For more than 50 years, Kalsec® has delivered a brand built on honesty, integrity, dependability and trust. The foundation of our business is rooted in our ability to capture the essence of flavors and colors directly from nature , and to develop ingredients using ethical, safe and environmentally sustainable practices.
Our commitment to these practices is driven by our responsibility to each and every stakeholder in our business and by our role in the global community. As a global citizen, we strive to respect and nurture the environment and communities from which we derive our livelihoods. We honor the needs and expectations of our customers and the consumers who trust us to provide safe and wholesome ingredients.
We stand behind our environmental and social stewardship, and the belief that it is only through the success of the people we work with that we will endure and prosper.
Environmental Stewardship
The increasing scale and complexity of environmental issues demand that we go beyond simply managing environmental risks – as a global citizen, we must lead. Beginning with the site Kalsec® inhabits, our environmental stewardship is embedded in all facets of our local, national and international operations.
Protected Habitat
The Kalsec® site is part of a fully integrated multi-use development that includes more than 100 acres of protected forest, open areas and hiking trails. All residents are members of a property owners’ association whose mission is to protect the wildlife and habitat for the benefit of the local community.
Water Conservation
At Kalsec®, all of our cooling water is recycled and recharged to the ground. The recharge ponds provide a riparian habitat for fish and wildlife.
Corporate Composting
Our entire spice by-product stream is composted and recycled as compost under permits from the Department of Environmental Quality in Michigan. It is also certified for use as a soil amendment on food crops.
Agricultural Awareness
In all of our agricultural operations, we work to rebuild the soil and eliminate harmful emissions through sound practices and management. Our patented extraction process in Texas produces organic compliant spice extracts without the use of organic solvents; thus, no volatile emissions. Agricultural operations in Texas and Oklahoma provide raw materials that meet international requirements for pesticide residues and traceability. Our plant breeding program is focused on improving the yield while reducing water consumption and pesticides.
Minimizing Impact with Innovative Technology
We can always do more. That’s why we are working to incorporate the latest in technology into our processes to reduce and eliminate emissions and discharges. For instance, maintenance of our waste water system is based on monitoring technology and novel mass flow technology for emissions control. We also recycle and create value (such as inbound packaging recycling) from our waste streams whenever possible.
Social Responsibility
Ethical Responsibility
We believe in conducting business ethically and with integrity in each of the communities we serve. We also want to positively affect and contribute to our global community of customers, suppliers, employees and investors.
We support the social well being of those whose efforts provide the quality ingredients that are the foundation for our products. This means being uncomprimising in observing and complying with the legal standards and social mores of diverse cultures.
Education, Social Awareness and Personal Growth
Kalsec® promotes the education and growth of the people who make up our communities. Kalsec® has endowed two scholarships at EARTH University in Costa Rica. EARTH's mission is to prepare leaders with ethical values to contribute to the sustainable development of the tropics and to construct a prosperous and just society. The tropics are the source of many of our raw materials.
Since 1993, we have consecutively hosted interns at our corporate site and local operation. We also support student internships in source countries such as Peru, where interns recently worked with local farmers to reduce the use of pesticides, enabling them to meet international standards.
The Kalsec® Charitable Activities Team organizes activities that directly impact our local and global community, including, but not limited to:
- United Way
- Meals on Wheels
- Emergency Relief (e.g. Haiti, following the earthquake)
- Salvation Army
The company provides matching gifts to encourage employee participation.
Just as we are responsible for the quality and performance of every Kalsec® product we create, we are ultimately responsible for the social and environmental costs of those products. We continue to look for ways to improve our corporate stewardship and sustainability.
