Bon Appétit Management Company

This Black History Month, Bon Appétit Management Company is centering the experiences of Black farmers as key drivers of more equitable food systems.

We had the chance to talk with Nikki Presley, the Director of Farm Initiatives and Communications of the Persimmon Collective Fund, who works to support BIPOC farmers in the Southeast through greater access to land, capital, and technical assistance.

This Black History Month, Bon Appétit Management Company is shedding light on an unjust past for Black food producers while uplifting our Farm to Fork partners with businesses led by Black farmers, educators, and land stewards.  

Whitman College’s First Foods station — likely one of the first of its kind on campuses across the United States — is a collaboration between Bon Appétit and the Native American Outreach office at Whitman.

With their new comprehensive waste and compost progreams, Knox College is embarking on a new era of on-campus waste management.  

This fall, teams from Willamette University and Lewis & Clark College joined the Oregon chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the Foundation’s Fall Festival. From pumpkin decorating to crown-making and games, magic was made at this community-building event.  

Each year, National Seafood Month is a time to affirm our ongoing commitment to sourcing seafood sustainably and to our partners who make that a reality in our cafés across the country. In addition to aligning with Seafood Watch guidelines, we encourage our chefs to seek out sustainable seafood that’s locally caught or raised.  

Our partner, Numi, provides us with assorted herbal and caffeinated Fair Trade Certified teas, ensuring fair wages, safe working conditions, and community development premiums to support health, education, and infrastructure projects. They work closely with farm partners around the world, sourcing 130+ organic ingredients from more than 34 countries, guaranteeing traceable ingredients and positive outcomes for tea workers and their communities.   

Every October, Bon Appétit Management Company recognizes Fair Trade Month by educating our guests about the importance of the internationally recognized certification for ethically made products, which supports equitable global supply chains.  

For our Eat Local Challenge’s 20th anniversary, accounts across the country Bon Appetit teams brought their A-game to the fun and delicious celebration of the program, the partnerships, and of course, the food. Teams kept things fresh this year by adding pre-promotional activities, trivia, raffles, and giveaways to engage our guests. Read on to hear about all the friends and flavors that came together for the 20th anniversary of ELC!