously there's passion behind all of this and you're right in the thick of it every day, but how does it affect the relationship that you have with the company that you work for? I mean, do you feel like there's obviously some kind of a shared value system? How does it affect the way you think of work
00:27:19
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, 100%, I think it's difficult to say that you completely separate your work life from your personal life. I think with the amount of time that we spend in work, you want to feel passionate and feel like you're doing something good. And also as a mother, you think about the next generations and you think about the planet that you're going to be leaving.
00:27:44
Speaker
you know, for your kids. And I feel really proud, actually, every time, you know, we all step up and I see the passion behind my colleagues and everyone in this company around doing something more and making sure we deliver, I find that, you know, it just gives me energy. So for sure, personally, it really changes the way I think about stepping into work every day.
00:28:07
Speaker
Bill, from you on the people side, where do you see the next few years going? What else would you like to achieve within the business that you still have on your horizon within the same sort of green and healthy concept? Well, I think, you know, I definitely think that, you know, we're lucky in some respects, because if you go back to the original DNA of the company, you know,
00:28:33
Speaker
The reason they were canning fruit and vegetables in 1886 was because they were trying to take the goodness of nature and make it last longer than fresh produce. So this innovation and breakthrough. So it's always been at the core, I think, of what we do company. I think what we've managed to do in the last few years is to reignite that a little bit and reconnect people to what that means. Of course, the challenge now is, you know, how do we really amplify that? How do we tell that story more externally?
00:29:02
Speaker
because I know that there are a lot of people, a lot of people I talk to, there's a big shift happening if you think about it in the world.
00:29:08
Speaker
You know, I was talking to someone, a friend of mine last week who works for Shell, you know, they're making huge changes to the way they do business, you know, moving away from exploration or, you know, food, car companies, you know, making big stuff. So I think the opportunity we have as a responsible food producer that's committed to being quite positive gives us a massive opportunity to be attractive to talent in the future.
00:29:33
Speaker
We just need to make sure that people understand what we're about, what we stand for. And if people are interested to work for a company committed to conserving nature, then hey, come and join here. So I think there's big opportunities for us in that space. And maybe on my last thought, as you asked that question, is COVID has created loads of challenges. There's no doubt about it. And probably there are industries that are much more effective than we are.
00:30:01
Speaker
If I just think now about this huge unprecedented unplanned pandemic and how it's changed the way we work, we're starting to think now much more carefully about, okay, what role do our officers play in the future?
00:30:18
Speaker
I'm sure some of your clients are also asking themselves the same question. You know, I work from home and I meet in the office. I don't know what will the future be, but I'm just very proud and pleased that the work we did to renovate the space and create a modern, natural, healthy place to be.
00:30:35
Speaker
is actually still purpose fit for even COVID times. I find people coming into the office from home to meet in perfectly good, healthy work environments. They can continue to get their work done and that's very pleasing to me. So that's what I would say, Matt, to your question.
00:30:55
Speaker
Yeah, it's going to be turbulent times for another six to 12 months, it seems, but I think the office will survive. It may well end up with a slightly different format, but it's not going anywhere soon. I think that connection interaction with other people is still so fundamental.
Conclusion and Resources
00:31:14
Speaker
I think in a way, we've all arguably the biggest takeaway for some of us has just been what living in isolation means and how work is actually a lot about the people that you're with.
00:31:24
Speaker
and the experiences you share with them day to day. Absolutely. And I agree with that. I think there will be a place for the office. Definitely. Yeah. This connection, I think the human connection that you referred to is super important for the way we work and for our culture. So we will continue to have offices in the future. Unlike some companies I read about, but anyway. Yeah.
00:31:49
Speaker
Very cool. Well, listen, just to sign off then in terms of people looking to do a bit of reading on the hero group, what are the best websites or social media handles for them to look out for? Well, I think follow us on LinkedIn, please. You will find information on LinkedIn page. You'll also find information on our hero group website, which has got a lot of information about who we are, a bit about history,
00:32:17
Speaker
and a whole bunch of stuff, including obviously vacancies you're interested to join. So that's, they're probably the two best places to follow us. We're also available on Instagram. If you want to follow the hero corporate page on Instagram. Cool. We'll leave the, we'll leave all the links in the episode notes. So thank you both for your time. It's been great. Thank you so much.