Fresh Picks & Sustainability Tips: January 2025
A Year of Growth, Expansion & Collaboration
As we step into 2025, we're filled with excitement and anticipation for the opportunities ahead. This year, our focus is on growth and expansion, not only in our business but also in our ability to help the fresh produce industry navigate sustainability challenges with confidence and innovation.
Our annual strategic planning meeting earlier in the month set the tone for an exciting year. Over three days, we:
Welcomed two new team members, bringing fresh perspectives and insights.
Engaged in meaningful discussions to align on our mission and goals.
Strengthened team connections through facilitated team-building exercises, giving us deeper insights into how we work together and how we can better serve our clients.
This meeting reinforced our shared vision: Shape a sustainable fresh produce industry that is resilient, healthy, collaborative, and prosperous.
Warmest Regards,
Nikki Cossio - Founder & CEO - Measure to Improve
2025 Goals: Setting Our Bar High
We always tell our clients to set ambitious but achievable goals – so we did the same! Here are some of our goals for 2025.
Innovative Solutions: Launch a new software platform and expand service offerings, like sustainability training and workshops, carbon market strategies, and agronomic consulting, to equip our clients with tools and other resources to navigate complex sustainability challenges effectively.
Internal Excellence: Our team is the backbone of our success. This year, we're implementing performance-based incentives and investing in professional development to ensure every team member thrives while contributing to our goals.
Operational Leadership: Maintaining our B Corp certification is a testament to our commitment to the triple-bottom-line. By aligning our internal processes with our core values, we continue to lead by example in sustainability.
Values Driven Growth
Our work at MTI is grounded in our core values: integrity, professionalism, collaboration, and excellence. These principles inspire us to deliver results that matter while fostering a supportive and innovative team environment.
Since our founding in 2014, we've grown remarkably—and we're just getting started. Together, we'll continue to shape a more sustainable future for the fresh produce industry.
Stay tuned as we celebrate milestones and share updates throughout the year. Here's to a transformative 2025!
USDA Year in Review
In 2023, Measure to Improve (MTI) began supporting the USDA "A Vibrant Future" Climate-Smart Commodities Grant. In collaboration with the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), the University of Florida (UF), Alcorn State University, and CropTrak, we supported the program implementation and laid the groundwork for this initiative. By the end of 2024, we transitioned from planning to action, driving forward the implementation of climate-smart practices, developing tools to measure and track impacts, and establishing systems for marketing climate-smart produce.
Key Achievements in 2024
Enrollment: MTI enrolled 82 West Coast growers out of the total 100 grant participants.
Soil Sampling: We conducted 15 trips to collect over 300 baseline soil samples from 79 of the 82 enrolled growers.
Field Day: Partnering with IFPA, California Walnut Commission, and Blue Diamond Almonds, we hosted the first West Coast Field Day on December 4, 2024, at Chamisal Ranch in Arbuckle, CA.
Looking to 2025, MTI is excited to build on these successes by completing grower enrollment, continuing soil sampling, and hosting additional Field Days to drive innovation and collaboration.
For a full recap of the Climate-Smart Commodities Grant Project, view our latest article.
What's Ahead in Sustainability?
Sustainability in the fresh produce industry means many different things to different stakeholders, so what does the future hold for the industry?
Kieran Ficken McNeice, Director of Sustainability Programs with Measure to Improve, recently spoke to The Packer about this very topic.
"As much as we want to put things in these nice little buckets and say, 'Packaging is a question, regenerative agriculture is a question, IPM is a question, there's a lot of crossover among these kinds of topics," she said.
"One of the cool things about sustainability is it asks us to think about things on a bigger level. How do these things interact? How do they interact with our other business priorities? How do consumers feel about this? How does this work for our retailers and our shipping partners? How does this actually work for our growers?"
Our Top Five Articles
Looking back at 2024, these five articles received the most attention on our website. They're just as relevant today as they were when we published them, so we invite you to check them out!
Why Do Fresh Produce Growers Need an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program?
Reducing Fresh Strawberry Loss & Waste in the Retail Supply Chain (Case Study)
First USDA Partnerships Climate-Smart Commodity Grant West Coast Field Day
A Guide to Sustainability Certifications for the Fresh Produce Industry
Sustainability Events for the Fresh Produce Industry (2025 Calendar)
Upcoming Events
1/22 - 1/23: Sustainable Foods Summit
1/22 - 1/25: EcoFarm Conference
3/25 - 3/27: Regenerative Agriculture Summit North America
Want Fresh Produce & Sustainability News delivered straight to your inbox?
Sign up at the bottom of this page!