2023 Impact Report
“Time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” — JOHN F. KENNEDY
CONTENTS 04. Letter from the founders 05. About Avant Food Media 06. Social impact 10. Sustainability
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Letter from the Founders Dear Friends, When we launched Avant Food Media in 2020, we did so with the desire to shake up the status quo. Our vision was to create a media company that connected with the baking industry differently than the traditional way. Let’s be honest: Becoming a force for good in the world wasn’t on our radar. We knew we wanted to do business in more efficient and cost-effective ways. And we wanted to cast a light on people in the industry whose contributions don’t always make it to the forefront. The little changes that flowed from there are building what we feel can make a real impact. Take our Fun Fridays. What began as quarterly outings to let off steam have evolved into a purposeful day of team building that involves giving back. We didn’t set out to impact the environment, either. But, as it turns out, sticking close to our business plan is helping us do just that. By meticulously curating our Commercial Baking circulation list, we ensure that only those engaged with the content receive the printed magazine. As a result, we not only reduced paper waste but also minimized the number of trucks and fuel required to ship our product. And we kept that in mind with our second publication, Craft to Crumb; it’s a digital-only product, generating zero waste. And then there’s our team. To accomplish our business goals — and ride this momentum of change — we needed a team of talented people who shared our passion, work ethic and energy. When looking for the best and brightest people, we ended up building a female-dominated workforce that empowers one another through collaboration, support and respect. We’ve invested in a team of young professionals to learn, grow and forge their own paths in the rapidly changing baking industry … by playing active roles in the change. These young women have gone all-in to become part of the baking industry and create fresh content that disrupts this mature environment. We’ve come a long way in a short time, and our first-ever Avant Food Media Impact Report details this journey toward a positive social and environmental impact. It also creates a framework for our continuous improvement. We invite you to spend a few minutes reading about our efforts. Sincerely, The Founders — Paul, Steve and Joanie
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About Avant Food Media Avant Food Media launched in 2020 with the goal to modernize trade media. Three accomplished veterans in baking media — Paul Lattan, president; Steve Berne, VP; and Joanie Spencer, director of content — saw an opportunity to help the industry meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Focused on the future, Avant established a digital-forward media model that speaks directly to decisionmakers in the industry. Our completely new approach to B2B media revolves around storytelling that focuses on what matters: the data, trends and innovations reshaping the business of baking. Avant’s mission is to serve not only our readers and advertisers, but also the communities and environment in which we operate. As a forward-thinking company, we’re joining the growing movement toward better business. The goal? A world in which everyone recognizes their social and environmental impact to create a better society. This report is our first step, and we plan to get even better from here.
Paul Lattan
Steve Berne
Joanie Spencer
Mari Rydings
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
D I R ECTO R O F C O N T E N T
E D I TO R I A L D I R ECTO R
Jordan Winter
Olivia Siddall
Annie Hollon
Evan Bail
C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R
M U LT I M E D I A S P E C I A L I S T
D I G I TA L E D I T O R
A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R
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SOCIAL IMPACT Web coverage We bring important issues into our coverage of the baking industry. Here’s the breakdown of our web stories by subject. commercialbaking.com
crafttocrumb.com
595 TOTAL STORIES | JAN. 1 — NOV. 16
249 TOTAL STORIES | LAUNCH (FEB. 22) — NOV. 16
DEI 40 (7%)
BIPOC*/WOMEN OWNED 60 (24%)
B CORP 29 (5%)
DONATIONS 11 (2%)
SOCIAL PROGRAMS 9 (4%)
SMALL BIZ PROGRAMS 3 (1%)
*BIPOC is an inclusive term that refers to Black, Indigenous and people of color
Commercial Baking magazine In our coverage, we spotlight industry thought leaders with diverse backgrounds. 38 Seen & Heard
6 Exec Profiles
6 Last Word
QUOTES FROM THE INDUSTRY
HIGHLIGHTING INDUSTRY STARS
COLUMNS TO END EACH ISSUE
WOMEN 1 (17%) WOMEN 17 (45%) BIPOC 8 (21%)
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BIPOC 4 (67%)
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BIPOC 2 (33%)
WOMEN 3 (50%)
Staff transparency Avant Food Media is a female-dominated company. Our staff makeup is always top-of-mind and drives leadership, culture and empowerment in creating a workplace that breaks out of the status quo in a male-dominated industry. Our 8 staff members include...
75% women 50% under the age of 27 25% BIPOC Uplifting youth in the baking industry This August, our team partnered with the American Society of Baking (ASB) to host a regional networking event for young professionals in the baking industry. We’re committed to fostering a welcoming environment for the next gen. The power of storytelling and in-person connection is helping us bring new voices to this space.
Corporate giving This year, Avant Food Media donated $1,500 to nonprofits, including The Women’s Bakery, which empowers women to open bakeries in their communities in East Africa; Camp Rainbow, which offers free camp experiences for children with cancer; CROP Hunger Walk; Harvesters food bank; and more.
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Fighting Hunger with Fun Fridays Avant Food Media works hard and plays hard. Throughout the year, we organize volunteer days to impact the area we’re most passionate about: food. In the Kansas City metro, 1 in 11 people — including 1 in 8 children — are at risk of hunger.* We volunteer our time at Harvesters Food Network in KCMO and Just Food in Lawrence, KS, to make an impact on food security, whether that’s sorting produce, stocking shelves, breaking down boxes or doing other behind-the-scenes work. In addition to volunteering, we lean into team-building activities like pickleball and paint-your-own-pottery. This tradition reminds us that we’re part of a larger community and reinvigorates our shared mission. *Source: Harvesters Food Newtork
We donated
46.25 working hours
to volunteer in our community in 2023. “It gets us outside of the day-to-day. We give our time and help the community of which we’re a part. The real value is thinking beyond yourself.” — JOANIE SPENCER | DIRECTOR OF CONTENT | AVANT FOOD MEDIA
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SUSTAIN
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NABILITY Avant Food Media’s Commitment Avant Food Media is creating a better world by using our platform to promote sustainability. We designed Craft to Crumb as an all-digital platform. For Commercial Baking, we carefully curate our circulation and deliver only what’s relevant to that audience, so we rely on fewer magazines being shipped across the country ... and thrown into landfills. As we start our journey toward improving our environmental performance, we commit to measuring our carbon footprint and developing sustainability programs.
“In the stories we tell, we educate the industry and share best practices, like revealing strategies and supply chain innovations to control waste.” — STEVE BERNE | DIRECTOR OF MEDIA | AVANT FOOD MEDIA
Quick Facts • We chose our office for being a LEED gold-certified building. The rooftop doubles as a green roof, featuring native plants and grasses. •
We recycle all our printer cartridges five times a year by sending them back to our supplier to be refilled and reused.
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“What we’re doing now is breaking up everything that we’ve ever done before. The industry has never looked like this.” — JOANIE SPENCER DIRECTOR OF CONTENT AVANT FOOD MEDIA