Introducing our First-Ever Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report

As a family-owned and operated company, producing the finest quality pure vanilla products has always been a core value of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas. However, protecting the environment, people and communities who supply our ingredients ranks even higher. We are pleased to share with you our first-ever Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report.

Certifications

Since our founding in 1907, Nielsen-Massey has prided itself on the ethical way in which we conduct business. By providing a variety of certifications for our vanillas and flavors, we aim to evolve the social and environmental footprint of our company. Nielsen-Massey was one of the first companies to introduce an organic and Fairtrade vanilla from Madagascar, helping enable famers to earn a successful livelihood in poverty-stricken communities. Our products are Non-GMO Project Verified, certified Kosher and gluten-free as well as all-natural and allergen-free.

Supplier Code of Conduct

Nielsen-Massey’s commitment to producing products that are ethically and socially responsible extends to the suppliers we work with. We make it our mission to ensure our suppliers respect the countries and cultures in which they operate, and we require them to sign a Supplier Code of Conduct. Visit our sustainability page for the full pledge.

Key Initiatives Abroad

To narrow our focus and maximize impact, our sustainability efforts and goals align with six United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, and Responsible Consumption and Production. To make progress on these goals, Nielsen-Massey has taken measures within the vanilla-growing regions of Madagascar, Indonesia and Uganda to strengthen the vanilla supply chain and improve the lives of those who make this industry possible.

Madagascar

Madagascar sources approximately 80 percent of the world’s vanilla, and we are committed to supporting our Malagasy suppliers, partners and farmers. We work with the Sustainable Vanilla Initiative, an organization in which we are a founding member, to assist the vanilla sector’s governance and prevent child labor.

In addition to our work with SVI, Nielsen-Massey has:

• Supported clean water initiatives and sanitation education in the vanilla-growing region of Andranovato
• Assisted vanilla farmers impacted by Cyclone Enawo by providing 3,000 households with vanilla vines
• Provided vanilla farmers from Andranovato with 500 new vanilla vines and tools to help guard their crop from thieves

Indonesia

In Indonesia, we are participating in a “Food Forest Garden” initiative, which aims to increase vanilla farmers’ income and food security by creating an edible forest comprised of 250 different crops. This ecosystem provides a continuous harvest and helps farmers diversify their sources of income to achieve a sustainable living.

Uganda

Uganda is an important supplier of vanilla due to the fact that the country produces two vanilla crops each year. The SVI Ugandan group, with Nielsen-Massey’s Craig Nielsen as a participant, is focusing on a handful of priorities to support the region’s vanilla sector, which includes:

• Declaring national opening dates
• Enforcing consequences for exporters who drive early picking
• Executing a communications campaign in vanilla-growing districts
• Implementing district level vanilla ordinances
• Supporting community security efforts

Key Initiatives At-Home

While strengthening the sustainability of the vanilla industry is a top priority, we also believe that impact starts at home. We have taken steps to improve sustainability efforts at our headquarters in Waukegan, Illinois, through recycling and energy conservation initiatives, and Nielsen-Massey will continue to invest in ways that will make our facilities more environmentally friendly.

Because Nielsen-Massey is a family-owned and operated company, we are dedicated to supporting our local communities in the Chicagoland and Southeast Wisconsin areas. Through charitable donations, we seek to address critical issues and needs, including education, at-risk children and youth, military and veteran organizations, and environmental protection.

We are proud of our past and current sustainability and corporate responsibility initiatives. We look forward to future plans and the bettering of the vanilla industry through our on-the-ground work with vanilla farmers, suppliers and local leaders.

Click here to view our full report.

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