BRIDGEWATER, NJ. – Applegate, a subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corp., is the newest corporate partner of The Center for Responsible Business (CRB) at Berkeley Haas, the school of business at University of California Berkeley. Specializing in natural and organic meat production, Applegate pursues nuanced approaches to sustainability within its supply chain.  

The partnership between the CRB and Applegate is founded on an alignment of missions and values as it will accelerate and scale the CRB's Sustainable Food Initiative while allowing Applegate to capitalize on the vast research pool and next generation thought-leaders at UC Berkeley and within Berkeley Haas. 

The Sustainable Food Initiative seeks to serve as a hub for sustainable food entrepreneurship, innovation, and responsible leadership at Berkeley Haas. 

"Applegate brings so many compelling projects to the table and the change they are proposing makes them a desirable and strategic partner. We look forward to doing great things together,” said Robert Strand, executive director of the Center for Responsible Business. 

For more than 30 years, Applegate has been a revolutionary force in the meat industry, most notably in pioneering the now $3 billion market for No Antibiotics Ever meat. Currently, the company is investing in farming systems including organic, non-GMO, and regenerative, where animals are part of a holistic system to enrich soil, boost biodiversity, and improve water retention.   

"Applegate is excited to formalize our ongoing relationship with the Sustainable Food Initiative at the Berkeley Haas Center for Responsible Business,” said John Ghingo, president of Applegate. “We look forward to engaging with thought-leadership at the Haas School of Business and across the UC Berkeley campus to advance our mission: Changing The Meat We Eat.”