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SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2013

contents

CEO’s Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Putting Our Values in Action

Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Purity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Well-being . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

1% Grant Recipients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2 | NUTIVA SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2013

NUTIVA SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2013 | 3

CEO’S PERSPECTIVE JOHN ROULAC

Dear Friends,

Welcome to our first annual Social and Environmental Responsibility

Report. At Nutiva, we are revolutionizing the way the world eats. As

you read this report, you will see the many ways we accomplished this

mission in 2013. From the launching of fair trade red palm oil—our

newest superfood of superior nutritional value—to our 1.8 millionth

dollar donated to sustainable agriculture and social causes, to our

leadership and advocacy for non-GMO foods and industrial hemp

farming in America, we are accelerating the organic food movement!

It has been a fantastic year of growth and change for Nutiva. For the fifth year in a row, Nutiva was named one

of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America by Inc. Magazine. Nutiva has grown an average of

55% each year since 2002. In the past 12 months, the demand for organic chia has increased significantly, and

we have doubled sales.

Our persistent growth also allowed Nutiva to move its warehouse operations from Oxnard, California to its

Richmond headquarters in early 2013. The new location, eight times larger than our previous home and com-

plete with expanded machinery, brought with it more than fifty new jobs this past year. We expect additional

job growth in 2014, as we continue to explore increasing our in-house production. With a new and expanded

team, Nutiva also improved its human resources structure and employee benefits.

As our business grows, so does our capacity to give back 1% of sales through our new nonprofit, the Nutiva

Nourish Foundation. Our foundation giving allows us to further revolutionize the way the world eats by funding

sustainable farming, urban gardening, food activism, and nutrition awareness. However, we can't forget that as

our business grows, so does our potential negative impact on the environment. For this reason, we launched a

Sustainability Program in 2013, funded tree planting, implemented green business measures, and relocated our

headquarters 16 miles from the Port of Oakland where our raw materials are shipped. Furthermore, we committed

to improvements that allowed us to obtain three new social and environmental certifications: Fair Trade, B Corp,

and Green Business. We know we need to do more, and in 2014 we will see an increase in terms of measuring

and improving our impact on the world.

In sum, this has been a year when we renewed our promise to pioneer new and better ways to do business.

Here’s to our collective future.

JOHN W. ROULAC FOUNDER & CEO

At Nutiva, we are revolutionizing the way the world eats.

We introduced America’s first hemp food barat a time when the extraordinary nutritionalvalue and ecological benefits of hemp foodswere little known. We then went on to introduceother superfoods such as hemp oil, shelledhemp seeds, and hemp protein powder—named Best New Supplement at the NaturalProducts Expo Show in Washington, D.C. theyear it debuted.

Our success in the marketplace sparked agovernment backlash based on prejudice andmisinformation dating from the 1930s. In 1999,drug enforcement and U.S. Customs agenciesseized hemp food shipments from Canada inthe mistaken belief that hemp foods were drugrelated. In a unified effort with customers andthe entire industrial hemp industry, we launcheda grassroots campaign, and a 2004 U.S. Courtof Appeals victory cleared the way for hempfoods to appear on grocery shelves across thenation.

NUTIVA STANDS FOR popularizing hemp foods

innovationDESIGN AND MARKETINGWe just released our new packaging in artful, colorful, yet

simple watercolor designs. The white background harkens

to the purity of our product, while the watercolor outlines

the essence of the coconut husk, chia flower, hemp seed,

and red palm fruit. With so many superfood competitors in

the food industry, we focus on continual improvement while

challenging the status quo.

We seek innovative ways to educate our consumers and

use grass roots marketing campaigns to bring our message

to the market. On our Facebook site, we gave away product

and Vitamix blenders to many of our loyal customers, while

increasing our audience to 115,700 fans. Recently, we launched

a campaign to educate consumers about the difference

between the sustainable palm fruit oil we provide and the

non-organic, palm oil that has damaged critical habitat in

Southeast Asia.

PRODUCT LAUNCHIn the middle of 2013, we launched our newest product—red

palm oil. Like the other superfoods we carry, red palm oil is

highly nutrient dense, with betacarotene and vitamins A and

E. Some red palm oils have what might be described as a

harsh odor and flavor. We have a proprietary cold-filtration

process that results in a delicate, buttery flavor excellent in

sauces, spreads, dressings and medium heat sautéing.

PARTNERSHIPSNutiva, along with several other organic food brands including

Numi Organic Tea, Alter-Eco Foods, Guayaki, and Traditional

Medicinals, joined forces to create OSC2 (One Step Closer

to an Organic Sustainable Community). OSC2 is a coalition

of like-minded, socially responsible brands who have come

together to drive positive and sustainable change in the food

industry. Like Nutiva’s CEO, the others participating in OSC2

are passionate leaders who believe in the power of collabora-

tion to affect social change.


In an effort to reduce our plastic usage, we replaced bubble wrap

with a 100% recyclable pulp container to ship our glass jars for

web orders.


Our innovative new packaging in artful yet simple watercolor designs harkens to the purity of our product.


purityTHE ORGANIC DIFFERENCEWe continue to source 100% of our superfoods from

organic farms, surpassing industry standards. Farming

without toxic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers yields

healthier soil, which translates to healthier food for our

families and ourselves. Our commitment to a highly pure

product is not only better for our bodies, it’s better for

the planet. Organic farming emits less greenhouse gases

during production and is a better way to sustain the

health of soils, water, living organisms and ecosystems.

HABITAT-FRIENDLY FARMING In June of 2013 we added a new product line, Organic

Red Palm Oil, a nutrient-dense, versatile baking and

cooking oil. Red palm oil contains the highest amounts

of Vitamins A and E—antioxidants with considerable

health benefits—of any plant-based oil.

Cultivation practices on major palm oil farms in Indonesia

and Malaysia often destroy large stretches of jungle and

endanger the wildlife, specifically orangutan habitats.

Most palm oil in the food supply is non-organic.

Our red palm oil is certified organic and fair trade and

comes from small family farms in Ecuador that are sus-

tainable and habitat-friendly. These family farms are not

part of the current deforestation and habitat destruction

(in fact, orangutans do not even live in Ecuador).

We are working with a local partner named Natural

Habitats to promote sustainable agriculture and social

programs in Ecuador. Our partnership has generated

the revenue to build a small health clinic for the local

doctor, hire a full-time soccer coach, and provide

uniforms for the local youth. We are also exploring

permaculture principles with local farmers in the palm-

growing communities.

We are concerned about the impact genetically mod-ified organisms (GMOs) are having on our naturalworld and human health. Since our inception in 1999,we have had a non-GMO policy and only source non-GMO ingredients. Currently, GMO crop pollens areblown across fields and often cross-pollinate non-GMO crops. To date, the agricultural biotech industryhas not taken responsible measures to deal with thissituation. Due to our concern, Nutiva established anon-GMO audit trail to reduce the chances that Nutivaproducts may contain genetically modified organisms.

We expanded our HACCP-certified quality controlteam and obtained SQF Level 2 certification for ourfacility, bringing more rigorous compliance to our coreoperations. In order to ensure the highest quality andpurest product, our products are certified kosher byOrthodox Union and certified organic by Quality Assurance International (QAI) and Ecocert ICO. Infact, we obtained the right to use the new USDA Organic symbol when it became effective in October,2002. Believing in the rights and fair treatment offarmers, we added Fair Trade USA and Fair For Lifecertifications on some of our products.

NUTIVA STANDS FOR certified organic,

non-gmo, fair trade, and safe quality manufacturing

o

We believe in producing a highly pure product, so we source 100% of our superfoods from organic farms,

surpassing industry standards. Farming without toxic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers yields healthier

soil, which translates to healthier food.


With financial support from Nutiva, the advocacy group GMO Inside

called on consumers to tell General Mills to take GMOs out of Cheerios.


NUTIVA STANDS FOR donating 1% of sales

communitySCHOOL TREE PLANTINGWith funding from the Nutiva Nourish Foundation, the nonprofit Common

Vision planted fruit tree gardens at two local schools this past year. Over

the next five years, Common Vision will plant a fruit tree garden of 10-25

trees at every public school in the city of Richmond. This initiative, the first

of its type, will significantly impact our local foodshed and contribute to a

culture of healthy eating.

Improving access to healthy food through planting urban trees and gardens is

one of four focus areas of our foundation giving. Other areas include Sustain-

able Farming, Food and Environmental Activism, and Healthy Communities.

YOUTH BASKETBALL CAMPFor three days, 30 Richmond youth showed up at Nutiva’s headquarters to

run, dribble, pass, rebound, shoot and swish. For a brief time, Nutiva staff

members left their forklifts, production lines, and desks to run drills and

serve healthy snacks.

Instilling healthy eating habits and introducing nutritious foods is key for

raising healthy kids, especially given the rise in diet-related issues in America

such as obesity and diabetes.

FOR OUR FARMERS To date, we have donated 35,000 coconut seedlings to small farmers in the

Philippines, and we have pledged to donate 100,000 total trees by 2015. In

only five years, the seedlings will grow into profitable, producing coconut

trees, known as “money trees.”

We also sponsored a conference and training on organic farming for coconut

growers in the Philippines. Because of the high growth of our coconut sales,

a new factory bringing 1,400 jobs is opening up in an area of the Philippines

where jobs are scarce.

ADVOCACY With financial support from Nutiva, the advocacy group GMO Inside called

on consumers to tell General Mills to take GMOs out of Cheerios. In a ground -

breaking decision, General Mills announced that it will stop using genetically

modified ingredients in its original Cheerios.

We have donated a total of $1.8Million since our 1% programbegan in 1999. Last year, wegave away $670,000 to fundGMO foods labeling and aware-ness, industrial hemp farmingadvocacy, organic sustainablefarming, tree planting, urbangardens, and youth programs innutrition education and environ-mental stewardship. In 2014,Nutiva plans to give away over$800,000.

A tenet of our corporate giving strategy is supporting healthy communities. We accomplish this through the

Nutiva Nourish Foundation and our internal Community Outreach Program.


Over the next five years, we are funding the planting of fruit tree

gardens at every public school in the City of Richmond. This initiative

will significantly impact our local foodshed and contribute to a

culture of healthy eating.


NUTIVA STANDS FOR certified b-corporation

well-beingNOURISHMENTWe recognized the incredible food knowledge and

cooking passion of our Receptionist and promoted her

to part-time Staff Chef. As a result, staff enjoy weekly

kefir with chia, hemp and chia smoothies, and nutritious

lunches made with organic food harvested from our

Edible Garden.

HEALTHWellness offerings in the last year include weekly onsite

yoga classes, a new exercise area, gym reimbursements,

a monthly Film & Speaker Series, and a Community

Outreach Program. Health care benefits pay for 80%

of employee health insurance cost and 65% of

dependent cost.

FUNA newly formed Fun Committee injects energy and

warmth into our office culture with employee events

and potlucks, Friday treats, and a generous staff

recognition program.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTSeveral programs were implemented to enhance

personal and professional development of staff,

including: the creation of a collaborative work-training

program called Natural Products University, inclusion

of a work-style assessment and development, and

implementation of leadership coaching for senior staff.

Celebrating unity and engagement, 90 employees from

production to senior management gathered for our

annual Tribal Retreat featuring inspirational speaker

Nipun Mehta. Ideas generated in small groups were

incorporated into the Nutiva Cultural Guidebook.

We are proud to be a Certified B Corporation. CertifiedB Corps are socially responsible companies that observe a triple bottom line: holding themselves accountable to profit generation, social impacts, andenvironmental impacts. There are currently over 910Certified B Corp orations from more than 60 indus-tries in 27 countries with one unifying goal: to redefine success in business. We became a CertifiedB Corporation because we believe thatbusiness has a higher social purposebeyond profit. The B Corp assessmentgives us a frame work to measure oursuccess against rigorous values andresponsible practices as we scale as acompany.


As a result of our commitment to well-being, we installed an Edible Garden at the front entrance of our

headquarters. Our Staff Chef harvests organic kale, cilantro, strawberries, and lettuce to make nutritious

smoothies and lunches for our team.

Our new Sustainability Program ensures employees are trained how

to recycle and compost their food scraps. Compost is processed onsite

and put back into our Edible Garden.


Nutiva has always valued organics, sustainable agriculture,

tree planting and other green practices, but we’ve never

measured the company’s overall environmental impact. This

past year, we began collecting baseline metrics to quantify

and report on key impacts. By next year, our goal is to identify

sustainability objectives, create an interdepartmental Green

Team, set target improvements, and identify top priorities.

CO2 EMISSIONSWe are committed to reducing our carbon emissions. As

a first step, we measured the carbon emissions from our

corporate headquarters, employee air travel, and employee

commuting according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol

Standard. In 2013, we produced approximately 360.6 metric

tonnes of CO2 emissions from the following sources:

� 23.7 metric tonnes from onsite natural gas

� 82.4 metric tonnes from onsite electrical use

� 146.4 metric tonnes from employee commuting

� 108.1 metric tonnes from employee air travel

An average of 69 employees commuted to our headquarters

an average distance of 35 miles (round trip). This equates to

7,189 miles driven by employees per week. After installing two

EV charging stations in late 2013, five employees purchased

and now commute in electric vehicles.

ENERGY SAVINGSWe switched from 20% renewable energy from utility provider

PG&E to 100% renewable energy via the Marin Clean Energy

program. This will have the equivalent carbon reduction effect

of planting 2,015 fully mature trees. Furthermore, joining the

Marin Clean Energy program will also help support the devel-

opment of new solar and wind facilities in the western U.S.

Even with 100% renewable energy, we took steps to reduce

our energy consumption. We installed more efficient lighting

in our offices, purchased Energy Star certified products,

installed motion detecting lights, and turned lights off

when not in use.

TREE PLANTINGOur funding of tree planting and urban gardens provides a

number of environmental benefits and helps to lower our

carbon footprint. The average tree absorbs about one metric

tonne of carbon dioxide in its lifetime (according to the Pew

Center on Climate Change). This means that Nutiva will help

offset approximately 299 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide

from Richmond tree planting (over the lifetime of a tree).

WATER CONSUMPTIONTo reduce our water consumption, we replaced five inefficient,

older toilets with new low flow toilets, installed a waterless

urinal, and installed low flow toilets in two new handicapped

accessible restrooms. This will save us more than 55,000

gallons of water annually.

GREEN PACKAGINGWe reduced our plastic usage by replacing bubble wrap with

a 100% recycled pulp container and recycled paper sheets

to ship our glass jars for web orders. We reduced our overall

packaging by decreasing our bag size. We are exploring

non-GMO compostable packaging and a solution to replace

plastic shrink wrap with a biodegradable or recycled wrap.

WASTE REDUCTIONWe reduced the size of our landfill bin through the

following actions:

� Composted kitchen scraps and paper towels from kitchens

and restrooms

� Separated e-waste from our landfill waste

� Separated spilled product from our landfill waste and

donated it for livestock feed

� Engaged a company to buy recycled items not included in

our waste services pick up

sustainability


NUTIVA STANDS FOR

certified green business

We took a positive step towards

sustainability in becoming a certified

Bay Area Green Business in 2013.

Green Business standards are both

physical and behavioral, covering

both office and manufacturing

practices. We invested a notable

amount in tenant improvements at

our new facility in order to be state of

the art, comply with regulations, and

upgrade outdated and inefficient

features. In addition, we implemented

a Sustainability Program whereby

green policies inform eco-friendly

office and warehouse practices.

Nutiva’s 1% program funded the production of these films:

� GMO OMG � Bringing it Home � Ground Operations

� Occupy the Farm � Vanishing of the Bees � Growing Cities


food for thoughtCOCONUT AND PALM vs. SOY AND CANOLA

hich do you think has a lower environmental foot-

print: annual crops soy and canola grown and

consumed here in the United States, or tree crops

coconut and palm grown in the Philippines and Ecuador

and transported to the U.S. via cargo ship? If you are like

the majority of people, soy and canola would seem like the

obvious answer. The truth, however, might surprise you.

A life cycle assessment conducted in 2012 by So

Delicious found coconut milk shipped from Asia

had dramatically less environmental impact

than soy milk produced in the U.S.

Greenhouse gases from coconut

milk were six times less than soy

milk and energy demands were

60% less. In fact, coconut milk

out performed soy milk in

every category measured,

including energy demand,

global warming potential,

ozone depletion, water

consumption, acidifica-

tion, eutrophication,

smog, and solid waste.

When coconuts trees

get abundant rainfall, are

organically grown, and are

harvested with minimal

mechanical inputs (like the coconuts we source), they have

a much smaller environmental footprint than corn or soy

harvested annually in the U.S. This is true even when taking

into account shipping from Asia, since carbon emissions

from marine container shipping are 32% to 55% more

efficient than rail transportation according to a 2011 study

by Herbert Engineering Corp.

Similarly, in a life cycle assessment conducted in

2009, palm oil shipped from Asia had a lower

overall carbon footprint than canola oil

produced in North America. In addition

to transportation, the study measured

the environmental impact of farm

machinery, crop production, pesti-

cides, and fertilizers. Palm oil was

the clear winner in each of these

categories.

Our Red Palm Oil has an even

lower environmental impact

than the palm oil measured

in the study because it is

sourced from Ecuador,

meaning there is no defor-

estation or habit destruction

of endangered orangutans—a

problem in areas of Indonesia

and Malaysia.

W

1% grant recipientsSUSTAINABLE FARMING

Amazon Watch

American Botanical Council

Center for Food Safety

Ecological Farming Association

Empowerment Works

Farmer Veteran Coalition

Global Green Grants

Guelph Conference

Organic Consumers Association

Pennsylvania Association

for Sustainable Agriculture

Pesticide Action Network

Rodale Institute

The Pachamama Alliance

Women’s Earth Alliance

HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

Ceres Community Project

Mill Valley Film Festival

New York Coalition for

Healthy School Food

Ojai Valley Defense Fund

Ojai Valley Green Coalition

One World Children’s Fund

Richmond Community Foundation

RYSE

The Healthetarians

The NOMAD Foundation

Transdimensional Illumination

YMCA Richmond

Youth Environmental Strategies

FOOD & ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM

Bioneers Conference

Biosafety Alliance

Bringing It Home film

Canadian Biotechnology Action Network

Earth Island Institute

Food Democracy Action

Global Exchange

GMO Inside

GMO OMG film

Ground Operations film

Growing Cities film

Institute for Responsible Technology

Moms Across America

Non-GMO Project

Occupy the Farm film

The Gaia Foundation

Vanishing of the Bees film

Vote Hemp

Yes on 522

TREES & GARDENS

Acta Non Verba

Captain Planet Foundation

Common Vision

Compass Green Project

Farms to Grow

Friends of SF Environment

Small farmers in the Philippines

The Watershed Project

Urban Tilth


213 West Cutting Blvd

Richmond, CA 94804

800.993.4367

www.nutiva.com

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