Best Practices

The business came together to identify what is Keelings purpose. They considered the past, present and future in this work and between all concluded that the best description of their purpose for Keelings was Better Food, Better World.

This simple statement ‘Better Food, Better World’, means a lot to the family business. These four words are Keeling’s purpose and life’s work. It motivates them and their teams to continually strive to produce better food so that the whole world eats better and lives healthier, happier and more productive lives.

They have worked with all leaders to develop the Vision, Mission and Strategic Priorities that all believe will support and enable the delivery of their purpose in line with our Keelings Values.

Keelings is a family-owned Irish company. Started in 1926 with the farm. In the 1930s, they began growing fruits & salads and supplying them to the local Dublin markets. Holistic/Sustainable Business Strategy Development came through a long held respect for the land and long held relationships with the customers they are serving. In 2021 Better Food Better World purpose and new One Keelings logo was launched. They have always taken care of their supply chain and their people but now it is at the heart of their business strategy and everything they do.

Their Six Strategic Priorities

Better Food – To make products better and inspire more people to enjoy produce.

Better World -Improve their environmental and social impact to make a positive difference in the world.

People -Support people to learn, be at their best, contribute and deliver on their commitments, using One Keelings’ standards.

Partnerships -Working with Keelings creates value and long term relationships with customers & suppliers.

Better Ways- Every year improve competitiveness, efficiency and delivery through insight, technology and One Keelings.

Growth - Invest in and deliver insight led, focused, profitable growth into the future.

Net Zero

They plan on a 50% reduction in operational emissions by 2030 and to achieve Net zero emissions by 2040.

Better World actions – Climate change they have clear ambitious climate targets in line with Science Base Target commitments to demonstrate commitment to protecting the .environment and supporting people and communities to make a positive difference in the world. Plan to reduce operational emissions by 50% by 2030.

Committed to being Net Zero by 2040.

Sourcing and Materials Responsible Sourcing Program, they ask suppliers to source the most responsible packaging and logistics solutions available and to deploy circular business processes to eliminate all waste where possible. Keelings consumer packaging will be 100% recyclable by 2025.

Biodiversity As stewards of the land, they recognise the close partnership with nature. Through their 4 themes under their Biodiversity policy; Deforestation & Ecosystems, Farm Management, Pollinators and Water & Soil Health, they actively seek to nurture the natural ecosystems, a partner critical to success. Aim to have 100 new honeybee hives on their farms by 2025. They have implemented no-mow policies and wildlife-friendly farm margins on farms.

Community Health and Nutrition and People they are committed to improving the nutritional well-being of communities. As a family business they recognise the close partnership with families who reside in the communities they operate in. They have a 5-year plan to partner with charitable organisations in the following areas of nutritional need: Homelessness, Children and Families in need, Food Banks and Specific Emergency Crisis. They are committed to providing access to 750,000 portions of fruit annually to those communities who need it most.

Their Pledges

As part of the Better World pledge, Keelings is committed to driving sustainability through a cleaner more environmentally responsible approach to the production of crops and the management of farms and facilities. To support this Keelings has developed five pillars to support the Better World pledge: Climate Change, Sourcing & Materials, Biodiversity, Community, Health & Nutrition and People.

As they were an established older family business it was difficult to make the strategy change and to implement and put words around a lot of what they were already doing. However this was achieved through what was launched in One Keelings in 2021

Accessed 30/6/23: https://keelings.ie/our-story/

Accessed 30/6/23: https://www.keelings.com/sustainability/#priorities