United Natural Foods

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
United Natural Foods, Incorporated (UNFI)
Type Public
Traded as NASDAQ: UNFI
Industry NAIC 42211: wholesale grocery
Founder(s) Michael Funk and Norman A. Cloutier
Headquarters Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Area served United States, Canada
Key people Michael S. Funk, chair of the board; Steven L. Spinner, CEO
Products wholesale natural, organic, and special products; grocery, produce, perishables, personal care, supplements, and non-food products
Employees more than 6,900
Divisions UNFI Natural and Specialty Distribution, Albert's Organics, Blue Marble Brands, Woodstock Farms Manufacturing, Natural Retail Group, Select Nutrition Distributors, UNFI Canada
Website www.unfi.com

United Natural Foods, Incorporated, also known as UNFI, is an independent national distributor of natural and organic foods, specialty foods, and related products in the United States, distributing from eighteen centers throughout the U.S. and Canada. The company provides services for retailers and manufacturers, including marketing and promotions, merchandising, category management, and store support services. UNFI's product line includes dry, refrigerated, and frozen groceries, as well as personal care products, supplements, fresh produce, perishables, general merchandise, and non-food products.

UNFI's customers include food cooperatives, supermarkets, natural food stores, and niche retailers such as Whole Foods Market in the United States, Canada, and more than forty other countries.

UNFI has a focus on corporate social responsibility. Examples include construction and renovation projects that achieve LEED certification, use of alternative fuels, Green Teams,[1] and purchase of renewable energy from Eco Electrons.[2] The corporation supports the Just Label It! movement that calls for the labeling of genetically modified and engineered foods. When discussing its philosophy, mission, and priorities UNFI foundation states that it is "committed to promoting healthy, sustainable, and organic food production and consumption" and educating people about healthy food choices.

History

UNFI was founded in 1996 by the merger of two regional distributors, Mountain People's Warehouse (founded in 1976, serving the Western U.S.) and Cornucopia Natural Foods (founded in 1977, serving the Eastern U.S.), forming the first natural products distributorship with national scope. Since 1996, other regional distributors have merged with UNFI, filling in the distribution footprint and making UNFI the largest distributor of natural products. In 2007 UNFI added specialty products distribution through the acquisition of Millbrook Distribution Services.

Organization

UNFI's distribution operations are divided into five principal units,

  1. UNFI Eastern Region
  2. UNFI Western Region
  3. Albert’s Organics
  4. Select Nutrition
  5. UNFI Canada (formerly SunOpta Distribution Group, includes Aux mille et une saisons)
  6. Honest Green


In addition to distribution operations, UNFI also operates the following divisions,

References

  1. ↑ "Green Initiatives". Retrieved 2010-08-02. 
  2. ↑ "Commitment to renewable energy". Retrieved 2010-08-08. 
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.