First consumer-facing initiative by the Tent Partnership for Refugees, founded by Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya, mobilizes businesses to help integrate refugees in their new communities
UNSTUCK’s first line of co-branded products will feature items from Chobani, GoodPop, La Colombe, Petit Pot, Pitaya Foods, and That’s it.
NEW YORK, June 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, UNSTUCK announced its first line of product partnerships with leading consumer goods brands that help create job opportunities for refugees through their supply chains.
UNSTUCK has joined forces with Chobani, GoodPop, La Colombe, Petit Pot, Pitaya Foods and That’s it. to create the first line of co-branded products using ingredients sourced from suppliers in Colombia and Peru hiring Venezuelan refugees. More brand partners are being explored, including a collaboration with Tony’s Chocolonely.
“UNSTUCK is about us all coming together to help refugees restart their lives through work – one of the most powerful ways to ensure refugees can integrate in their new communities. Using their supply chains, brands can have an exponential impact on refugees’ lives by sourcing from suppliers hiring refugees. This is a win-win for communities, refugees, suppliers, and brands – everyone stands to benefit from refugees’ hard work, dedication, and ingenuity,” said Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO of Chobani and Founder of the Tent Partnership for Refugees.
As the refugee crisis reaches new heights with over 36 million people forced to flee their homes – including millions of Venezuelans displaced within Latin America – major brands have an increasingly important role to play to help refugees economically integrate in their new communities. By harnessing the power of their supply chains – which are often located in major refugee-hosting countries like Colombia – companies in the UNSTUCK coalition work with their suppliers to create job opportunities for refugees.
“Our brand partners are stepping up and helping refugees get ‘unstuck’ by giving them opportunities to secure decent, legal work,” said Nick O’Flaherty, Director of UNSTUCK at the Tent Partnership for Refugees. “Rather than asking brands to donate a portion of their profits, we connect them with world-class suppliers committed to hiring refugees and help them restart their lives. UNSTUCK’s first-of-its-kind model means that brands’ support for refugees is sustainable and long-term – and means we can grow our impact at scale as more brands and consumers join the UNSTUCK movement.”
“When UNSTUCK shared their operating model with us, we felt it aligned perfectly with our values at GoodPop,” said Daniel Goetz, Founder and CEO of GoodPop. “On top of the initiative’s incredible mission to integrate refugees into their new communities, we’re helping set a powerful precedent in the business community. It feels like a no-brainer for everyone involved and we love that shoppers are supporting this initiative when they buy our pops. We’re honored to play a foundational role in today’s launch.”
UNSTUCK’s new product partnerships include:
- Chobani® Vanilla Greek Yogurt with Tropical Fruit on the Bottom
- That’s it.® and UNSTUCK™ Mango Probiotic Fruit Bar
- La Colombe® and UNSTUCK™ Monaco Medium Roast Coffee
- GoodPop® Mango Chile
- Petit Pot® Dark Chocolate Organic French Dessert
- Pitaya Foods™ and UNSTUCK™ Natural Passion Fruit (Bite-Sized Pieces)
- Pitaya Foods™ and UNSTUCK™ Organic Avocado (Bite-Sized Pieces)
“Today’s consumers want more than just a healthy ingredient list – they’re also seeking brands with clean, transparent supply chains, particularly when it comes to labor practices,” said That’s it. CEO & Founder Dr. Lior Lewensztain. “That’s it. is proud to support UNSTUCK’s model, which allows us to use our sourcing and infrastructure power to create job opportunities for refugees around the world.”
To create these products, UNSTUCK has started by working with suppliers in Latin America who are committed to hiring refugees. UNSTUCK then connects these suppliers to local NGO partners to help them recruit, train, and integrate refugee employees. As UNSTUCK grows to include new brands and new sectors they will work with suppliers in other major refugee hosting countries, like Turkey.
UNSTUCK brings together the power of brands and suppliers to empower refugees through legal, safe jobs that allow them to grow and restart their lives.
“Chavin is excited to be a supplier partner and part of the UNSTUCK initiative,” said Mario Salazar, CEO of Chavin, a major fruit processor in Peru. “We are dedicated to providing stable, decent job opportunities for refugees - many of whom have left difficult situations in their home countries and are looking to restart their lives, put down roots in their new communities, and find a sense of belonging and purpose through their work.”
“My job has given me stability and allowed me to plan for the future,” said Diaz Guevara Syul, a Venezuelan refugee working at the Chavin facility in Casma, Peru. “It’s given me peace of mind professionally and personally, access to benefits like a stable income and healthcare, while also finding a sense of community in my new home. I am able to start this new chapter of my life that is full of purpose and possibility.”
To find out about new UNSTUCK brand partners and products, visit www.unstuck.org.
About UNSTUCK
UNSTUCK brings the power of brands, suppliers, and consumers together to help generate job opportunities for refugees. Getting back to work is the first step to rebuilding the lives of the 36 million people forced to flee their homes. UNSTUCK brand partners develop and market profitable products made with ingredients sourced from suppliers hiring refugees, especially in the world’s largest refugee hosting countries. Rather than the traditional "donating a share of profits" approach, UNSTUCK brands can create more inclusive societies by rethinking where they source from. The impact they make is sustainable – because it's a part of their everyday business. This self-sustaining model means brands can make an ongoing impact on refugee employment, and consumers can further support this by purchasing UNSTUCK-branded products. Find out more at www.UNSTUCK.org.
About the Tent Partnership for Refugees
With more and more refugees displaced for longer periods of time, businesses have a critical role to play in helping refugees integrate economically in their new host communities. The Tent Partnership for Refugees mobilizes the global business community to improve the lives and livelihoods of more than 36 million refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their home countries. Founded by Chobani’s founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya in 2016, we are a network of over 250 major companies committed to including refugees. Tent believes that companies can most sustainably support refugees by leveraging their core business operations - by engaging refugees as potential employees, entrepreneurs, and consumers. The full list of Tent members can be found here. Find out more at www.tent.org.
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