Pipeline Foods Organic Transition Loan

PipelineFoods.jpg

Pipeline Foods and Rabobank partner to drive the transition from conventional to organic agriculture

Pipeline Foods and Rabobank1 have teamed together on a new Organic Transition Loan.

Founded in 2017, Pipeline Foods is the first U.S.-based supply chain solutions company focused on accelerating the availability and reliability of organic, non-GMO, and regeneratively grown food and feed. Its purpose is to contribute to a healthier, traceable, and more sustainable food system.

In 2019, Pipeline Foods partnered with Rabo AgriFinance2, a subsidiary of Rabobank and a leading financial services provider for agricultural producers and agribusinesses in the United States, on the development of a new financial mechanism to support farmers seeking organic certification. The joint project delivered a financial framework that gives farmers the flexibility to receive the capital needed for up-front costs and to schedule repayments when they receive the additional revenue from selling certified organic goods.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires a three-year transition period for farmers to certify their land as organic – a period that has proven to be financially challenging due to yield losses and the incapacity to collect organic premiums during the conversion period. Yet, market and consumer demand for organic food and ingredients continue to grow. The new Organic Transition Loan now bridges this incongruency.

Pipeline’s relationship with Rabobank goes beyond the Organic Transition Loan. In September 2019, Pipeline announced the successful completion of the renewal of its operating syndicated loan led by Rabobank’s Wholesale Banking North America franchise, in cooperation with ING Capital and CoBank. The loan is crafted in adherence with the ICMA Green Loan Principles and helps Pipeline contribute to sustainable development as outlined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.


1 Rabobank Group is a global financial services leader providing wholesale and retail banking, leasing, and real estate services in more than 40 countries worldwide. Founded over a century ago, Rabobank today is one of the world’s largest banks with over $640 billion in assets. In the Americas, Rabobank is a premier bank to the food and agriculture industry, providing sector expertise, strategic counsel and tailored financial solutions to clients across the entire food value chain.

2 As a leading financial services provider for agricultural producers and agribusinesses in the United States, Rabo AgriFinance adds value using industry expertise, client-focused solutions, and by creating long-term business relationships. Rabo AgriFinance offers a comprehensive portfolio of services that gives producers the right products to prepare for, and take advantage of, market opportunities. This comprehensive suite of services includes loans, insurance, input finance and effective risk management products. Rabo AgriFinance is a subsidiary of Rabobank, a premier bank to the global agriculture industry and one of the world’s largest and strongest banks. Rabobank is an equal opportunity provider. To learn more, go to www.RaboAg.com.

3 AMERRA Capital Management is a multi-strategy asset manager exclusively focused on upstream and midstream food & agribusiness operating companies in the Americas and Europe. Pipeline Foods is a portfolio company within AMERRA Agri PE Fund, LP.

STAKEHOLDERS:

Pipeline Foods, Rabobank(1), Rabo AgriFinance(2), and AMERRA Capital Management(3)

Danone Dairy Contracts

image--079.jpg

Danone is one of the largest dairy producers in the world, working with over 140,000 farmers to produce 8 billion litres of fresh milk each year.114 Danone seeks to empower the next generation of farmers by offering long-term contracts that can span multiple generations, with prices evolving in accordance with production costs rather than market conditions. This price management stabilises profit margins for farmers and mitigates the effects of market price volatility on farmers’ incomes. A more stable income enables farmers to invest in regenerative and sustainable farming practices.

In 2018, 24percent of Danone’s milk produced by its farmers came from long-term contracts, up from 19percent in 2017.115 In Europe, long-term contracts have been established with 40percent of farmers.


114 ‘Strategy & Key Figures’. n.d. Danone UK. https://corporate.danone.co.uk/en/discover/our-businesses/fresh-dairy-products/strategy-key-figures/.

115 ‘Regenerative Agriculture’. 2019. World Food Company - Danone. 7 November 2019. https://www.danone.com/impact/planet/regenerative-agriculture.html.

STAKEHOLDERS:

Danone; dairy farmers

GAIN Premix Facility

image--080.jpg

Founded in 2009, the GAIN Premix Facility was set up to help provide food fortification in developing countries by facilitating a more cost-effective way of acquiring and financing the purchase of highquality mineral and vitamin premix.116

The GAIN Premix Facility includes: a certification facility, set up with the help of Intertek, to screen and certify premix suppliers against rigorous quality standards; a procurement facility for buyers; and a credit facility offering 90-day interest-free credit to premix buyers, to smooth cash flows. Over the years it has achieved a default rate of only 1percent.117,118.119

Since its launch, the facility has sourced about $75 million of fortificants and premix blends for buyers across 48 countries in Africa and Central and Southern Asia. The core operations of the Facility are funded by its donors, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Government of the Netherlands.120


116 ‘Objectives’. n.d. GAIN - Premix Facility. http://gpf.gainhealth.org/about/objectives.

117 Jenkins, Beth, and Richard Gilbert. 2018. ‘Fueling the Business of Nutrition’: Harvard Kennedy School. https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/programs/cri/files/GAIN_2018.pdf.

118 Stella Nordhagen, Sofia Condes, and Greg S. Garrett. 2019. ‘Blended Finance: A New and Promising Approach to Unleash Private Investments in Nutritious Food Value Chains in Frontier Markets’. Gain Discussion Paper Series. Geneva, Switzerland: Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). https://www.gainhealth.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/gain-discussion-paper-series-1-blended-finance-october-2019.pdf.

119 ‘Objectives’. n.d. GAIN - Premix Facility. http://gpf.gainhealth.org/about/objectives.

120 Jenkins, Beth, and Richard Gilbert. 2018. ‘Fueling the Business of Nutrition’: Harvard Kennedy School. https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/programs/cri/files/GAIN_2018.pdf.

STAKEHOLDERS:

Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN); Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Government of the Netherlands

Trado Data-for-benefits Swap

image--062.jpg

Supported by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), Trado is a project led by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and a consortium of agricultural supply chain stakeholders including BNP Paribas, Barclays, Rabobank, Sainsbury’s, Sappi, Standard Chartered, and Unilever, using blockchain technology and financial incentives to improve supply chain transparency and sustainability.121

In 2019, Trado launched its data-for-benefits-swap pilot using Provenance’s supply chain tracking technology, built on Ethereum blockchain and Halotrado’s smart contracts. The swap occurs between a supplier providing “first mile” environmental and social data, and a buyer allowing their financing rate to be applied to the working capital financing of the supplier. Suppliers normally only get paid after the product is shipped and have to raise working capital to cover operation costs. Pre-shipment financing at cheaper rates incentivises them to provide additional production data. The pilot was carried out with actual payments and supply of goods from 225 smallholder producers of tea in Malawi for Unilever, covered by Barclay’s trade finance department.122

Receiving financing 35 days earlier than usual increased farmers’ profits by 3percent. Creating transparency along the supply chain is important for large food retailers as the data can track positive impact and show compliance with environmental and social standards.123 Trado plans to test its blueprint on other supply chains to explore other effective uses of the data gathered.


121 Sanne Wass. 2019. ‘Consortium Releases Technology-Enabled Sustainable Supply Chain Finance Model’. Global Trade Review (GTR). 17 September 2019. https://www.gtreview.com/news/fintech/consortium-releases-technology-enabled-sustainable-supply-chain-finance-model/.

122 Sanne Wass. 2019. ‘Consortium Releases Technology-Enabled Sustainable Supply Chain Finance Model’. Global Trade Review (GTR). 17 September 2019. https://www.gtreview.com/news/fintech/consortium-releases-technology-enabled-sustainable-supply-chain-finance-model/.

123 Sanne Wass. 2019. ‘Consortium Releases Technology-Enabled Sustainable Supply Chain Finance Model’. Global Trade Review (GTR). 17 September 2019. https://www.gtreview.com/news/fintech/consortium-releases-technology-enabled-sustainable-supply-chain-finance-model/.

STAKEHOLDERS:

Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership; DFID; Barclays; BNP Paribas; Halotrade; IDH; Meridia; Provenance; Rabobank; Sainsbury’s; Sappi; Standard Chartered; Unilever

Walmart's Supply Chain Financing Programme

image--085.jpg

Launched in 2019, Walmart partnered with HSBC to develop a sustainable supply-chain financing programme, providing preferential credit rates to Walmart’s suppliers based on their performance against Walmart’s Sustainability Index program and Project Gigaton. It is a unique form of sustainable supply-chain financing, with financing rates pegged to suppliers’ environmental and social ratings.124 Suppliers that improve their sustainability credentials will have access to improved financing from HSBC. Suppliers are assessed against their performance in two of Walmart’s programmes:

1. Sustainability Index: In 2009, Walmart partnered with the Sustainability Consortium (TSC) to launch its Sustainability Index. The Index gathers data and information across the life cycle of Walmart’s products, identifies the key social and environmental hot spots, and provides an agenda for improvement. Each supplier is scored, ranked against others, and presented with improvement opportunities. By 2017, 70percent of Walmart’s goods were provided by suppliers who participated in the Index, covering 300 buyers in over 125 categories and representing 3,000 unique products.125

2. Project Gigaton: Alongside the Sustainability Index, Walmart launched its Project Gigaton in 2017, an initiative to avoid one billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. To date, over 1,000 suppliers have joined the project, conserving 93 million tons of emissions.126 For Walmart’s agriculture supply chain to join Project Gigaton, suppliers need to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with a major focus on efficient fertiliser and water use, manure management, enteric emissions and feed conversion. Walmart estimates that its agricultural supply chain can potentially reduce 300 million metric tons of GHG emissions by 2030. 127


124 ‘Eleanor Wragg. 2019. ‘HSBC Rolls out Sustainable Supply Chain Finance Programme for Walmart’. Global Trade Review (GTR). 24 April 2019. https://www.gtreview.com/news/sustainability/hsbc-rolls-out-sustainable-supply-chain-finance-programme-for-walmart/.

125 ‘Walmart’s THESIS Index’. 2017. Walmart Sustainability Hub. 6 September 2017. https://www.walmartsustainabilityhub.com/sustainability-index.

126 Jen Boynton. 2019. ‘Walmart Inches toward Audacious Project Gigaton Goal’. Greenbiz, 10 April 2019. https://www.greenbiz.com/article/walmart-inches-toward-audacious-project-gigaton-goal.

127 ‘Agriculture’. 2017. Walmart Sustainability Hub. 31 March 2017. https://www.walmartsustainabilityhub.com/project-gigaton/agriculture.

STAKEHOLDERS:

Walmart, The Sustainability Consortium, HSBC