AB Mauri has long supported the communities near its sites but over the last three years, the company has developed a more proactive and strategic approach. The Being a Good Neighbour programme has helped to coordinate engagement with local stakeholders.
For example, in Argentina, the Tucumán yeast factory teamed up with a local NGO, Fundación León, to identify and address the social challenges its neighbours face, including poverty, crime, limited access to health services and poor employment opportunities. As part of a business-wide culture change, the plant managers organised a range of activities to strengthen relationships with the community.
These included:
- a Family Day, where more than 260 people visited the site, and families of factory workers were given an insight into where their partner or parent worked and what they did (see below);
- a quarterly housekeeping day when all employees help to maintain the plant, illustrating their pride in – and responsibility for – their workplace; and
- an inclusion programme to help local people to overcome barriers to employment, such as disability
- Additional initiatives are planned for future years.