As a division of foodservice giant Compass Group, Eurest is a leading hospitality provider for B&I’s biggest employers across industries from tech to finance to manufacturing to healthcare, oil and gas, aviation and more. With a guest list that long, Eurest has the power to make a big difference to the small businesses it chooses to partner with.
Intentionality in those choices can move the needle for women- and minority- owned companies, and the latest example was announced earlier this month: Eurest will partner with Portland, Oregon-based Miffy’s Foods, which will become the exclusive supplier of brownie mix for Eurest marketplaces nationwide.
Eurest has gotten to know Miffy’s Foods, and its founder, Miffy Jones, since 2019, when the company became the first in Eurest’s Business Partner Accelerator program, developed to help minority- and women-owned businesses expand in the world of national contracted foodservices.
Jones is an entrepreneur who likes to tinker with her recipe, and those enjoying the brownies are the beneficiaries of that trait. The brownies are gluten-free and allergen-friendly, with a rich cocoa flavor from cocoa powder that’s been sourced from a supplier committed to sustainable agriculture practices.
“When I was starting my business, I delivered baked goods locally in Portland and constantly received feedback on the brownie, so I decided to reintroduce it and share it with the team at Eurest,” she says. “I’m overwhelmed by the response and truly grateful for the growth and impact that Eurest has driven for my business and life.”
“When I think about it, I have to pinch myself sometimes because it’s such a perfect blend, a perfect mix. I had always had this big vision of having my baking mixes all over North America, maybe the world,” Jones says. “The intentionality of Eurest’s inclusion of diverse suppliers is really meaningful and very powerful.”
And wait, there’s more! There is also a food-waste element to this partnership. Miffy’s signature “grumpy bananas” concept for muffin, scone, waffle and pancake mixes turns surplus fruit into sweet treats, in alignment with another of Eurest’s tenets: reducing food waste. Eurest began integrating Miffy’s mixes into locations, moving fast, to 48 states within 18 months.
It’s been going well, according to Eurest Chief Culinary Officer and Chef Chris Ivens-Brown. “This collaboration enhances our offerings and reinforces our steadfast commitment to fostering growth for our diverse supplier network,” Ivens-Brown says.
By the end of last year, those locations reached a sustainability milestone, rescuing 40 tons of overripe fruit and upcycling it into Miffy’s Foods mixes. Miffy’s ultimate goal is to reduce 450 tons of food waste annually by 2030...sweet!