• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it

2

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

3

Iran strikes 85 U.S. military sites in the Gulf, sparking a global selloff in stocks and a spike in the price of oil

1

Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it

2

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

3

Iran strikes 85 U.S. military sites in the Gulf, sparking a global selloff in stocks and a spike in the price of oil
LeadershipOn Leading

Smucker’s CEO Says Doing Good is Good for Business

By
Susie Gharib
Susie Gharib
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Susie Gharib
Susie Gharib
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 6, 2019, 2:41 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Say the name “Smucker’s” and everyone thinks jellies and jams and peanut butter. But what most people don’t know is that J.M. Smucker and Company is big on doing good things for the environment too. The Orville, Ohio company is using wind power for its energy needs, reducing carbon emissions and cleaning up landfills.

Mark Smucker says this is the legacy of his great, great grandfather, Jerome Monroe Smucker, who founded the company 122 years ago, providing wholesome fresh fruit from apple orchards.

“One of the reasons he founded the company was to help the farmers in that area of Ohio,” says Smucker, who took over the CEO job in 2016. “At our very core as a company we’re about supporting the community in which we work.”

Following in that family tradition, Smucker is supporting coffee bean farmers in developing countries. Smucker’s which sells Folgers and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee brands, is the largest coffee roaster in North America and Smucker believes he has a responsibility to “support the sustainability of the coffee chain” and ” to improve the livelihood” of coffee farmers.

“We’re making progress,” he says. “We’ve touched the lives of 16,000 plus coffee farmers and we’re starting to see some new varieties of arabica plants that can survive in warmer climates.”

Those are important milestones for Smucker’s seven thousand employees who have high expectations when it comes to the issue of corporate social responsibility. Smucker says that expectation has changed tremendously from the days when his father, his uncle, and his great great grandfather were running the company. “In our company we talk about six constituencies. Consumers, customers, employees, suppliers communities, and the sixth is shareholders,” he says. “If you take care of that first five, automatically you will take care of your investors. And so by focusing on those five constituencies, we’re really helping the business to thrive as well.”

Today, Smucker’s is a Fortune 500 company with revenues of $7 billion. In 2018 its profits surged 126 percent.

Watch the video above for more from my interview with Smucker.

About the Author
By Susie Gharib
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

The Best Rowing Machines (2026): Trainer Tested and Approved
HealthDietary Supplements
The Best Rowing Machines (2026): Trainer Tested and Approved
By Christina SnyderJuly 8, 2026
1 hour ago
‘Even shaving one minute off an EMT trip for severe cases can generate huge economic benefits.’ Well, New York’s congestion pricing did just that
North AmericaNew York City
‘Even shaving one minute off an EMT trip for severe cases can generate huge economic benefits.’ Well, New York’s congestion pricing did just that
By Catherina GioinoJuly 8, 2026
2 hours ago
Cathie Wood just bought the SpaceX dip again—and dumped Alibaba to do it
InvestingCathie Wood
Cathie Wood just bought the SpaceX dip again—and dumped Alibaba to do it
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 8, 2026
2 hours ago
How Qualcomm’s CIO is placing big bets on AI to support the chip company’s diversification push
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How Qualcomm’s CIO is placing big bets on AI to support the chip company’s diversification push
By John KellJuly 8, 2026
2 hours ago
Andrew Forrest, chairman of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd., during a panel session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
C-SuiteLeadership
Mining CEO worth $24 billion nearly drowned and had to break his own leg in a freak hiking accident—he used the recovery time to go back to school
By Eleanor PringleJuly 8, 2026
4 hours ago
‘They’re not freak occurrences’: Farmers grapple with protecting crops as heat waves and extreme weather become more frequent
EnvironmentFood and drink
‘They’re not freak occurrences’: Farmers grapple with protecting crops as heat waves and extreme weather become more frequent
By The Associated Press and Joshua A. BickelJuly 8, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
Success
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
By Preston ForeJuly 6, 2026
2 days ago
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
AI
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 5, 2026
3 days ago
Iran strikes 85 U.S. military sites in the Gulf, sparking a global selloff in stocks and a spike in the price of oil
Newsletters
Iran strikes 85 U.S. military sites in the Gulf, sparking a global selloff in stocks and a spike in the price of oil
By Jim EdwardsJuly 8, 2026
10 hours ago
China’s birth rate just hit its lowest point since 1949—and Trip.com cofounder James Liang thinks that’s a threat to innovation
Asia
China’s birth rate just hit its lowest point since 1949—and Trip.com cofounder James Liang thinks that’s a threat to innovation
By Nicholas GordonJuly 7, 2026
2 days ago
Presidents aren't supposed to pick winners, former White House ethics lawyer says. Trump keeps choosing Dell
Politics
Presidents aren't supposed to pick winners, former White House ethics lawyer says. Trump keeps choosing Dell
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 7, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 7, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 7, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 7, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.