Rabobank has announced the recipients of its annual Food & Agribusiness (F&A) North America Leadership Awards, which celebrate companies that demonstrate exceptional achievements in innovation, sustainability and market leadership.

Wegmans, Grupo Bimbo and Pivot Bio are this year’s winners.  

“It’s important to recognize and celebrate the achievements of food and agribusiness companies that go above and beyond to foster a more sustainable and responsible food chain,” says Paul Beiboer, CEO of Rabobank North America. "This year’s recipients are making significant and long-lasting actions that will have positive effects for years to come.”

Wegmans is the winner of the 2019 Rabobank Award for Leadership & Excellence. Founded in 1916 and still headquartered in Rochester, New York, the company has 101 stores in seven northeast and mid-Atlantic states, and sources a significant portion of its fresh produce from a network of grower partners near its stores.

The chain has also made great strides in reducing instore plastic packaging and single-use plastics and donates about 14 million pounds of food to local food banks each year.

Grupo Bimbo is the winner of the Rabobank Award for Leadership in Sustainability , which honors an organization that has taken major strides in business, environmental, social and governance sustainability.

Bimbo is committed to using 100% renewable electricity by 2025. It has drastically reduced its CO2 emissions and operates 71 self-sufficient solar rooftops, including the largest in Chile and South America.

Pivot Bio is the winner of the Rabobank Award for Emerging Leadership in Innovation, which is given to a fast-growing young company that is addressing challenges and market gaps in F&A with a novel and disruptive business model.

Pivot Bio provides a microbial nitrogen crop nutrition solution to farmers that reduces the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, helping farmers improve their profitability and sustainability.