Honeybear Brands Makes Strides on Sustainability Goals

New Report Marks Four Years of Measurable Progress and Retailer-Focused Impact

Elgin, Minn. – Honeybear® Brands, a leading grower, marketer, and developer of premium conventional and organic apples, pears, and cherries, has released its 2024 Sustainability Report, marking four years of steady and measurable progress toward its ambitious environmental goals.

In collaboration with Sustainable Food Group®, Honeybear established science-based sustainability goals in 2019 across four key pillars: pollinator health, packaging, food loss and waste, and climate and energy. The company committed to transparent, third-party measurement and annual reporting, with 5- and 10-year targets guiding its long-term strategy.

Highlights of the 2024 report include progress in each key area:

• Zero Landfill Food Loss: Progressing toward full diversion of organic waste through reuse and recycling.
• Sourced Renewable Energy: Increasing reliance on renewable energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across operations.
• Plastic-Free Packaging: Continued innovation to reduce and eliminate non-recyclable packaging materials.
• Pollinator Habitat Protection: Expansion of pollinator habitats across North American orchards.

Pollinators—especially bees—are essential to the apple industry, responsible for the production of over 100 food crops worldwide. Yet they face threats from habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides.

Through its Adopt an Acre® program, Honeybear partners with retailers to establish and maintain pollinator habitats directly on the orchards supplying their stores. The initiative offers retailers a turn-key sustainability story while giving consumers a direct way to support pollinator health.

“Without bees, we don’t have apples,” said Kristi Harris, Brand Manager at Honeybear Brands. “Our Adopt an Acre® program connects sustainability with retail performance. It educates shoppers, drives engagement, and directly supports habitat creation where their fruit is grown. This is sustainability in action, on the ground and in the store.”

Retailers participating in the program benefit from custom signage, consumer education materials, and co-branded messaging—backed by measurable environmental impact.

The full 2024 Honeybear Brands Sustainability Report is available here.

About Honeybear Brands 

Honeybear Brands is a multi-generational grower, marketer, and innovator of premium conventional and organic apples, pears, and cherries. With operations rooted in the world’s finest growing regions, Honeybear combines sustainable farming practices with state-of-the-art packing facilities strategically located across the U.S. to deliver fresher, faster, and packed-to-order fruit. A robust year-round import program further ensures consistent supply and exceptional quality for retail partners and consumers alike.

Honeybear Brands is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wescott Agri Products. 

For more information about Honeybear, visit www.honeybearbrands.com .Please contact your Honeybear representative for more information. Honeybear^® is a trademark of Wescott Agri Products.