Bimbo Bakeries USA, the undisputed leader in commercial baking, is renowned for its innovative products, unparalleled freshness, and superior quality. Operating nearly 60 bakeries nationwide with a dedicated team of 20,000 associates, Bimbo Bakeries USA boasts top brands such as Entenmann's®, Thomas’®, Oroweat® and Ball Park Buns®. The company is deeply committed to sustainability and has been a distinguished member of RE100, EPA Green Power Partner, and ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for four years in a row. In 2020, the company's bakeries located in Escondido, California, and Denver, Colorado, received the distinguished Food Processing Magazine’s “Green Plant of the Year” and “The Colorado Environmental Leadership Award”, respectively.
Bimbo Bakeries USA is part of the Grupo Bimbo family, the world’s largest baking company. They strive to be leaders in sustainability, recognizing their obligation to protect and preserve our planet for generations to come, and are committed to achieving Net Zero Carbon emissions by the year 2050. Sustainability goals were developed using the framework of the Science Based Targets initiative.
OUR SOLUTION
In pursuit of its ambitious zero-carbon goals, Bimbo Bakeries USA turned to Greenstruxure®, a pioneer in onsite Energy-as-a-Service renewable energy microgrids with robust support from its strategic partner Schneider Electric. In 2022, Bimbo Bakeries USA entered into a 25-year Energy as a Service (EaaS) Agreement with Greenstruxure®. This groundbreaking collaboration involved designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining modular, standardized solar and battery on-site microgrids, all without any upfront capital costs. By simply paying a monthly fee for the energy supply and energy services, Bimbo Bakeries USA is able to supply its bakeries with clean, reliable, and affordable energy generated on-site for decades to come.
Chris Wolfe, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability for Bimbo Bakeries USA, emphasizes the significance of these on-site microgrids, stating, “Grupo Bimbo and Bimbo Bakeries USA are committed to Net Zero Carbon by 2050. These on-site microgrids represent a key component to our diversified strategy.”
The initial six California bakeries (Montebello, Placentia, Oxnard, San Luis Obispo, South San Francisco, and Sacramento) were strategically chosen based on high energy intensity. This approach aimed to limit the effects of rising electricity costs and have the maximum impact on decarbonization. "In California, the combination of rising utility rates and an incentive-rich atmosphere for renewable energy allows these projects to be not only profitable but also improve the communities where we live and work," commented Kevin Yavari, Bimbo Bakeries USA’s Senior Regional Manager of Environmental Sustainability.
GreenStruxure’s innovative solution also includes the best-in-class artificial intelligence (AI) platform BeyondtheGrid® for smart real-time energy and asset management and forecasting, energy cost optimization, and additional sustainability services to ensure optimal performance, Scope 2 emissions reporting in line with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and full digital transparency. Other key benefits of GreenStruxure’s Energy Cost Optimization (ECO) service include demand charge management, time-of-use (TOU) energy arbitrage, economic modeling and analysis, and performance reporting.
OUTCOMES
The on-site solar-plus-storage microgrids at the six California bakeries cover a remarkable 20% of their electricity needs, resulting in a 20% reduction in carbon emissions, which is equivalent to 1,700 tons of CO2e per year. This commendable achievement can be attributed to the efficient use of grid electricity, peak demand management, and zero-carbon energy supplied to the site. Furthermore, the bakeries are future-ready, equipped for added resilience and easy-to-use EV charging infrastructure services.
Jose Lorenzo, CEO of Greenstruxure®, commended Bimbo Bakeries USA’s leadership, commenting, “We are excited to be partnering with Bimbo Bakeries USA in their decarbonization journey. Our standardized and modular onsite microgrid supplies clean, reliable, and affordable energy. It comes with a best-in-class AI platform Beyondthegrid® for energy and asset management. Together, we're shaping a more sustainable future”.
The partnership with Greenstruxure® has not only supported Bimbo Bakeries USA in its net zero carbon objective but also provided the largest commercial baking company with a competitive advantage of locked-in rates for price predictability, energy cost optimization using an AI copilot, and seamless performance to ensure smooth running of business operations and critical systems. The ongoing collaboration is set to strengthen further, with plans to deploy additional EaaS microgrids across more sites, amplifying Bimbo Bakeries USA’s strides towards decarbonization using GreenStruxure’s flexible and scalable EaaS business model.
Seize control of your energy future and reduce your carbon footprint without any upfront capital or risk. Connect with us today to explore our hassle-free Energy as a Service (EaaS) solutions, empowering your business with cost-effective, sustainable, and resilient on-site renewable microgrids.
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