Corridor Native Spring 2018

PHOTO FRONTIER CO-OP
PHOTO BRIAN DRAEGER
Frontier Co-op
produces a variety
of organic products
such as onion
powder and red
enchilada sauce.
Other products
include herbs, teas
and personal care
items.
such as building a school or offering daycare
to workers, funded by a portion of the Fair
Trade premium.
Frontier has taken that a step beyond, by
digging wells in Madagascar villages to help
its vanilla growers and starting other projects
both at home and abroad, Bedard said.
The co-op imports from more than 50
countries, and several employees “roam the
globe” to build its supply chain, he said, citing
supply as one of Frontier’s biggest challenges.
A portion of every Aura Cacia purchase
supports Frontier’s Positive Change Project,
with $230,000 provided last year to six organizations,
including the Catherine McAuley
Center in Cedar Rapids, and others around the
country that help women better their lives.
EMPLOYEES MOST VALUABLE ASSET
Those values are reflected in the business atmosphere,
as well, where Frontier employees
enjoy benefits such as on-site daycare and lowcost,
nutritious meals at its organic cafe. The
co-op’s site in rural Norway, Iowa, is its largest,
with about 375 employees who work in
packaging and other operations in three shifts.
Another 30 are employed each in Belle Plaine
and in Urbana – the site of its Aura Cacia facility
– and about 50 at its North Liberty location.
“We’re connected to Iowa and connected
to the rural community,” Bedard said, noting
that Frontier helped bring high-speed internet
to Belle Plaine when it opened its facility there.
A job fair in January attracted more than
100 people for 50 openings, mainly full-time
positions in production, while the number of
Frontier employees doubled in the past five
years alone.
“We’re a good employer,” Bedard said.
“People want more than just pay and benefits.”
He attributes the co-op’s success, which includes
double-digit growth over the past 15 years
and “a couple hundred million” in annual sales,
to its outstanding workforce and integrated technology.
Employees work in self-directed teams,
with no mandated overtime and opportunity for
8 CORRIDOR NATIVE APRIL 2018