2008 KPMG Executive Roundtable

Rainey: I think it’s a positive change. We’ve been fortunate that we started a lot of the work around sustainability about 15 years ago. And so when we see the targets that are being published now, even by our own corporation for the different operating units, we’re already there. At the same time, on the manufacturing side one of the challenges around sustainability is the lack of materials that are available – when you get into certain types of packaging, if the entire industry moves to it there will not be enough materials available to satisfy the industry. So it’s really made us look at how we operate behind the scenes to continue to maintain sustainability, and deliver to consumers.

Mizrahi: There’s no question that it’s important for consumers to be aware, certainly in this global environment where information is communicated so quickly. How consumers interpret that information, however, is tricky for manufacturers. We have to be careful how we market the information that’s available. So in the case of Lesters, our safety standards, sustainability and productivity improvements are all issues that we are proud of, but they are not necessarily the issues that we will choose to communicate to consumers. Limited marketing dollars mean that we have to be selective in the message that we send to consumers.

Thompson: I always say to people, “We’ve been really good farmers, but need to be even better marketers.” And I can tell you that as good farmers, the whole issue of sustainability is important to us. We compost all of our manure and the compost is sold to garden centres and landscapers for their industry. Every single thing on our product is used. Every part of the duck is sold worldwide, whether it’s a duck tongue or a duck gizzard, and our feathers are manufactured into down duvets and that sort of thing. But when we ask, as marketers, “Have we told the world about this? Have we told our customers?” the answer is not enough. It’s a story that needs to be told more.

Pillitteri: I’d have to agree that, as a smaller company the wine business actually is complete vertical integration from the soil right to the end product. I also know that something like 84 per cent of people who go online to look for a product are actually going to buy, so those are our customers, we’ve got to service that, and we’ve got to tell them about our business. We’ve created an in-house team to do this, and we’re trying to be proactive, but it really is a challenge for us.