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Sustainability

A Commitment to Sustainability

Wawona Frozen Foods is committed to continuous improvement in meeting its responsibilities to the three fundamental tenets of people, planet and profit – the triple bottom line:

  • A strong dedication to the communities in which the company’s employees live and work.
  • As second-, third- and fourth-generation fruit farmers, the Smittcamps are acutely aware of and work to minimize the impact they have on the land, air and water from which they make their livelihood.
  • Finally, Wawona strives to be successful as a business, so it can continue to produce exceptional quality foods.

Wawona’s mission is to produce fruit that consistently meets the expectations of customers in a cost effective, and socially and environmentally responsible manner. Wawona has a written, rolling five-year-plan, the WFF Sustainability Plan, that details the goals, protocols and processes along with the measures to evaluate progress. Wawona continuously strives to learn and implement new, scientifically sound approaches to improve the sustainability of its business. This includes investing in research, development, education and training with customers, colleagues and suppliers. The company sets measurable goals, assign responsibilities, adhere to timelines, verify performance and validate results. 

Comprehensive Wawona Frozen Foods Sustainability Plan:

Hover over to learn more

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Community/People

  • Serve as catalyst for community improvement
  • Partner with industry associations, academia, and regional and state environmental resources to gain access to new practices that will improve Wawona’s impact on local communities and the land around its facilities
  • Make regular and ongoing financial contributions to organizations in the communities including its Valley Children’s Hospital, Habitat for Humanity and several churches
  • Active in community organizations focused on the growth and prosperity of the region
  • Contribute fruit products to support community fundraising events
  • Actively volunteer in community service events

Environment/Planet

  • Partner with suppliers and staff
  • Rely on increasing amounts of renewable resources
  • Conserve non-renewables
  • Use co-generation to diminish reliance on non-renewables
  • Protect sensitive environmental areas
  • Improve air, water, soil and wildlife resources
  • Reduce waste and pollution through recycling and energy conservation
  • Track and reduce use of water for irrigation and processing
  • Work with regional and state environmental groups to replenish ground water aquifers

Business/Profit

  • Devoted fairness and ethical standards in employment and commercial endeavors
  • Adhere to careful measures and processes to exceed expectations for food safety and quality
  • Compelled to deliver long-term economic success for customers, colleagues, shareholders and suppliers
  • Communicate clearly and with transparency
  • Support staff and colleagues with the respect they deserve,
  • Pay suppliers within terms and resolve disputes fairly
  • Set expectations for our suppliers to share our high standards for ethics, courtesy, reliability, productivity and innovation.

Wawona is committed to contributing time, resources and passion to its community, to being good stewards of our land, air and water, and work to deliver the finest quality products on behalf of customers for the enjoyment of consumers.

Wawona Sustainability in Action

“Hoo” is that in Our Orchard?

Wawona has created a highly successful symbiotic relationship with four families of barn owls in the peach orchards around its Cotati production facility. Barn owls are specialist birds and highly adapted to suit their ecological role as hunters. With guidance from local naturalists, Wawona built and erected four owl houses designed to attract nesting owl pairs.

Wawona’s orchards have proven to be great habitats for the owls – providing roosting, nesting and feeding space as they breed and raise their young. In return, the owls deliver a variety of natural and sustainable benefits for the orchards. The barn owls feed on rodents, gophers and squirrels, which might otherwise eat crops – in and around the orchards or in storage – and keep these populations in balance, eliminating the need for poisons.

Swipe Left for that Pest

Wawona has taken an interesting, but not very romantic approach to eliminating insect pests from its operations – dramatically reducing its need for chemical pesticides. Wawona introduced synthetic pheromone disruptors into the trees that confuse mate localization and courtship, both preventing mating and blocking the insects’ reproductive cycles. By hanging pheromone disruptor tags in trees throughout its orchards, Wawona is preventing the need for chemical insecticide sprays. The only downside … is lonely bugs! We can live with that.

The Road is the Pits

Literally. Wawona make effective and sustainable use of the millions of peach pits it removes from the fruit each season. The pits are spread on the dirt service roads within the orchards to provide dust control and deliver nutrients back into the soils as they degrade. As a result, there is no need for paving or petroleum-based dust reducing liquids. And the roads smell better as well!

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