New Leaf Markets

SQA Online Resource Center

Award Recipient Post-Visit Report

Organization name: New Leaf Community Markets

Street Address: 2351 Mission Street

City: Santa Cruz Zip code: 95060 Central phone: 426-1306

Name of person submitting the application: Scott Roseman

Title: Owner/CFO Phone: 426-1306 Fax: 426-3257

Site visit coordinator: Same

Product or service: Full-service natural foods grocery stores

Number of employees: 120 Total (80 full-time equivalents)

Category: Medium-size Business Criteria Areas: All four Final Score: N/A

The following report completes the site visit and evaluation process for the 1994 Sustainable Business Quality Awards. We would like your permission to use the commentary on the first page in SBQA advertising, public relations, and press annoucements. The second page contains feedback for your eyes only. We accept corrections and clarification to the information provided on either page in writing or by telephone no later than 5:00 pm, 1/10/95. After that date, the information on the next page will be considered complete, correct and available for distribution.

Congratulations and thank you for participating in the 1994 SBQA process.

I Leadership

New Leaf Community Markets are full-service natural foods stores, committed to community development and environmental stewardship. New Leaf is a leader in the natural foods industry. They emphasize customer service, as demonstrated by their continued growth and expansion.

Owners are visible to employees and customers in a "hands-on" approach to planning and daily operations. Operational managers are given autonomy to make the decisions for their department. For example, the Meat Department managers decides what to buy and from whom. The culture asks for input from employees at all levels and endeavors to include them where possible. Owners are active in the local business leadership and economic development (for example, Scott Roseman is a Board Member of the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce).

II Human and Community Relations

Since its inception in 1985, New Leaf donates a minimum of 10% of their profits to local non-profit and community organizations (cash, food, and in-kind donation of services). This is one of the reasons they received the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce 1994 Business of the Year Award. In addition, New Leaf currently dedicates 5% of a day’s sales each month to a designated community organization and is an active participant in the School Assistance Program

New Leaf provides a comprehensive benefit package to their emplouyes from their first day of employment -- unusual for businesses of this size often do not (e.g., tuition reimbursement, profit sharing, a full medical package). New Leaf’s employee orientation program and employee procedures manual help bring new hires up to speed quickly. Whenever possible, local people are hired and existing employees are promoted instead of bringing someone from the outside.

IV Environmental Stewardship

New Leaf stands committed to environmental stewardship and serves to educate employees and customers by implementing waste minimization initiatives in each store. New Leaf installed a energy-efficient refridgeration system at the new Capitola store (using less than 50% of the energy of conventional systems), low-energy lighting retrofits, and a new skylight to enjoy natural light rather than using electrical energy.

For years, New Leaf has recycled all paper. Their Meat and dairy products past expiration date are donated to the Food Bank of Santa Cruz, another example of minimizing waste through process efficiency.