In addition to growing a smart business, one of our core goals at Foodwit is to share our success. Our philosophy on sharing our success comes to life in three key ways:
Foodwit Portland has volunteered time at the Oregon Food Bank. In one memorable instance, we rolled up our sleeves to process more than 7,000 pounds of donated cabbage to assure the produce was safe and usable.
Foodwit is proud to be a member of the Upcycled Food Association. With a fast-growing community of over 100 mission-driven brands, nonprofits, and investors, UFA has been making groundbreaking moves to reduce food waste, including establishing the first certification standard for upcycled food. Foodwit’s Val Madamba serves as a member of the UFA Board of Directors.
The Food Innovation Center (FIC) Agricultural Experiment Station is located in Portland, OR. The FIC is a resource for client based product and process development, packaging engineering and shelf life studies, food safety, and consumer sensory testing. Research work is conducted to develop innovative processing, packaging and traceability technologies, and address food safety challenges. Foodwit has partnered with Oregon State on the development of regulatory curriculum. Becki Holmes served as a Board member from 2018-2019. Elisha Daigneault currently serves as an active Board member.
We donate our time and expertise to enable and empower thought-leaders and change-makers in the food community. Examples of our engagements include:
Foodwit is proud to have supported the launch of Wellfare, a nonprofit food subscription service for those in need. The Wellfare team sources snacks, drinks, and pantry products from mission-aligned brands and provides curated deliveries to members at no/low cost.
Starting up a food distribution operation means working through a host of complex compliance questions - so we were excited to draw on our years of experience in food regulation and ecommerce to help smooth the runway for Wellfare, starting in New York City.
"Thank you so much for the report, recommendations and guidance. As we scale up operations, my team now has a strong sense of what questions to ask and what pitfalls to avoid. What a great feeling! We implemented the recommendations into our workflow immediately, and will use the report as a touchstone document for the months and years ahead."
- Cole Riley, Founder of Wellfare
We were honored to be a part of SKU M/O’s stellar programming for BIPOC founders in CPG. In 2021, the SKU M/O team cohort hosted Foodwit’s Rob Grysen and Val Madamba to talk food safety and labeling compliance. We’re proud to support SKU's steadfast work to champion emerging brands and create a more level playing field for BIPOC founders.
Every year, Foodwit donates to support those affected by food insecurity. Each year brings new challenges to those in need, so here is a glimpse at where we have focused our efforts to support those who need it most each year.
Since our founding, we have believed in sharing our success, and one way that manifests is as an annual donation of our holiday gift-giving budget. The year we began this tradition, we focused locally and gave our first financial donation to the Oregon Food Bank.
This time of year inspires us to reflect on how lucky we are to serve the food industry each and every day. We also recognize what a privilege it is to have access to nutritious food for ourselves and our families. Unfortunately, not everyone is as lucky as we are. This year we elected to donate our support to Feeding America - a national hunger relief network.
Everyday we are tasked to solve a new food question. What should we call it? How will it be consumed? How is it discarded? As we reflected on how food and water security is still largely unsolved, we elected to support those who may not have access to food or clean water this year with a donation to Oxfam America.
We feel privileged to be a part of the industry that feeds the world, and yet we are also reminded of a global food paradox. As our industry becomes more global, access to food and clean water is still threatened, especially following natural disasters. This year, we chose to support those who have been affected by disaster and famine by donating to World Central Kitchen.
This year stretched us in ways we never thought possible, and we recognize the great privilege it is to experience this year remotely and with food in our bellies. We feel strongly about supporting our local communities, and were able to spread our donation across three local food banks in Oregon, Colorado, and New York.
2021 marked a special year for Foodwit - five years of business! This year, several Foodwit team members experienced the gift of expanding their own families. And while each of us have the good fortune to provide for ourselves and our growing families, it remains a great privilege to serve an essential industry, and to do so with the comfort of a roof over our heads and food at the table. With this in mind, Foodwit donated to No Kid Hungry and to the Tri-State Food Bank's Tornado Disaster Relief Fund to help other families when they need it most.
In 2022, we were inspired to create something more durable with a direct and positive impact for our clients and the broader service community that supports the food and beverage industry. We sought to create an evergreen resource that embodies our values and aspirations for our industry, while celebrating and amplifying the people we know are making change happen and solving big problems.
In December 2022, we introduced a Diverse Professional Services Directory to promote and connect women- and minority-owned businesses supporting the world of food and beverage. While it was our contribution to the community for the holiday season, we view this initiative as one that will continue to grow and evolve in 2023 and beyond.
2023 reminded us that feeding a global population requires daily ingenuity and tenacity, especially in light of ongoing war, famine, disaster and food insecurity in our communities and around the world.
This year, we chose to direct our gift giving budget to the UN World Food Programme in hope our action inspires similar acts within our community both locally, and on the global stage.
In 2024, we directed our gift giving budget to All for Lunch, a non-profit dedicated to eliminating school lunch debt and fighting childhood food insecurity. 20% of American children do not know where their next meal is coming from, and in 76% of American school districts children are in school lunch debt and can miss field trips, dances, and even walking in graduations due to their financial situation at home. All for Lunch is working nationally to eliminate school lunch debt.