Bimbo Bakeries USA—with brands that include Sara Lee, Boboli, Entenmann’s, and many others—has launched an on-site microgrid energy system at six of its California bakeries. The microgrids, made up of solar arrays coupled with battery storage, are providing close to 20% of Bimbo Bakeries USA’s energy usage and saving the company an estimated 1,700 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year.
“It is our responsibility, as part of Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest baking company, to be a leader in sustainability,” says Chris Wolfe, Bimbo Bakeries USA’s senior director of environmental sustainability. “Our goal is to protect and preserve the planet. The microgrid systems at these six bakeries are another step in lowering our overall carbon footprint.”
The project is part of an Energy Services Agreement with GreenStruxure, which designed and built the microgrids, and operates and maintains the system. Through a strong partnership with Schneider Electric, GreenStruxure also provides a digital platform called Beyondthegrid, which gives Bimbo Bakeries full transparency on the portfolio’s performance, including zero carbon energy, peak demand management, and optimized use of energy from the grid and its on-site system.
“We are excited to be partnering with Bimbo Bakeries USA in their decarbonization journey,” says Jose Lorenzo, GreenStruxure’s CEO. “Together, we're shaping a more sustainable future.”
The six California bakeries—in Montebello, Placentia, Oxnard, San Luis Obispo, South San Francisco, and Sacramento—were chosen based on their energy intensity, increasing utility electricity costs, and highest decarbonization impact. Bimbo Bakeries hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Montebello bakery, home to the largest of the six microgrids. The company plans to add the microgrid system to more of its sites going forward.
In 2022, Bimbo Bakeries USA won the Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for outstanding clean energy initiatives and impact on the green power market. The baking company has also been recognized as an EPA Energy Star Partner of the Year for six consecutive years.
One of the world’s most ethical companies
In separate news earlier this month, Bimbo Bakeries’ parent company Grupo Bimbo was listed for the eighth consecutive year as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, according to analysis conducted by Ethisphere, an international authority in defining and promoting ethical business standards.
Grupo Bimbo was recognized for its exemplary standards of business integrity, ethics, compliance, and governance, and for its work to create a positive impact for consumers. The bakery is guided by the principles of its Golden Rule, a code of respect, fairness, trust, and appreciation reinforced through its supportive workplace culture.
“For us, this recognition represents the commitment of each of our associates, who daily build a space of harmony aligned with our beliefs, where wellbeing and transparency govern all our decisions,” says Ignacio Stepancic, global leader of regulatory compliance at Grupo Bimbo. “We are very grateful for this recognition. Ethics goes beyond words because it is based on a continuous commitment to do and say the right thing.”
