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RETAIL SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
“A couple of years ago, we really wanted to scale our food waste and recy- cling program and get it in place across all our stores, but logistically, there’s obviously a lot of geography there to cover,” says Bremser. “We threw the challenge out to our store directors and they were able to nd local vendors that could handle the process for them. Now, over time, our corporate vendor, GreenRU, has grown to the point where it can cover the wide spectrum of stores. We were able to get that program implemented in our stores much faster because of our autonomy.”[See ”Hy-Vee’s Cyclical Food-Waste Operation” on page 42] Hy-Vee has three additional compost operators (Sanimax, Missouri Organic and Organix) to reach stores out of state. “The autonomy means our store directors have the authority to make the decision on what’s best for their store, and ultimately, what’s going to be best for their community,” says Hensley. “That’s just how Hy-Vee has run for 86 years.”
What makes sense for one store in one
location may be untenable in another for myriad reasons, such as differing state regulations and taxes, vendor availability and logistics obstacles for stores in more remote areas. “With our company being as diverse as it is, and autonomous as it
is, the stores have the exibility to donate unsaleable products where they choose. In the bigger cities, you have food pantries; but in a smaller one it might be a senior center or church selected by the store employees,” says Hensley.
Hy’Vee’s organic numbers are increasing each day, but some stores display organics separately and some display organics with conventional produce.
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