SOUTH EDMESTON - Like every industry, Chobani faced unprecedented ebb and flow in 2020. The company touted a successful launch of several new products outside of its staple line of Greek yogurt, elevated its workforce, and took generous measures to support local communities - all while curbing the threat of a global pandemic at one of Chenango County’s largest workplaces.
Chobani’s year has been trying indeed. But the company’s nameplate has never been defined by the challenges it faces, say company spokesmen.
Instead, it’s defined by how the company responds to those challenges. And Chobani, they say, has responded strongly with significant investments in its people, communities, and innovation.
“It’s been a pretty intense and exciting year for us, despite the fact that we’re operating in these really challenging, uncertain times,” said Mark Broadhurst, Chobani’s vice president of corporate affairs. “There’s a lot of hurt that continues as a consequence of the pandemic … What we set out to say is, ‘We’re in this for the long haul.’ Not only for our employees, but for our communities.”
From the onset of the pandemic, Chobani laid out a four-pronged approach to handle it. First and foremost was the protection of its employees. Second, the company sought to keep its plants up and running. Third, it kept up distribution to supermarkets across the country. And lastly, it recognized a need to care for local communities, which it did through the donation of nearly 7 million Chobani products coast to coast.
“Community has been important to Chobani from day one,” said Broadhurst, citing Chobani’s significant investments in community efforts over the last 12 months. The company has regularly donated products to school lunch programs locally and regionally, on the East coast as well as around their second production plant in Twin Falls, ID. It’s donated to food security and welfare  programs, including Meals on Wheels and senior centers. It’s given to hospital workers and handed out free products at community giveaways. In July, Chobani even announced that it would additionally donate 100 percent of profits from a limited edition yogurt flavor to Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks that provides food to people in need.
More locally, Chobani has doled out $200,000 to stimulate economic development and entrepreneurship in Chenango County and in bordering Madison, Delaware, and Otsego counties. Of that, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County received more than $63,000 to fund education of farmers for beef and sheep production. Another $28,600 was given to the Charlotte Valley Central School District to support ag programs and buy a food trailer; and more than $69,000 went to Clear Path for Veterans to purchase a food trailer so that the organization could serve hot meals to area veterans. The remainder supported efforts of the Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship.

Chobani has also become a model of successful public-private partnerships. Work on a new fire station and community center in the Village of New Berlin is well underway - a project that Chobani partly funded with the help of other local employers and the State of New York. The 7,000 square-foot firehouse includes truck bays, offices, and training space. The community center will be available to community and business events when it opens later this year.
Broadhurst said he hopes other companies see Chobani as a shining example of the good created by such public-private partnerships, urging other companies to follow suit.
Charity and community aside, Chobani - like any employer - is dealing with the blows caused by the coronavirus pandemic. And that, said Broadhurst, has steered a brunt of the company’s attention toward its lifeblood: the employees.
“For us, it’s been paramount. The health and safety of our employees has always been number one. But boy, is it more so in a pandemic,” Broadhurst said. “In every cloud there’s a silver lining. One of the wonderful things to come out of this is that we always thought of our plant workers as heroes. But the rest of the country has now come to think of plant workers, people who distribute food, farmers - we now call them what they really are. They’re essential workers.”
By October, seven months after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered schools and businesses across the country, Chobani sales suffered scarcely a dent. In fact, due to restrictions on the restaurant industry, food makers like Chobani fared pretty well since people often headed to the grocery store instead of eating out. The company even added staff to meet demand in recent months.
So what does a company like Chobani do with extra revenue floating in? “We invested in people,” Broadhurst said. In the midst of the pandemic, Chobani donated millions of products nationwide and shelled out money for quarterly bonuses for its employees, purchased meals and grocery store items, offered a childcare stipend, and most notably raised its starting wage for employees to $15 an hour (bringing the average hourly wage to $19 per hour at a workplace where roughly 70 percent of the employees are paid hourly).
“This moment of uncertainty is a call for us to join together to strengthen communities and support those working tirelessly to make the food on the tables of families across America,” Chobani Founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya said when the company moved to raise its wages four months ago. “Businesses should serve the people and communities in which they operate. Rising our base starting salary is the right thing to do and we hope other businesses, particularly food manufacturers, feel the same as we all work toward rebuilding our country.”
“A lot of food companies are doing okay through the pandemic,” Broadhurst added. “We try to make the point that if you are in the food industry and you are doing well, you should step up and take care of your employees. That’s something that’s always been important to us, and it’s something that we’ll continue.”
Caring for their employees is what’s helped Chobani thrive in the food industry since its founding in 2005. Today, Chobani is the leading Greek yogurt brand and the second largest yogurt manufacturer in the U.S. In 2020, Chobani finally took measures to widen its footprint in the food market by venturing into the world of dairy and plant-based creamers, plant-based beverages, and most recently, cold brew coffee.
“We have evolved into what we call a ‘modern food company’,” Broadhurst explained. And as for what’s in store for 2021? “Stay tuned,” he said. “Innovation has always been a differentiator for us ... We’re gaining ground and proud that we’re growing in all these categories.”
Of course the reality of the pandemic hasn’t escaped Chobani. It’s been a trying year. Company leaders say they’re well aware of the difficulty they’ll likely face in 2021, despite encouraging news of new vaccines to combat COVID-19. Broadhurst says Chobani’s ready and eager to help local and state governments in any capacity within their power to encourage vaccinations in their workforce in their community.
As Chobani continues to evolve, it’s mission remains the same: promote healthy food choices and cultivate positive change. At the end of the day, that’s what the company is all about, said Broadhurst.
“We’ve looked at things. We’ve prioritized things. We’ve done things differently,” he said. “But all the while, we’ve kept true to our principles and values. It’s not easy; it’s hard work. It’s expensive. It costs money to take care of our employees and to give back. But it’s the right thing to do, and that’s where we’ll always be.”