Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network, approaching its one-year anniversary, is well on its way to creating a space (a value network, if you will) where innovative startups and established giants can connect, talk, and collaborate.

Our Innovation Breakfast on April 12 proved that mission -- packed out with more than 200 members and event sponsors. One guest speaker summed it up perfectly with an African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” 

For more than 60 minutes, industry giants, Coca-Cola and Tyson, spoke of their strategies and sustainability initiatives, specifically how they pursue growth while still caring for the well-being of the community.

Justin Whitmore, Corporate Strategy and Chief Sustainability Officer at Tyson, shared his company’s recent endeavors: investing in alternative food companies, including one that utilizes unused food; reducing greenhouse gases by 30% and establishing an initiative to preserve soils used in production. “When you bring together food companies, the communities we serve, and the environment, something special can happen,” added Whitmore. “That’s how we feel about being part of the Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network.”

Coca-Cola’s Business Integration executive and EkoCenter GM, Derk Hendriksen added, “When you stop competing [with each other] for a second and start collaborating – there’s a lot you can do!” Hendriksen grew up in a socially conscious family and is influenced by it today, professionally and personally. “We can’t just create value for ourselves. We need to think: What is our role in society? Our [business] strategies have consequences,” says Hendriksen.

Today Hendriksen is helping Coca Cola navigate sustainability opportunities, primarily in distressed parts of the world. His work focuses on three major priorities: strategic acquisitions; becoming water neutral (whatever is taken from a community, they want to give back); and empowering five million global women to start a business.

These are no small priorities…the last two were developed with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in mind and with the knowledge they would need to work closely with NGOs, governments, and communities to make a global impact. Through the Coca-Cola EkoCenter there are 150 solar powered EkoCenter Kiosks run by women, used to sell products and services. Together, they are accelerating development of underserved communities around the world..

Want to hear more from industry leaders? We encourage you to take advantage of the Network’s Innovation Breakfast events -- next one is May 10. Visit our events page for a full listing of offerings.