[Pollinator] Cross-pollinating with Whole Foods

Tue Apr 22 14:00:43 PDT 2014

http://www.blog.generalmills.com/2014/04/cross-pollinating-with-whole-foods/

Apr 22, 2014 * By Monte
Olmsted<http://www.blog.generalmills.com/author/monte-olmsted/>
Cross-pollinating with Whole Foods

General Mills has been working to protect bees and their habitats for
years. We've created a sanctuary for bees at our research farm in Le Sueur,
Minn., and established bee-friendly habitats on 10 Minnesota farms and next
to Muir Glen tomato fields in California. We've also begun funding a
700-acre almond orchard near Fresno, Calif., to produce bee-friendly
almonds.

Beginning this month, our Cascadian Farm brand is leveraging our
bee-friendly good deeds to promote some cross-pollination with Whole Foods
Market.

In April, Cascadian Farm introduced Buzz Crunch Honey Almond cereal
exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide. With every package
sold, Cascadian Farm will donate $1 to the The Xerces Society, an
Oregon-based nonprofit and one of the primary leaders in pollinator
conservation.

[image: Cascadian-Farm-Bees]<http://blog.generalmills.com/wp-content/uploads/Cascadian-Farm-Bees-1.jpg>

"Ninety percent of Cascadian Farm's volume is dependent on bees," says
Taylor West, a Small Planet Foods marketing manager for Cascadian Farm and
Muir Glen. "So we care a great deal about saving the bees, whose numbers
have dwindled in the past eight years due to a variety of factors such as
pesticide use, loss of habitat and disease."

Cascadian Farm and Whole Foods found some common ground in working to save
bees. Representatives from the two companies as well as the Xerces Society
collaborated on the issue, meeting last August at a 700-acre almond orchard
near Fresno, Calif. "We all shared a common passion for supporting and
preserving bees," says Taylor.

For the past four years, General Mills has worked with the Xerces Society
on a growing number of projects geared toward promoting bees and their
habitat.

But Cascadian Farm has been doing so even longer.

The original 28-acre farm in Washington that started the Cascadian Farm
brand has long fostered a healthy native bee population. The Home Farm
relies on bees to pollinate its blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and
pumpkins.

In all, 100,000 boxes of Buzz Crunch Honey Almond cereal will include the
special $1 donation to the Xerces Society, meaning Cascadian Farm could
provide up to $100,000.

The packaging of Buzz Crunch Honey Almond cereal serves as a bee tutorial,
filled with facts about the importance of bees. The box notes that without
bees and pollination, there would be 64 percent fewer items in a grocery
store's produce section.

Taylor says Cascadian Farm hopes to educate consumers about what's
happening to the bees and inspire them to take action. He promises that
this is just the beginning.

Cascadian Farm will continue to promote the new cereal and its cause for
bees at upcoming Whole Foods-related events. On May 17, brand
representatives will provide cereal samples at the Whole Foods-sponsored
EarthFest concert in Boston.

Throughout June, Cascadian Farm representatives will be at many of Whole
Foods' stores during the retailer's "Share the Buzz" in-store promotion for
the bee cause. Cascadian Farm will sample many products, including Buzz
Crunch Honey Almond cereal. The team also will distribute seed packets in
five states.

"At Cascadian Farm we believe in working with nature as an ally," says
Taylor. "The issue with bees is about more than honey. It's about fruits
and vegetables and our food supply. The Xerces promotion on our new cereal
is another small step that can make a big difference."

[image: Monte Olmsted]<http://www.blog.generalmills.com/author/monte-olmsted/>

Monte Olmsted is a writer in Global Communications at General Mills, based
in Minneapolis. He writes stories for "A Taste of General Mills" and
internal company channels. He began his work with General Mills in 2012. More
posts by this author
<http://www.blog.generalmills.com/author/monte-olmsted/>

- See more at:
http://www.blog.generalmills.com/2014/04/cross-pollinating-with-whole-foods/#sthash.D1PS8oWn.dpuf

________

*Matthew Shepherd*, Communications Director

*The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation     *Protecting the Life
that Sustains Us

Stay in touch:     *xerces.org <http://www.xerces.org/>*          *Facebook
<http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Xerces-Society/193182577358618>*
*E-newsletter <http://www.xerces.org/enewsletters/>*          *Twitter
<https://twitter.com/xerces_society>*

628 NE Broadway, Ste 200, Portland, OR 97232-1324, USA

Tel: (503) 232-6639 ext. 110; Toll free: 1-855-232 6639 ext. 110; Cell:
(503) 807-1577

mdshepherd at xerces.org

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international
nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of
invertebrates and their habitat. To join the Society, make a donation, or
read about our work, please visit www.xerces.org.
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