The Birch & Waite Sustainability Recipe is our plan to keep our commitment to creating fresh, chef quality products while we look after the planet and its people.
Our founders, Willi Schultheiss and Peter Flick understood the connection between land, produce, and taste. They were determined to use only the finest fresh Australian ingredients to create superior quality foods with outstanding flavour.
Today, the Birch & Waite Sustainability Recipe takes our founders’ commitment even further, while staying true to our values and our purpose: to transform good meals into great meals.
Our ambition is to look after our shared environment while we improve the lives of our team, customers, the Australian community and the global environment.
We focus on the following 4 ingredients to contribute to sustainability without compromising on the superior tasting products our customers expect from Birch & Waite. To maximise our positive impact, the Birch & Waite Sustainability Recipe is underpinned by United Nations sustainability principles.
Our Australia
Our Environment
Our People
Our Animals, Farms, and Forests
Our Australia
We will continue to promote the Australian economy by supporting our farmers, the local food industry and Australia’s ethical sourcing standards.
We source fresh Australian ingredients which are fresher, allowing us to produce better quality, better tasting recipes with our skilled local team. We’re proud of the contribution our local sourcing and manufacturing policies make to the Australian economy from farm to plate.
When sourcing from overseas we remain committed to traceability and compliance through our ethical sourcing policy and with Australia’s modern slavery regulations.
Our Environment
We will continue to participate responsibly in the circular economy, reducing packaging, waste, emissions, and water use.
We will continue to work with our supply partners and customers to understand consumer needs. We will continue to deliver the most efficient and effective packaging solutions that bring our food to market with the freshness and quality they demand.
We will reduce our use of packaging and continue to work with our supplier partners and customers to increase the use of sustainable materials and increase the post-consumer content in our packaging.
We aim to reduce our net carbon emissions to zero by 2035. Our local sourcing and low food miles allow our customers and consumers to lower carbon footprint when they choose Birch & Waite.
We will reduce our factory’s waste and water usage to ensure we protect this valuable resource.
Our People
We will always care for our team, celebrate diversity, and support our local community.
Find more information about working for Birch & Waite on our Careers page here.
With over one hundred talented people working at Birch & Waite, we’re big enough to offer real career development opportunities yet small enough to feel like a community. Work is a big part of all our lives, so we strive to make sure we offer a great place and culture for our whole team. Our Birch & Waite values underpin our celebration of diversity in our team. Our diversity brings culture and community, encourages us to think differently and inspires the recipes our customers love.
We are proud of the long-term tenures and diversity of our team members and are entirely committed to their wellbeing and professional growth. Our team wants to contribute to our vibrant local community and help look after those who are less fortunate. We will continue to contribute to hunger relief in the local community and support the reduction of food waste in the Australian food industry. We will also work with our team to identify other relevant charities and community initiatives for us all to support.
Our Animals, Farms & Forests
We continue to care for the planet’s animals including promoting chicken welfare and habitat protection.
As we’re a customer of farmed produce, we want to play our part in reducing the human impact on animals and the environment. We will establish a programme of continual improvement of chicken welfare in our egg supply chain by planning to transition to certified cage-free supply, while continuing to avoid palm oil in our products and supporting local sustainable farming practices.
We are committed to continuously improving our packaging sustainability and we are proud to be members of REDCycle. The program unfortunately has been temporarily paused since 9 November 2022 but REDCycle and its partners are committed to having the program back up and running as soon as possible. More information here. Please dispose of any Birch & Waite packaging containing the REDCycle symbol in a general waste rubbish bin for the time being.
We are also proud members of the Australian Packaging Convenant Association (APCO).
We are proud supporters of organisations such as Foodbank and Secondbite to help fight hunger and food waste.
We are also proud supporters of foodservice industry associations like Foodservice Suppliers Association Australia (FSAA).