Category: Caring for News
Interview with José Miguel Sánchez, Director of Procurement de Riviana Foods
In this edition we speak to José Miguel Sánchez, Director of Procurement at Riviana Foods.
José Miguel began his career in the Ebro Group eight years ago in the Procurement Department of Herba Ricemills, later moving to Riviana, where he has just completed his fourth years heading management of an important part of the agricultural raw material purchases of our North American subsidiary, along with packaging and co-packing.
Ebrosur launches its “Young Professionals 2023″programme!
Ebrosur, our Argentine subsidiary, has launched, in the area of Entre Ríos, a programme to attract and retain talent in the industrial area called “Jóvenes Profesionales 2023” (Young Professionals 2023). This plan arose from the difficulty of finding qualified personnel in the area.
In a first stage, contact was made with universities and technical secondary schools in the region where framework agreements were signed so that future agronomists and industrial engineers could carry out internships in their facilities. In this same context, open days were held so that these institutions could visit the company’s facilities.
The first results of this project have been the hiring of two engineers, one electromechanical and one industrial, at the Chajarí plant, who will complete their training over a period of twelve months, going through all the factory’s production processes, starting with the supply area. Simultaneously, both engineers are receiving training in different areas such as health and safety, emotional intelligence, leadership, etc., accompanied and guided at all times by the team leaders.
The company is currently replicating this initiative at its Charrúas plant.
Through this project, Ebrosur pursues a twofold objective: 1) to facilitate access to the labour market for young graduates or those in their final year of their degree, and 2) to be their first choice for the development of their professional career.
Riviana is prized edge’s ‘Corporate Champion Appreciation Award’!
Riviana was recently recognised by the Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) with the Corporate Champion Appreciation Award for being a pillar to its community’s progress in South Memphis, as well as for its status as a Fortune 500 company employing a very high number of people from across the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
Over the past few years, Riviana has collaborated extensively with EDGE in the development of PILOT programmes, in addition to other local and state incentives for the socio-economic progress of the region. The EDGE award is given to only one company from the following regional areas: Frayser/North Memphis, Whitehaven/Southeast Memphis, East Memphis and South Memphis/Orange Mound.
Hereby, we congratulate Riviana for its leading role in driving the momentum and growth of South Memphis, not to mention the positive impact of its involvement and the implementation of successful economic development strategies within the region.
Congratulations!
Ebro Talent’s third edition
Ebro Talent, the programme promoted by Ebro Foods Foundation to boost and support innovation and sustainability in the Spanish food sector, has come to an end in its third consecutive year, proclaiming the start-up, Aotech, as winner.
Aotech obtained first prize with their presentation of a project aimed at monitoring the production of Ebro sauces by combining NIRS (Near-InfrRed Spectroscopy) technology and a predictive model which uses machine learning algorithms. In this way, information will be gathered in real-time, providing quick decision-making, thus, avoiding the loss of entire batches owed to errors in the composition or due to machinery malfunctions.
The remaining challenges of this third edition, as their respective winners, were:
- The first, “how to reduce the use of plastics in packaging”, with the winner being B’Zeos, with a proposal for packaging made from algae that is fully compostable.
- There was also an open challenge, in which all technological solutions or innovations that could be applied to the agri-food value chain and which could contribute to the programme’s objectives were accepted. The two winners of this challenge were Bioferric, dedicated to the regeneration of rice maceration water through a customised filtration system to extract inorganic and organic salts and be able to reuse the water in the process; as well as Bioprocesia, aimed at the revaluation of rice husks, fermenting them for the formulation of specialised animal feedstuffs.
We are pleased to see how, year after year, Ebro Talent Caring for Innovation attracts a greater number of entrepreneurs who want to make their innovative idea a reality. This year a new record number of participants was reached, with 42 projects submitted.
Batch cooking: cooking less and eating healthier
Do you know what batch cooking is? It is a technique that allows you to better plan your weekly menu and make it healthier. It consists of dedicating a day to cook all the meals of the week, so you can save time and money, better organize your meals, and eating healthy.
To achieve this, we give you 5 keys that will help you to implement this method successfully!
How to be sustainable during the winter season
Winter arrives, implying temperatures and the hours of sunlight reduce. This change of season is usually linked to an increase in energy consumption, which has a direct impact on the environment. Therefore, it is essential that, with the arrival of this season, we continue being sustainable in our daily lives.
Here are some recommendations to help you to achieve this!
Be energy efficient
It is important that your home is prepared for winter. In this regard, insulation is essential. For example, by keeping your window curtains open during the day will allow sunlight, providing heat to the house, thus, enabling you to turn down the heater. Also remember to unplug appliances and electrical devices, such as chargers, when they are not in use.
Use LED bulbs
With the reduction of sunlight hours, it is common for electricity energy consumption to increase. Therefore, it is advisable to replace conventional bulbs with LED bulbs, as they consume less energy and are last longer.
Lower the heating
Avoid programming the thermostat at maximum, and try to turn it down whenever you can, especially when you are not at home. Wearing warm clothes, such as wool socks and sweaters, will also help you to stay warm and be sustainable at the same time.
Shop sustainably
The change of season is a perfect excuse to renew the closet. However, it is important not to over-consume. One option, which is becoming highly more popular, is to shop in second-hand stores. When choosing Christmas gifts, try to wrap these with recycled materials. Handmade gifts could also be a good solution.
Consume seasonal foods
Seasonal products and local consumption stores will be great allies to reduce your carbon footprint. Also, remember to buy a variety of foods such as proteins, vegetables, fruits and cereals.
Winners of the III edition of the Sustainability & Environmental Awards
Ebro Foundation has just held the III edition of its Sustainability and Environmental Awards, a competition that seeks to promote the internal talent of the Group’s professionals in the field of sustainability, devising proposals which contribute to the achievement of the objectives which the General Sustainability Plan, RUMBO A 2030, embarks.
For a subsequent year, the Group’s subsidiaries have brought very interesting ideas and projects to the table, aimed towards crop sustainability, as progress towards a circular production model, through the elimination of plastics and the reprocess of natural resources. The originators and protagonists of such initiatives were colleagues from the companies Riviana Foods, Ebro India, Tilda, and Ebro Foods Benelux.
In accordance with the evaluation criteria established in the terms for the awards, the projects which have received the highest score in this 3rd edition, therefore the prize winners, were Stop Stubble Burning Project of Ebro India, in first place, and Sustainable Boil in the Bag Solution of the subsidiary Ebro Foods Benelux, awarded the second prize.
Stop Stubble Burning Project is a sustainable agriculture initiative which’s ultimate goal is to find a solution to pasture burning, which is the current alternative for farmers to prepare the land for the coming harvest, with a limited margin available between 15 to 25 days. Even so, pasture burning causes the loss of soil nutrients, reducing soil quality, thus increasing the need to use fertilizers for the next harvest, hence, producing further toxic gases (carbon monoxide, methane, particulates…), increasing GHG emissions.
The project presented by Ebro India proposes to, innovatively, replace pasture burning through the implementation the of fungi, bioenzymes developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), which produce enzymes that decompose the straw in, approximately, 25 days. Hereby, preparing the soil for the next harvest, whilst reducing the use of fertilizers by around 20-25%.
Moreover, Ebro Foods Benelux program, Sustainable Boil in the Bag Solution, aims to replace the material currently used, this being of fossil origin, HDPE, with one made of bio-based bioplastic, PLA, specifically corn starch, for the boil in the bag category.
The two award-winning programs, in addition to the specific benefits inherent to the project, share a common, positive contribution towards the reduction of GHG emissions.
Our sincere gratitude and congratulations to both subsidiaries, as to Tilda and Riviana Foods, for their efforts, the innovative nature of their proposals, and their commitment to the sustainable growth of the Ebro Group.
We encourage all subsidiaries to participate and submit new initiatives for next year!
The third edition of Ebro Talent kicks off
Once again, Ebro Foods and Loyola University of Seville have renewed their commitment to innovation and sustainability in the agri-food sector, with the joint launch of a new edition of “Ebro Talent: Caring for Innovation”, a program aimed at promoting, encouraging, and supporting innovation in the food sector in Spain.
“Ebro Talent: Caring for Innovation” new edition continues to pivot around four challenges which would engage in solutions for the improvement of Spain’s agri-food sector. All whilst supporting and contributing to the identification and innovative talent, as fostering the development of groundbreaking solutions which grant a more sustainable and efficient food industry.
Thus, the challenges, launched by the program to the innovative ecosystem in this third edition, are:
CHALLENGE 1: How could we reduce the use of plastics in product packaging?
CHALLENGE 2: How could we reduce the waste of resources in the value chain through the use of prediction?
CHALLENGE 3: How can Artificial Intelligence be applied to marketing to obtain more efficient and personalized results for diverse promotional actions?
CHALLENGE 4 (OPEN): What solution or technological innovation can you propose which adds to the overall objectives of the program?
In this new summon of Ebro Talent: Caring for Innovation, entrepreneurs who propose solutions to any of these challenges, will participate in a Bootcamp. During this intensive work camp, participants will work, for 48 hours, on-site in dynamics of co-creation of solutions and will receive training related to business development within the food sector.
In addition, those selected to take part in the program will be granted the support of specialized mentors from the food sector, who will guide and accompany them throughout the development and growth of their projects.
The program will culminate on November 10th, with the celebration of Ebro Day, an event which will devise the presentation of the finalist projects and where cash prizeswill be awarded.
Heading Towards 2030!
Do you want to know our actions and results during 2022 in terms of Social Responsibility and Sustainability? Find out in this video.
